Deck 11: The Arab Struggle for Independence: Egypt, Iraq, and Transjordan From the Interwar Era to 1945

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT true of the Wafd Party?

A) Sa'd Zaghlul was the party's leader
B) The party's original delegation consisted of seven Egyptians
C) It called for the complete independence of Egypt
D) The Wafd Party won only a small number of parliament seats in its first election

Answer 1

D

Question 2

When did Britain impose its version of independence on Egypt?

A) 1919
B) 1922
C) 1923
D) 1936

Answer 2

B

Question 3

All of the following are true regarding the 1936 Anglo-Egyptian treaty EXCEPT

A) It recognized Egypt's independence.
B) It was signed by the elected Wafdist government.
C) It gave Egyptian consent to the continued deployment of British troops on Egyptian soil.
D) It abolished Britain's right to keep a military presence in the Suez Canal zone

Answer 3

D

Question 4

What well-publicized gesture of social freedom did the founder of the Egyptian Feminist Union Huda Sha'rawi and her associate Saiza Nabrawi make in 1923?

A) They were admitted to the national university
B) They voted in a parliamentary election
C) They removed their veils at Cairo's main railway station
D) None these answers is correct

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT true about the February Fourth Incident?

A) It emphasized Britain's control over Egyptian domestic affairs
B) King Faruq met with the British ambassador, Sir Miles Lampson
C) The dispute between the British and King Faruq was over who should fill the vacant position of Commander of the Egyptian Armed Forces
D) British tanks were ordered to surround the royal residence at Abdin Palace

Question 6

The British, desiring a leader for Iraq with whom they could work and who would be acceptable to a broad cross-section of the Iraqi population, chose _______________.

A) Yasin al-Hashimi
B) Sharif Husayn
C) General Sidqi
D) Amir Faysal

Question 7

After the four colonels (the Golden Square) led an assault on British forces in 1941, how did Britain respond?

A) Britain placed Iraq under military occupation from 1941-1945
B) Britain established the old, pre-Rashid Ali al-Gaylani ruling coalition
C) Britain defeated the Rashid Ali revolt
D) All of these answers are correct

Question 8

Which of the following is NOT true about Transjordan?

A) Unlike Iraq, Transjordan existed as a social and political community during the Ottoman era and flourished under the Empire's control
B) Transjordan was created for the purpose of bringing stability to a decentralized tribal region
C) Amman became the capital of Transjordan in 1921
D) Transjordan was a British mandate

Question 9

Which of the following is true of Abdallah of Transjordan?

A) When Transjordan was granted independence in 1946, Abdallah was elevated from prince to king
B) During the Rashid Ali revolt in Iraq, Abdallah pledged his army-the Arab Legion-to serve and deploy at the behest of the British
C) Abdallah's brother Faysal ruled over Iraq
D) All of these answers are correct

Question 10

The Egyptian Wafd Party was formed by which of the following groups in 1918?

A) Discontented members of the ulama who had been alienated by the monarchy
B) Disaffected members of the religious establishment who were opposed to Egypt's foreign-inspired parliamentary regime
C) Prominent Egyptians from the landed gentry and the legal profession
D) A loose alliance of four colonels who were motivated by nationalist and Pan-Arab sentiments

Question 11

Which of the following statements accurately describes the impact that World War II had on the Egyptian economy?

A) Trade was restricted and inflation was rampant, leading to bread riots
B) By the end of war, Egypt had achieved local self-sufficiency with the production of good such as sugar, tobacco, and cotton
C) Egypt's local labor force experienced considerable growth
D) All of these statements accurately describe Egypt's economy during WWII

Question 12

Which of the following was NOT included in Iraq's Organic Law (1925)?

A) The definition of Iraq as an Arab republic
B) The creation of a bicameral legislative system
C) The designation of Islam as the state religion
D) The continued jurisdiction of shari'ah courts over issues of personal status and waqfs

Question 13

During Iraq's formative political years, the British supported which group's ascent to political prominence?

A) The Sunni Kurds
B) The Shi‛a Arabs
C) The Sunni Arabs
D) The Shi‛a Kurds

Question 14

Which of the following events triggered the 1919 revolution in Egypt?

A) The accidental wounding of an Egyptian women by four British officers who were pigeon shooting
B) The creation of a loose federation of Arab states, which would later come to be known as the Arab League
C) The Wafd party's coup d'état led by Sa‛d Zaghlul
D) Britain's exile of Sa‛d Zaghlul to Malta

Question 15

What did Taha Husayn stress in his book Mustaqbal al-Thaqafah fi Misr (The Future of Culture in Egypt)?

A) Arab regional unity
B) Egypt's Arab and Islamic identity
C) Egypt's Mediterranean heritage and contribution to Greek civilization
D) Anti-colonial sentiment against the ongoing British involvement in Egypt

Question 16

What did Huda Sha'rawi and Taha Husayn share in common?

A) They were viewed by segments of Egypt's lower classes as detached, Europeanized secular elites
B) Through Islamic discourse, they called for the dismantlement of any British influence in Egypt
C) They were both prominent Christian Arabs who acted as intermediaries between the British and Muslim Egyptian society
D) They were both leading members of Egypt's feminist movement in the 1920s

Question 17

In which of the following ways did sectarianism become a trend in Iraqi politics?

A) Istanbul education and British backing, supported through Faysal, elevated prestige of former Ottoman officials
B) Iraq was the product of the British merging of three distinct Ottoman provinces, all of which contained a number of ethnic and religious groups
C) In the post-Faysal years, army generals such as Bakr Sidqi used violence against minorities to achieve goals of nationalism and pan-Arabism
D) All of these answers are correct

Question 18

What was unusual about the military coups that took place in Iraq between 1936 and 1941?

A) While indigenously led, they were on behalf of greater Iraqi ties with the British
B) The military did not take over the government, but installed civilian leaders after each coup
C) They were inspired by German Nazi ideology
D) None of these accurately depict the coups in Iraq between1936-1941

Question 19

What parallel(s) can be drawn between Nuri al-Sa‛id's ruling coalition in Iraq after the Rashid Ali movement and the Wafd Party in Egypt after the February Fourth Incident?

A) Both political groups' reputations were tarnished as they returned to power thanks to British military action
B) Both groups gained power on avid Arab nationalist platforms
C) Both came to power through nationalist military coups
D) All of these are true parallels between Nuri al-Sa‛id and the Egyptian Wafd

Question 20

The appeal of the Muslim Brotherhood was widespread and cut across class lines.

Question 21

During World War II, Istanbul was the headquarters of the Middle East supply center.

Question 22

Despite the efforts of the British to award the vacant position of Prime Minister to a Wafd Party leader, King Faruq's choice, Axis-sympathizer Ali Mahir, assumed the post.

Question 23

In 1941, the Iraqi army surrounded the British air base near Baghdad and essentially started a war between Britain and Iraq. Iraq was triumphant.

Question 24

Transjordan's Abdallah's unequivocal support for Britain soured his reputation in Arab nationalist circles.

Question 25

A wave of support for the Wafd Party-in the form of riots and demonstrations for independence-broke out when Wafd Party leader __________________ was exiled by British authorities.

Question 26

Hasan al-Banna believed a(n) __________________ order would ensure social justice, economic well-being, and political harmony.

Question 27

In dealing with Iraq, the British were influenced by an important new factor in international relations: the contest for control of __________________.

Question 28

The __________________ was the standing army of Transjordan.

Question 29

When World War II broke out, Abdallah of Transjordan declared his allegiance to __________________.

Question 30

What factors worked against the efficient functioning of Egypt's democracy?

Question 31

Explain how the Muslim Brotherhood was a mixture of the traditional and the innovative.

Question 32

Describe the state of Iraq created under a British mandate in 1920. What early problems did the state face, and why?

Question 33

What did the infighting among politicians in Faysal's Iraq lead to?

Question 34

Describe the outcome of Britain's practices in the Middle East region during the interwar period.

Question 35

Identify and briefly explain the two key issues that led to the Rashid Ali revolt.

Question 36

What led to the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt during the interwar years?

Question 37

Briefly outline and explain the significance of the February Fourth Incident in Egypt.

Question 38

In what way did the British appointment of Amir Faysal as king of Iraq personify Britain's post-World War I colonial policies?

Question 39

In what way can Iraq be considered "the most arbitrary" of the post-Ottoman states?

Question 40

Elizabeth Monroe has described the interwar period as "Britain's moment in the Middle East." To what extant is this an accurate description of the era?

Question 41

Compare and contrast Britain's respective relationships with Egypt, Iraq, and Transjordan during World War II.