The application of 1958 and 1970 Agrarian Reform Acts in HawlerLiwa (Governorate) and its effects a historical study

Abstract

The 14th of July in 1958 was a turning point in the history of contemporary Iraq politically, socially, and economically. One of the main changes was the acquisition of agricultural lands through the enactment of the "Agrarian Reform Act" in 1958, which remained in place until the enactment of another act, the Agrarian Reform Act of 1970. These laws aimed to put an end to large ownership of agricultural land in Iraq by distributing it among the farmers. This study aims to highlight the application of the two acts and their effects on the governorate (Liwa) of Hawler (Erbil). It approaches the subject through two different topics. The first one tackles the application of 1958 Agrarian Reform Act in Hawler governorate. We analyze the main articles of the 1958 act, and then discuss the land ownership in the governorate, the area of lands confiscated from landlords, and the process of distributing those lands to the peasants. This sectionalso highlights the effects of land distribution on production relations before looking at the effects of the Kurdish Revolt of September 1961 on the application of the Agrarian Reform Act of 1958. The second topic is devoted to analyzing the application of the Agrarian Reform Act of 1970 in Hawler governorate in the same way as the first topic; we also note some differences between the two acts, while looking also at the area of the land that was distributed and the number of beneficiaries in the Hawler governorate. This topic also focuses on some of the shortcomings of the 1970 Act, especially nothing that some of its articles did not take into account the specific situation in Kurdistan.