GCSE · History · AQA · Spec 8145

Gulf War 1990

Iraq overran Kuwait in a matter of hours. The world’s answer took months, and the land war that finally ended it lasted just four days. So what filled the gap?

History · Cause & effect

The escalation ladder: from invasion to cease-fire

Tap each rung. Ask two things: what did the world do next, and why?

Causes ←

What led here

Iraq had still not withdrawn from Kuwait

Event

Decision to use force

By 30 Oct 1990

Look at the wording: “if necessary”. The decision came, but force still needed the UN’s say-so.

→ Consequences

What followed

The Bush administration decided to push Iraq out of Kuwait by force if necessary

Bush increased the US force presence

Bush petitioned the UN for authorisation to use force

Exam line: War was the last rung of the ladder, not the first: demands, sanctions and a deadline all came before force.

Watch out: Do not write “America attacked Iraq”. Iraq invaded Kuwait first, and the answer ran through the UN.

History · Rewind to the causes

What was building up before 2 August?

Draw arrows to show how the pressures behind the crisis connect. Only add a link if you can say why. Then compare with the lesson’s web.

War debts
Debt appeal unanswered
Threats against Kuwait
Oil over-production accusation
Rumayla and island demands
Old territorial dispute
Invasion, 2 August 1990 (outcome)

Add a link

This factor……made this happen or worse

No links yet.

History · Whose voice is this?

Claim, event or judgement?

Pick a statement, then pick where it belongs. Commit before you read the reason.

Still to sort

Said or demanded by Iraq’s leaders (0)

An accusation, argument, demand or claim made by Saddam Hussein or Iraq’s leaders.

Where the line is: If you could put “Saddam alleged…” or “Qasim asserted…” in front of it, it belongs here.

Reported as having happened (0)

An event or fact the source states as having happened.

Where the line is: If it describes something that took place, rather than someone’s say-so about it, it belongs here.

The source’s own judgement (0)

A view about why something happened, given by the US source itself.

Where the line is: If it links one thing to another as a cause, and the source is the one making the link, it belongs here.

8 of 8 still to sort.

All of this comes from one US government source, so who is speaking matters.

Exam line: Before you write a cause down, ask who is saying it: Saddam, the source reporting an event, or the source giving its own view.

History · Who fought Iraq?

Which of these is closest to what you think?

A friend says: “The Gulf War? That was just America attacking Iraq.”

Which idea is closest to what you think right now?

The United States attacked Iraq on its own.The United States and Israel fought Iraq together.The US attacked Iraq as soon as it invaded Kuwait.Iraq invaded Kuwait, and a US-led coalition of thirty-four countries, working through the UN, drove it out.

How sure are you?

I'm sureI think soI'm guessing

The United States attacked Iraq on its own.

This is a common misconception

The US did lead, but it was not alone. Condemnation of the invasion was widespread and virtually unanimous, the UN Security Council passed the resolutions, and the coalition that attacked had forces from thirty-four countries, including a number of Arab countries.

The United States and Israel fought Iraq together.

This is a common misconception

Israel was a target, not a partner. Saddam launched missile attacks against Israel, but Israel refused to retaliate, and the coalition went on to launch its land campaign anyway.

The US attacked Iraq as soon as it invaded Kuwait.

This is a common misconception

The invasion was on 2 August 1990 and the air attack on 16 January 1991. In between came a withdrawal demand, sanctions, the annexation declared null and void, and Resolution 678 with its forty-five day grace period.

Iraq invaded Kuwait, and a US-led coalition of thirty-four countries, working through the UN, drove it out.

This matches the evidence

That is the version to write. Iraq started the crisis, the UN answered with demands, sanctions and finally authorised force, and a US-led coalition including Arab countries carried it out.

Iraq started it, the UN escalated step by step, and a broad US-led coalition finished it. Israel stayed out.

History · Your turn

Write it, then mark it

Explain how tension between Iraq and Kuwait built up before Iraq invaded in August 1990. [6 marks]

Your answer

0 words · your answer stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

The mark scheme

Money: Iraq came out of its war with Iran owing about $37 billion. (1 mark)
Saddam asked two Gulf neighbours to wipe out the debts; nothing came of it. (1 mark)
Credit for presenting the debt-to-threats link as the Office of the Historian’s view, not a fact. (1 mark)
The July complaint about oil output and prices. (1 mark)
The Rumayla allegation, or the demand for the two islands. (1 mark)
The older quarrel over Kuwait’s status and its border. (1 mark)

Model answer

Iraq ended its war with Iran heavily in debt. Saddam Hussein wanted the UAE and Kuwait to forgive what they were owed, but they did not, and the Office of the Historian judges that this helped push him towards threatening Kuwait. By July 1990 he was complaining that Kuwait and the UAE were flooding the oil market, and he accused Kuwait of taking oil from the Rumayla field and asked for Bubiyan and Warbah. Underneath was a much older quarrel, going back to Iraq’s 1961 claim on Kuwait and a boundary Iraq never formally accepted. Then, on 2 August, the invasion came.

A strong answer names the cause, says who is making the claim, and keeps the order of events straight.

Exam line: Credit goes to causes that are attributed properly and put in a sensible order.

WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED

A quick recap of today's lesson.

Iraq overran Kuwait in hours. The answer took months. Why the gap?

What you need to know

Iraq finished the Iran-Iraq War of 1980–1988 with its pride intact, but owing some $37 billion to Gulf creditors in 1990.
Saddam Hussein asked the UAE and Kuwait to cancel those debts, and his appeals went unanswered.
The US State Department’s Office of the Historian judges that the refusal contributed to Saddam’s threats against Kuwait.
In July 1990 Saddam accused Kuwait of over-producing oil and stealing from the Rumayla field, and demanded two islands, Bubiyan and Warbah.
Have a goRewrite “Kuwait was stealing oil from the Rumayla field” so it is safe to use in an answer.
Saddam Hussein alleged that Kuwait was stealing oil from the Rumayla field.
It was Saddam’s accusation, so it needs his name on it rather than being stated as proven fact.
Iraq and Kuwait had a long territorial dispute: Iraq claimed Kuwait in 1961, and Ba’athist Iraq never formally accepted their boundary.
On 2 August 1990, a force of 100,000 Iraqi troops invaded Kuwait and overran it in a matter of hours.
Within days the UN Security Council demanded withdrawal (Resolution 660), imposed sanctions (661) and declared the annexation null and void.
Iraq refused to withdraw, so the US sought UN authority: Resolution 678 allowed force but gave Iraq a forty-five day grace period.
Have a goSam says: “Force was used the day after the invasion, obviously.” Which bullet can you point to that proves Sam wrong?
The one about Resolution 678: force was authorised, but with a forty-five day grace period.
Sam skips the rungs in between: the withdrawal demand, the sanctions and Iraq’s refusal all came first.
After the deadline passed, the coalition attacked by air, then fought a four-day land campaign that liberated Kuwait.
Resolution 686 set cease-fire conditions, including reparations, and Resolution 687 set up UNSCOM weapons inspections.
Have a goA quiz asks which resolution set up UNSCOM, and which set the cease-fire conditions. Which is which?
Resolution 687 set up UNSCOM; Resolution 686 set the cease-fire conditions.
Both belong to the aftermath, so they are easy to swap; 686 came first, on 2 March, with the cease-fire terms.

The big picture

In August 1990 Iraq, deep in debt and making accusations against Kuwait, invaded it. The UN answered step by step: a demand for withdrawal, sanctions, the annexation declared null and void, then Resolution 678 authorising force with a forty-five day grace period. Once that deadline passed, a US-led coalition of thirty-four countries liberated Kuwait in 1991.

Key points

1The invasion came first: about 100,000 Iraqi troops overran Kuwait in hours on 2 August 1990.

2Iraq’s grievances (debts, oil, Rumayla, the islands) are Saddam Hussein’s claims as one US source reports them, so write them as attributed.

3The UN escalated step by step: 660 demanded withdrawal, 661 imposed sanctions, the annexation was declared null and void, and 678 authorised force with a grace period.

4A US-led coalition of thirty-four countries, including Arab countries, attacked after the deadline passed; Israel refused to retaliate.

5The land campaign lasted four days, and Resolutions 686 and 687 set the terms and inspections afterwards.

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Worked example

Problem

A student writes: “Debts made Saddam Hussein invade Kuwait.” Rewrite it so it fits what the source actually says.

⚠ Watch out

Writing “America attacked Iraq”. The crisis began when Iraq invaded Kuwait, the answer ran through the UN, and the coalition had forces from thirty-four countries.

🧠

Memory hook

Hours to invade, months to answer, four days to liberate.

✓

Check yourself

From memory: name the rungs between the invasion on 2 August 1990 and the air attack on 16 January 1991, in order, and say how long the grace period in Resolution 678 lasted.

Flashcards

(14)

How much did Iraq owe Gulf creditors in 1990, and why?

Some $37 billion. Iraq had largely financed the Iran-Iraq War through loans.

What argument did Saddam Hussein use for cancelling Iraq’s debts?

He argued the loans should count as payments to Iraq for protecting the Arabian Peninsula from Iranian expansionism. His appeals went unanswered.

Whose view is it that the refusal to cancel the debts contributed to Saddam’s threats?

The US State Department’s Office of the Historian. It is one source’s causal judgement, not a settled fact.

What did Saddam accuse and demand in July 1990?

He accused Kuwait and the UAE of over-producing oil, alleged Kuwait was stealing from the Rumayla field, and demanded Bubiyan and Warbah.

What happened in 1961 when the UK ended its protectorate over Kuwait?

Iraq’s Prime Minister, General Qasim, asserted Kuwait was part of Iraq. British troops were deployed and the Iraqis backed down.

What happened on 2 August 1990?

A force of 100,000 Iraqi troops invaded Kuwait and overran it in a matter of hours.

What did Resolutions 660 and 661 do?

660 demanded Iraq’s immediate and unconditional withdrawal. 661 imposed economic sanctions.

What made Resolution 678 different?

It authorised the use of force to compel Iraq to withdraw, but gave Iraq a forty-five day grace period.

When did the air war begin, and what happened first?

After the deadline passed (16 January 1991). Within twenty-four hours coalition forces controlled the skies.

How did Saddam respond to the air attack, and what did Israel do?

He launched missile attacks against Israel and on coalition bases in Saudi Arabia. Israel refused to retaliate.

Who made up the coalition that liberated Kuwait?

Forces from thirty-four countries, including a number of Arab countries, led by the United States.

How long was the land campaign?

It began on 24 February 1991 and lasted four days, ending with an Iraqi defeat and retreat.

What did Resolutions 686 and 687 do?

686 set cease-fire conditions (sanctions, reparations, returning stolen property). 687 set up UNSCOM to inspect Iraq’s weapons.

What happened inside Iraq after the war?

Shiite rebellions in the south and Kurdish unrest in the north broke out but were eventually suppressed by the forces of Saddam Hussein’s regime.

Tap any card to flip it, or use Study as deck to go through them one at a time. In the full lesson these run as a spaced-repetition deck — you rate each card Hard, Good or Easy and the tricky ones keep coming back until they stick.

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Gulf War 1990

The escalation ladder: from invasion to cease-fire

What was building up before 2 August?

Claim, event or judgement?

The UN Security Council’s toolkit

Which of these is closest to what you think?

Write it, then mark it

More AQA GCSE History topics