The Political Role of the Communist Party After the February 8, 1963 Coup

Aims: The aim of the study is to investigate the political role played by the Communist Party in Iraq after the February 8, 1963 coup. The study also aimed to shed light on how the party influenced the political situation in Iraq during the post-coup period. Finally, it aimed to identify the factors that led to the rise or decline of the Communist Party's influence after the 1963 coup. Methodology: The historical approach was adopted in this study. The study also adopted the analytical approach. Results: The results showed that the Iraqi Communist Party was significantly affected after the February 8, 1963 coup, losing much of its political strength and organizational structure in Iraq. The results also revealed that the deterioration of the relationship between the Communist Party and the Baathist regime led to the martyrdom of many of its leaders and the imprisonment of others. Too, despite attempts to maintain its political presence, the Communist Party faced internal divisions and difficulties, which further marginalized it from the Iraqi political arena. Finally, the Iraqi Communist Party continued to operate as an opposition movement, yet it was unable to fully restore its political influence for a long time. Conclusions: It can be concluded that after the February 8, 1963 coup in Iraq, the Communist Party was mainly targeted by the new ruling regime (Baathist), leading to bloody political struggles against the Communists. Despite the repression faced by the party, it continued to attempt to influence Iraqi politics in the post-coup period, either through armed resistance or through political activities aiming to restore its power. The Communist Party played a significant role in attempting to balance the political forces in Iraq but soon turned into an opposition movement due to continuous attacks from the regime.