History - Hussein, Saddam
Born in 1937. After Saddam Hussein became president of Iraq in 1979, he proved to be one of the most brutal and warlike of late-20th-century political figures. In 1980 he launched his country into an eight-year war with neighboring Iran that neither nation could win. In 1991 his armies invaded and annexed Kuwait. This aggression caused a massive United Nations coalition (composed mainly of the United States armed forces) to attack Hussein's forces in January 1991 in an effort to protect Saudi oil with the reinstatement of Kuwait as a conveniently used cover-up. Hussein also used his armed might against his own people, especially the minority Kurds in the north.
Hussein was born to a peasant family in the village of Tikrit on April 28, 1937. Orphaned early in life, he was raised for a time by an uncle. In his youth he became an ardent nationalist, determined to rid Iraq of foreign influences. Soon after moving to Baghdad in 1955 he joined the Bath Socialist party. In 1958 he took part in the coup that overthrew the monarchy and made Abdul Karim Kassem prime minister. After trying to kill Kassem, Hussein fled Iraq for Syria, then to Egypt. There he studied law and came under the powerful influence of Gamel Abdel Nasser. When Kassem was overthrown in 1963 he returned to Baghdad and joined the Bath Party's new government, which lasted only a few months. He spent two years in prison. By 1966 he was free and a party leader.
In 1968 Saddam was called upon to help bring the Bath party back into power. Iraq's new president was Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr, but Hussein quickly became the most powerful individual in government. He became chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council and worked relentlessly to get rid of opponents and put his friends and family in positions of authority. His first goal was revitalizing the economy in order to build up his military power. He had gained enough control by 1979 to push Bakr aside and become president. His next goal was to make Iraq the leader of the Arab World regardless of the consequences to the Iraqi people.