Saddam Hussein is one of the leading members of the Ba’ath Party, a revolutionary group that follows secular pan-Arabism, Arab socialism, and modernization. Saddam Hussein became well known during his large contributions to the 1968 coup, an event that put his Ba’ath Party back in power. Saddam First started as the vice president of General Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr, who at the time was already hindered by his failing health. Saddam’s task during the time was to control the ongoing conflict between the armed forces and the government itself, during a time when a lot of different groups were considered to be threats and capable of overthrowing the existing government.
Saddam eventually became the president and managed to stay in power during the eight year war between Iraq and Iran, which happened between 1980 and 1988. He was also in power during the time of the Persian Gulf War of 1991. Saddam repressed a good number of separate movements against him and his country. Most notable were the Shi’a and the Kurdish movements, which were both looking to overthrow his government and garner independence from Iraq.
In 2003, Saddam Hussein was captured by the United States for the invasion of Iraq. He was brought to trial under the Iraqi Interim government, a body that was created by forces from the United States. He was convicted of his charges in November of 2006, was executed in December of 2006.