Radical politics played a decisive role in shaping qasidat al-shi'r al-sha'bi and in transforming al-shi'r al-sha'bi from its occasional composition to an established form of poetry. The interaction with radical politics shifted the horizon of expectations for the form and widened the range of its interpretation. In addition, it became a serious contender as a cultural expressive form in mid-20th c. Baghdadi ideological arena. In fine,the key development in this art form emerged from the clash between radical opposition and state control.