1974 Kurdish Revolution:

By 1974, the Iraqi government had failed to uphold the promises made to the Kurds in the 1970 March 11 Agreement, leading to renewed conflict. Central disputes revolved around the status of oil-rich Kirkuk, which Baghdad refused to include in the Kurdish autonomous region, and the borders of the proposed region itself, as Saddam Hussein granted the Kurds only half of the land they had been promised. The Iraqi regime also resisted genuine power-sharing, further fueling Kurdish frustrations. Tensions reached a breaking point in March 1974 when the Ba’ath Party unilaterally imposed an autonomy law without Kurdish consent, effectively stripping the Kurds of their negotiating power. This move highlighted the government’s determination to suppress Kurdish ambitions for self-rule.

 

In response, Kurdish forces once again took up arms, igniting what became known as the 1974 Kurdish Revolution. The Kurds received significant external aid from the United States, Israel, and Iran, but they were up against a powerful Iraqi military supported by the Soviet Union. The Iraqi government launched devastating offensives, employing aerial bombardments and campaigns of village destruction that displaced countless Kurdish civilians. The balance of power shifted in 1975 with the signing of the Algiers Accord between Iraq and Iran, brokered with U.S. backing. As part of the agreement, both Iran and the United States withdrew their support for the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), leaving Mustafa Barzani and his forces isolated. With no external backing, Barzani was forced to abandon the armed struggle and seek exile, marking the collapse of the 1974 Kurdish Revolution. This sudden reversal was seen by many Kurds as a profound betrayal, deepening their distrust of foreign powers. In the aftermath of this defeat, new political dynamics emerged, most notably the formation of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in 1975, which would become a major rival to the KDP and a central player in Kurdish politics.

​

Test your knowledge and quiz yourself: Quiz on 1974 Kurdish History