A Brief History Of Saddam Hussein

Few dictators in the history of the world are more known than Saddam Hussein. He was the ruler of Iraq before the US and her allies overthrew him in 2003. 

Saddam was born to a lowly family, and in his teenage years, he was introduced and immersed in the anti-British ideology. The result was that he failed to complete his high school education and soon joined the Ba’ath party in Baghdad that planned and failed to assassinate the prime minister. 

After the failed assassination attempt, Saddam fled to Egypt. Still, it was soon back in the heat of things after the Ba’ath party eventually seized power, was overthrown, and seized power again in 1968. This was only the beginning.

Saddam served as a henchman for the new Iraqi president and head of the Revolutionary Council. He soon rose to Vice-President and began purging the government of dissidents by imprisoning, torturing, and killing them. After a while, Saddam forced his way into supreme power and killed anyone with enough ability to challenge him. 

As the leader of Iraq, he fought wars against Iran from 1980 till 1988, leading to the death of millions. He also fought west-instigated rebellions, killing and executing many. Saddam also had stand-offs with the UN over the destruction of nuclear weapons. 

However, after 9/11 and the US-led attack on Iraq, his government was toppled, and he was forced into hiding before he was apprehended and tried for war crimes. He was convicted on November 5, 2006, and sentenced to death.