In this paper I will contextualize Assyrians in Iraq’s history by analyzing their role in ideological and social movements during the Iraqi republic and early Ba’thist rule. I am interested in studying two different aspects of this history: Intellectual production and Governmental Policies. The role of Assyrians in the Iraqi Communist Party (ICP) and the literary movement of the 1970s will be analyzed along with the state’s interactions with the Assyrians, and their inclusion/exclusion during this period. This paper will add to our understanding of the intellectual and social movements of Iraq in the 20th century. It will contribute to research stemming from Orit Bashkin’s book The Other Iraq proving that pluralism in Iraq was a reality and Iraqis were able to transcend ethno-sectarianism and take part in the various intellectual and social movements of the day. At the same time the research will provide insight into an understudied ethno-religious community. In 1973 The Ba’th party issued Law 251 giving the Syriac-speaking citizens, the Assyrians, cultural and linguistic rights. The law permitted the establishment of civil society organizations on the basis of social, cultural, artistic and linguistic objectives. Assyrian academics benefited from this opportunity, beginning a literary movement. They formed organizations, published newspapers and magazines, and produced radio and television programs. I intend to analyze two organizations within this movement the Cultural Organization with its magazine Q?l? Sur?y? (The Syriac Voice) and the Assyrian Cultural Club, and its magazine Murdinn? Atur?y? (The Assyrian Literate). These clubs became prominent hubs for the development of Assyrian literature, popular culture and national aspirations in the period of interest. An analysis of governmental policies with regards to Law 251 reveals that Assyrian membership within the ICP significant. Following two coup d’états in 1968 the Ba’th consolidated its power in the political sphere and worked on luring its political opponents, such as the ICP, by inviting it to join the National Patriotic Front. Law 251 appears to be another political tactic used to deplete the ICP from its (Assyrian) members. I will further examine the role of Assyrians in the ICP in the 1960s and 1970s using court records of Assyrian ICP members retrieved from the Iraqi National Library and Archives in Baghdad, Iraq. I will also use oral interviews with ICP members who were active during the period of interest. These interviews were conducted in the cities of Alqosh, Baghdad and Duhok.