The 1948 Wathba revisited: Comrade Fahd and the mass appeal of Iraqi communism

The 1948 Wathba protests in Iraq crystallized the communist party’s success in mobilizing ordinary citizens around democratic ideals, against the neo-feudal politics of the British-controlled monarchy. This mobilization bore fruit in the 1958 revolution, but is often overlooked by historians who focus on the failure of a communist revolution. The inclusive, cross-sectarian democratic movement is remembered, but not revived in post-Ba`thist Iraq today.