Independent Iraq

Iraq was admitted to the League of Nations in 1932 and received full independence. Faisal I died in 1933 and was succeeded by his son, Ghazi I, who died in 1939. Ghazi's three-year-old son, Faisal II, then became king with an uncle as regent. In April, 1941, during World War II, an army coup brought pro-Axis politicians into power. British troops quickly overthrow the government, installed a pro-British regime, and used Iraq as a supply base for the duration of the war. The new regime declared war on the Axis Powers in 1943.

During the early postwar years, Iraq was pro-Western. In 1955 Iraq, along with Iran, Turkey, Pakistan, and Great Britain, signed the Baghdad Pact, creating a mutual-defense alliance.