| Golden Square | |
|---|---|
| المربع الذهبي | |
| Leader | Salah al-Din al-Sabbagh Kamil Shabib Fahmi Said Mahmud Salman |
| Dates of operation | 1930–1941 |
| Country |  Kingdom of Iraq |
| Motives | Overthrow of the Kingdom of Iraq |
| Headquarters | Baghdad, Iraq |
| Ideology | Arab ultranationalism[1] Pan-Arabism Nazism Fascism |
| Political position | Far-right |
| Notable attacks | 1941 Iraqi coup d'état |
| Part of | Axis Powers |
| Allies |  National Brotherhood Party Nazi Germany Fascist Italy Vichy France |
| Opponents |  British Empire Hashemites |
| Battles and wars | Anglo-Iraqi War |
The Golden Square (Arabic: المربع الذهبي, al-Murabbaʿ al-dhahabī), also known as the Four Colonels (Arabic: العقداء الأربعة, al-ʿiqdā' al-arbaʿa), was a cabal of pro-Fascist and pro Nazi army officers of the Iraqi armed forces who played a part in Iraqi politics throughout the 1930s and early 1940s. They conspired to overthrow the Hashemite monarchy in Iraq and expel the British presence in Iraq. The activities of the Golden Square culminated in supporting Rashid Ali al-Gaylani in his overthrow of government in 1941,[2] briefly instituting the Golden Square National Defense Government. However, the Anglo-Iraqi War resulted in the disbandment of the Golden Square.
The officers desired full independence from Britain, and the formation of a pan-Arab state from Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine, and a settlement of the intercommunal conflict in Mandatory Palestine.[3]
- ^ The German Side of the War in the Middle East 1939-1942. Stanford University. 1962. p. 41.
the notorious "Golden Square", four young ultra-nationalist colonels
- ^ "Near East: Trouble in Paradise". Time. 21 April 1941.
- ^ "eARMOR Axis and Allied Strategic Posturing in Palestine: Hidden Lessons from World War II". www.moore.army.mil. Retrieved 17 October 2024.