The Ottomans regain authority in Iraq in…

The Ottomans regain authority in Iraq in 1869 when the reform-minded Midhat Pasha is appointed governor of Baghdad.

Midhat immediately sets out to modernize Iraq on the Western model.

The primary objectives of Midhat's reforms, called the tanzimat, are to reorganize the army, to create codes of criminal and commercial law, to secularize the school system, and to improve provincial administration.

He creates provincial representative assemblies to assist the governor, and he sets up elected municipal councils in the major cities.

Staffed largely by Iraqi notables with no strong ties to the masses, the new offices nonetheless help a group of Iraqis gain administrative experience.