SADDAM HUSSEIN

General Information Youth Rise in Ba’ath Part Consolidation of Power Foreign Affairs Invasion of Iraq Pursuit and Capture

GENERAL INFORMATION born April 28, 1937April President of Iraq from 1979 to 2003.President of Iraq espoused secular pan-Arabism, economicpan-Arabism modernization, and socialism

GENERAL INFORMATION Iraq's economy grew at a rapid pace in the 1970s 1970s As president, he developed a pervasive personality cult personality cult Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988)Iran-Iraq War Captured by U.S. forces on December 13, 2003December

YOUTH Was born in the village of Al-Awja in TikritAl-Awja "Saddam," which in Arabic means "one who confronts He never knew his father, Hussein 'Abd al- Majid, who died or disappeared five months before Saddam was born. Saddam's twelve-year-old brother died of cancer

YOUTH His mother attempted both to abort Saddam and kill herself and refused to care for her new child when he was bornabort Very depressive childhood Learned many things from his uncle. He was ambitious. he attended a nationalistic secondary school in Baghdadnationalistic at age 20, Saddam joined the revolutionary pan- Arab Ba'ath Party, of which his uncle was a supporterpan- ArabBa'ath Party

Rise in the Ba'ath party Ba'athists opposed the new government, and in 1959, Saddam was involved in the attempted assassination of Prime Minister Qassim 1959 Saddam was shot in the leg, but managed to flee to Syria,Syria Saddam returned to Iraq, but was imprisoned in He escaped from jail in 1967 and became one of the leading members of the party1967

Rise in the Ba'ath party Saddam never forgot the tensions within the first Ba'athist government He was ambitious In July 1968 a second coup brought the Ba'athists back to power under General Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr a Tikriti and a relative of SaddamJuly1968 Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr

Consolidation of power In 1976 Saddam was appointed a general in the Iraqi armed forces1976

Consolidation of Power Saddam soon gained a powerful circle of support within the party through his ambition. President Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr became increasingly unable to execute the duties Saddam began to take an increasingly prominent role as the face of the Iraqi government, both internally and externally 1970s, Saddam had emerged as the undisputed de facto leader of Iraq.1970s

Foreign affairs Communication barriers Iraq signed an aid pact with the Soviet Union in 1972Soviet Union1972 Western orientation from then until the Persian Gulf War in 1991 Persian Gulf War1991 Saddam initiated Iraq's nuclear enrichment project in the 1980s, with French assistance

Foreign Affairs first Iraqi nuclear reactor was named by the French OsiraqOsiraq Destroyed by an Israeli air strike shortly before it became capable of producing weapons

2003 invasion of Iraq Bush claimed, "The Iraqi regime has plotted to develop anthrax, and nerve gas, and nuclear weapons for over a decade." "Iraq continues to flaunt its hostility toward America and to support terror," said Bush The Iraqi government and military collapsed within three weeks of the beginning of the U.S.- led 2003 invasion of Iraq on March 20U.S.- led 2003 invasion of IraqMarch 20 When Baghdad fell to the Coalition on April 9, Saddam was nowhere to be found.April 9

Pursuit and capture His sons and political heirs, Uday and Qusay, were killed in July 2003 in an engagement with U.S. forces after a tip-off from an Iraqi informantUday Qusay Paul Bremer, formally announced the capture of Saddam by saying, "Ladies and gentlemen, we got him!" He was captured at approximately 8:30 PM Iraqi time on December 13, in an underground "spider hole" at a farmhouse in ad- Dawr near his home town TikriPaul BremerDecember 13spider holead- DawrTikri