Towards the end of the 19th century, the rise of Arab nationalism began to take shape in Iraq, as it did in other parts of the Ottoman Empire. This nationalist movement was fueled by various factors, including dissatisfaction with Ottoman rule, the influence of European ideas, and a growing sense of Arab identity. Intellectuals and political leaders in Iraq and neighboring regions started advocating for greater autonomy, and in some cases, complete independence. The Al-Nahda movement, a cultural renaissance, played a crucial role in shaping Arab intellectual thought during this period.

The Tanzimat reforms, aimed at modernizing the Ottoman state, inadvertently opened a window to European thought. Arab intellectuals like Rashid Rida and Jamal al-Din al-Afghani devoured these ideas, particularly the heady notion of self-determination, and shared them through burgeoning Arabic newspapers like Al-Jawaa'ib. These printed seeds took root in fertile minds, fostering a newfound awareness of shared Arab heritage and history.

Discontent with Ottoman rule provided fertile ground for these seeds to sprout. The empire, increasingly creaky and centralized, struggled to respond to the needs of its diverse subjects. In Iraq, economic marginalization gnawed at Arab communities, who felt excluded from the empire's wealth despite their fertile land. Religious tensions simmered, with the majority Shia population experiencing discrimination and limited political sway. The whispers of pan-Arabism, promising unity and empowerment, resonated deeply among these disenfranchised communities.

Events throughout the empire fanned the flames of Arab consciousness. Rebellions like the Nayef Pasha uprising in 1827 and the Dhia Pasha al-Shahir revolt in 1843, though not explicitly nationalist, demonstrated a simmering defiance against Ottoman rule. In Iraq itself, figures like the scholar Mirza Kazem Beg and the Ottoman officer of Iraqi origin, Mahmoud Shawkat Pasha, advocated for local autonomy and modernization, planting the seeds for future calls for self-determination.

Social and cultural changes also played a role. Rising literacy and the circulation of Arabic literature and poetry awakened a shared cultural identity. Tribal networks, though traditionally focused on local loyalties, inadvertently provided a framework for broader Arab solidarity, particularly in rural areas. Even Islam, with its emphasis on community and unity, contributed to the burgeoning Arab consciousness.

Arab nationalism in 19th-century Iraq was a complex and evolving phenomenon, not a unified monolith. While pan-Arabism offered a compelling vision of unity, distinct Iraqi nationalist currents would later gain momentum in the 20th century. But these early stirrings, nurtured by intellectual awakenings, economic anxieties, and religious tensions, were crucial in laying the groundwork for the future struggles for Arab identity and self-determination within the Ottoman Empire, and later, the independent nation of Iraq.