History Today: When the Gulf War began with Iraq's invasion of Kuwait

It was in the early hours of August 2, 1990, that Iraqi forces led by President Saddam Hussein launched a massive military invasion of neighbouring Kuwait. This marked the beginning of the Gulf War.

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On this day in 1858, the Government of India Act 1858 was formally signed into law by the British Parliament. Meanwhile, Adolf Hitler consolidated absolute dictatorial authority over Germany.

Here is all that has taken place on this day.

The invasion of Kuwait began

At 2 am on August 2 1990, Iraqi forces launched a full-scale invasion of their oil-rich neighbour, Kuwait. This marked the beginning of the Persian Gulf War and profoundly reshaped the geopolitics of West Asia.

Iraqi President Saddam Hussein justified the invasion by accusing Kuwait of overproducing oil and stealing oil from Iraq’s Rumaila oil field, claims widely dismissed by the international community. Many analysts saw the invasion as a desperate move by Iraq to alleviate its crushing $80 billion debt from the Iran-Iraq war and to gain control of Kuwait’s vast oil reserves, which would give Iraq nearly 20 per cent of the world’s known oil supply.

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The United Nations condemned the invasion, demanding Iraq’s immediate withdrawal. The United States, the United Kingdom, and other nations began moving troops into the region in a buildup known as Operation Desert Shield, aimed at protecting Saudi Arabia and preparing for possible military intervention.

Over the next few months, diplomatic efforts failed to persuade Saddam to withdraw. On January 17, 1991, a US-led coalition launched Operation Desert Storm, a full-scale military campaign to liberate Kuwait. The invasion of Kuwait set off the Gulf War, redrew geopolitical alliances, and permanently altered the West Asia’s power dynamics. It also marked the beginning of a long period of US military involvement in the region.

Government of India Act signed

The Government of India Act 1858 was formally signed into law by the British Parliament on August 2, 1858, effectively abolishing the rule of the East India Company, thus transferring direct administrative control of India to the British Crown.

The Act was a direct response to the Indian Rebellion of 1857 (also known as the Sepoy Mutiny), which exposed the fundamental flaws and widespread discontent under the Company’s governance. The British government realised that the existing system was unsustainable and that direct control was necessary to maintain stability and consolidate its power.

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Under the Act, the East India Company’s charter was revoked, and all its territories, armies, treaties, and administrative responsibilities were handed over to the British government. The Act created the new position of Secretary of State for India, a Cabinet-level role with complete authority over Indian affairs, assisted by a 15-member Council of India based in London. In India, the Governor-General was redesignated as the Viceroy, who acted as the direct representative of the British monarch.

Hitler became dictator

Adolf Hitler officially became the dictator of Nazi Germany on August 2, 1934, hours after the death of President Paul von Hindenburg. By merging the roles of Chancellor and President, Hitler assumed the title of Fuhrer and Reich Chancellor, giving himself absolute control over the German state and military.

Hitler’s plans of becoming a dictator unfolded in steps and versions. After being appointed Chancellor on January 30, 1933, Hitler quickly worked to dismantle the Weimar Republic’s democratic structures. The Reichstag Fire in February 1933 gave him a pretext to pass the Reichstag Fire Decree, suspending civil liberties and enabling the arrest of political opponents. The Enabling Act followed in March 1933, granting Hitler the power to enact laws without parliamentary approval.

Following the death of Hindenburg, Hitler wasted no time and established a new law to combine the presidency with the chancellorship. The military was then required to swear an oath of personal loyalty to Hitler, not to the German constitution. This act symbolised the complete submission of state institutions to Hitler’s will.

A national plebiscite was held on August 19, where Germans were asked to approve Hitler’s new powers. Though the vote was neither free nor fair, Nazi propaganda claimed that nearly 90 per cent of voters supported Hitler as Fuhrer. With no constitutional limits, no independent judiciary, and no political opposition, Hitler’s dictatorship was complete.

This Day, That Year

• On this day in 1943, a US Navy torpedo boat under John F Kennedy’s command, was sunk by a Japanese destroyer during World War II.

• In 1830, Charles X of France abdicated the throne.