What was Iraq like before the war and sanctions

Iraq has been living in a state of almost incessant conflict and under international sanctions since 1980, when the war in neighboring Iran began. After the brutal decades of Saddam Hussein's rule and the chaos that followed the invasion of American troops in 2003, it is very difficult to imagine this country as a flourishing oasis or at least a more or less tolerable place to live.

But before the war and the totalitarian system, Iraq was a rapidly modernizing country. The British documentary archive company Pathé has shared a newsreel showing the beauty and diversity of Iraqi life in the 1950s.

The port city of Basra in southern Iraq.

Girls play with each other.

Women are engaged in folk crafts.

Laundry.

Harvesting on a palm tree.

A fisherman.

The canals of Basra.

At the races in Baghdad.

A policeman regulates the traffic in Baghdad.

The Iraqi police.

An artisan makes copper vessels at a market in Baghdad.

Baghdad was a rapidly growing and modernizing city.

Men are resting on the veranda.

Public swimming pool.

Schoolgirls play volleyball.

By the water.

Mother and son, 1960.

Photo posted by Iraq Pictures (@iraqpics) Sep 2, 2014 at 3: 51AM PDT

Photo posted by Iraq Pictures (@iraqpics) Sep 2, 2014 at 3: 51AM PDT

King Faisal II at the opening of Baghdad television in 1956. It was the first Arabic-language TV channel in the world.

Photo posted by Iraq Pictures (@iraqpics) May 1, 2014 at 3:53 PM PDT

Photo posted by Iraq Pictures (@iraqpics) May 1, 2014 at 3:53 PM PDT

The city of Basra was once called the "Venice of the East" because of the numerous rivers and canals.

Full newsreel video about Iraq in the 1950s from the British archives: