34 Days
Source:
عربية – DW
Feudalism in Iraq: Chiefs of the Black Land and Poor Peasants
Modhad Pasha's policy of settling tribes and clans in southern Iraq involved transitioning from nomadic to agricultural lifestyles. He granted lands to clan leaders rather than individuals, transforming them into landlords who controlled vast areas. Meanwhile, farmers shifted from being independent cultivators to dependent laborers owing allegiance to these landlords. This transformed the system into an estate-based structure that imposed heavy taxes and financial burdens on peasants. As a result, wealth accumulated among the sheikhs, while farmers remained in extreme poverty and debt. Many of them experienced conditions akin to legalized slavery, with sheikhs living luxuriously in palaces along the Tigris River. Rural populations migrated to the cities to escape oppression and drought. The feudal system was abolished with the Agricultural Reform Law of 1958, which ended the dominance of tribal sheikhs; however, the legacy of injustice continued to shape Iraq's social and political fabric.
Size: 120%Text Size
Notice: This Is an AI-Generated Summary
Comments (0)