Iraq didn't exist. Both were part of the Ottoman Empire:
The present Al-Sabah dynasty was established in Kuwait in the mid-eighteenth century -- about 1760. Kuwait was nominally a province of the Ottoman Empire, ruled from Constantinople. This was observed on paper but seldom in fact.
In 1899 when the Turks threatened to take actual control of the country, the ruling sheikh sought and received British protection.
Oil was discovered in Kuwait in 1938 by the Kuwait Oil Company but because of World War II, it was not exported until 1946, after which time Kuwait's economy flourished.
Kuwait remained a British protectorate until 1961 when it became independent under Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah. However, when Iraq claimed the emirate in the early 1960s, it once again received British protection.
In July 1961 Kuwait joined the Arab League and in 1963 became a member of the United Nations. Also in 1963 the first legislative elections were held and Sheikh Abdullah, the Emir of Kuwait, inaugurated the first National Assembly on 29 February 1963.
During the 1980's, Kuwait experienced several terrorist attacks by Shiite Muslim extremists, including one in 1985 which attempted to assassinate the emir. Kuwait, like most Arab states, supported Iraq in the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988).
Kuwait played a major role in establishing the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) consisting of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and the Sultanate of Oman in 1981. The Council held a firm position during Iraq's invasion of Kuwait on 2 August 1990 and its seven-month occupation of the Emirate. |
