Less than a year after his visit to the United States, Faisal attained his
majority on 2 May 1953, commencing his active rule with little experience and during a changing Iraqi political and social climate exacerbated by the rapid development of pan-Arab nationalism. On the same day his cousin, Hussein, was enthroned in Jordan. Reportedly, Faisal's reign was marked by tolerance and co-existence with other faiths and branches of Islam and projects such as an irrigation project, inspired by the US project. Public buildings were built under his reign such as
al-Shawy Mosque which he visited along with scholars and notables of Baghdad on TV. Faisal initially relied for political advice upon his father’s cousin Prince
'Abd al-Ilah and General
Nuri al-Sa'id, a veteran politician and nationalist who had already served several terms as
Prime Minister. However, Faisal's reign simultaneously grew increasingly unstable against a backdrop of economic inequality coupled with the rise of Communism, anti-imperialist sentiment, and mounting
Pan-Arab nationalism. Hastening Faisal's demise was the decision taken by his regent (later confirmed by him) to allow the United Kingdom to retain a continued role in Iraqi affairs, through
the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty of 1948, and later the
Baghdad Pact, signed in 1955. Increasing massive protests greeted news of each of these alliances, contributing to the deaths of hundreds of demonstrators and an increasing deterioration of loyalty to the Iraqi Crown., U.S. He was the regent of his nephew Faisal during his infancy. They were both killed during the 1958 coup. As oil revenues increased during the 1950s, the king and his advisors chose to invest their wealth in development projects, which some claimed increasingly alienated the rapidly growing middle class and the peasantry. The
Iraqi Communist Party increased its influence. Though the regime seemed secure, an intense dissatisfaction with Iraq's condition brewed just below the surface. An ever-widening gap between the wealth of the political elites, landowners, and other supporters of the regime on the one hand, and the poverty of workers and peasants on the other, intensified opposition to Faisal's government. Since the upper classes controlled the parliament, reformists increasingly saw revolution as their sole hope for improvement. The
Egyptian Revolution of 1952, led by
Gamal Abdel Nasser, provided an impetus for a similar undertaking in Iraq.
Plans for Greater Baghdad During his reign, Faisal initiated large-scale plans for the modernization of Greater Baghdad. The goal of this ambitious project was to improve and develop infrastructure and housing, provide essential public buildings, reform the building industries, and train future Iraqi architects to not rely on Western help. The increase in the economy that subsequently enabled the plans for Greater Baghdad to be developed was due to negotiations with the British-controlled
Iraq Petroleum Company in 1952 that achieved an equitable share of oil rights and a substantial increase in Iraq's revenue. Faisal also created the semiautonomous Development Board which consisted of six members including a foreign advisor with the goal of improving living conditions and construction. After various negotiations, the board received a percentage of the annual oil revenue and in 1955 it established a six-year plan with a larger budget, a quarter of which was assigned to public buildings. In an effort to secure the authority of King Faisal II and the Royal Family and to thwart possible tensions, funds needed to be invested in urban areas where it was feared the conflict would potentially appear. Many architects from around the world were invited, among them
Alvar Aalto,
Walter Gropius (who designed the faculty tower and gateway monument to
Baghdad University), and
Le Corbusier. Commissions for public buildings followed and the first ones went to the German architect
Werner March for the
Iraq Museum and the English firm J. Brian Cooper to build the National Parliament and the
Royal Palace. An architect competition was held for the National Bank which Swiss architect
William Dunkel won. Some of the buildings designed during this time were built decades later, under
Saddam Hussein, such as the Baghdad Gymnasium which was designed by Le Corbusier.
Frank Lloyd Wright was also invited by Faisal to design much of Newer Baghdad, but Wright seemed to not regard Iraq as an underdeveloped nation and wanted to preserve its character. Inspired by
Harun al-Rashid and the
Arabian Nights, Wright's plans seemed to echo old
Abbasid architecture in Baghdad such as circular layout and are imbued in greenery to allude to the
Garden of Eden. Despite the contribution to the development of the city, some have criticized Faisal's plans for Greater Baghdad and the many styles that he introduced to be a "
Westernization" of Iraq. The plans also acquired international attention as a letter from the British Board of Trade that was sent to a number of British architects. Some of the criticism of the plans were used as justification during the
14 July Revolution.
The Arab Federation of
Jordan, in February 1958. On 1 February 1958, neighboring Syria joined with Nasser's Egypt to form the
United Arab Republic which Iraq did not recognize. This prompted the
Hashemite kingdoms of Iraq and Jordan to strengthen their ties by establishing a similar alliance. King
Hussein bin Talal, King of Jordan, sent his court minister to Baghdad, carrying a message to Faisal inviting him to go with some ministers to Amman, to consider the consequences of the event. On February 11, 1958, the King of Iraq went with some ministers, the Chief of Staff of the Army, and the Chief of the Royal Court. On the next day, Abd al-Ilah joined them, and there the two parties reached, on February 14, 1958, the declaration of the
Arab Hashemite Union between Iraq and Jordan, also known as the "Arab Federation." Originally,
Kuwait was to join but Britain was opposed to the unification. Faisal, as the senior member of the Hashemite family, became its head of state and the head of the Union Government, and in his absence, Hussein would head the Union Government. The Federation was also open to other Arab countries joining it. ==Downfall and death==