Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid at-Tikriti (1937-2006) - Iraqi statesman and politician, President of Iraq (1979-2003), Prime Minister of Iraq (1979-1991 and 1994-2003).
Secretary General of the Baath Party, Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council and Marshal. He became the first head of the country to be executed in the 21st century.
There are many interesting facts in the biography of Hussein, which we will talk about in this article.
So, before you is a short biography of Saddam Hussein.
Hussein's biography
Saddam Hussein was born on April 28, 1937 in the village of Al-Auja. He grew up in a simple, and even a poor peasant family.
According to some sources, his father, Hussein Abd al-Majid, disappeared 6 months before Saddam was born, according to others, he died or left the family. The president had an older brother who died as a child from cancer.
Childhood and youth
When Saddam's mother was pregnant with him, she was in a state of severe depression. The woman even wanted to have an abortion and commit suicide. After the birth of her son, her health condition deteriorated so much that she did not even want to see the baby.
The maternal uncle literally saved Saddam by taking him into his family. When a man participated in an anti-British coup, he was arrested and sent to jail. For this reason, the boy had to be returned to his mother.
At this time, the brother of Saddam Hussein's father, Ibrahim al-Hasan, as usual married his mother. As a result, the couple had three boys and two girls. The family lived in extreme poverty, as a result of which the children were constantly malnourished.
The stepfather instructed his stepson to graze pets. In addition, Ibrahim periodically beat Saddam and mocked him. A hungry childhood, constant insults and cruelty seriously influenced the further development of Hussein's personality.
Nevertheless, the child had many friends, since he was sociable and knew how to win people over to him. Once, relatives came to see my stepfather, with whom there was a boy about the same age as Saddam. When he began to boast that he already knew how to read and count, Hussein rushed to Ibrahim and began to beg him to be sent to school.
However, the stepfather again beat the inquisitive stepson, as a result of which he decided to run away from home. Saddam fled to Tikrit to start school there. As a result, he again began to live in the family of his uncle, who by that time had already been released.
Hussein eagerly studied all disciplines, but had bad behavior. There is a known case when he put a poisonous snake in the bag of an unloved teacher, for which he was expelled from the educational institution.
At the age of 15, a serious tragedy occurred in the biography of Saddam Hussein - his beloved horse died. The teenager suffered so much mental pain that his arm was paralyzed for a couple of weeks. Later, on the advice of his uncle, he decided to enter a prestigious military academy, but could not pass the exams.
Ultimately, Hussein became a student of the al-Karh school, which was a stronghold of nationalism. It was here that he received his secondary education.
Party activities
The beginning of Saddam's political activities is closely related to his further education. He successfully graduated from Khark College and then received his law degree in Egypt. In 1952, a revolution began in this country, led by Gamal Abdel Nasser.
For Hussein, Nasser, who later became President of Egypt, was a real idol. In the mid-1950s, Saddam joined the rebels who wanted to overthrow the monarch Faisal II, but the coup ended in failure. After that, the guy joined the Baath party and in 1958 the king was nevertheless overthrown.
In the same year, Saddam was arrested on suspicion of the murder of prominent officials. After about six months, he was released, because investigators were unable to prove his involvement in the crimes.
Soon Hussein took part in a special operation against General Qasem. During his studies at the University of Cairo, he showed himself as an active political figure, in connection with which he gained a certain popularity in society.
In 1963, the Baath Party defeated the Qasem regime. Thanks to this, Saddam was able to return home without fear of government persecution.
In Iraq, he was entrusted with a place in the Central Peasant Bureau. He soon noticed that his fellow party members were extremely poorly fulfilling the duties assigned to them.
It is worth noting that Hussein was not afraid to criticize his like-minded people at meetings. Later, the Baathists were removed from power, for which reason he decided to found his own party. The new political force made an attempt to seize power in Baghdad, but their efforts were unsuccessful.
Saddam was arrested and imprisoned. He later managed to escape, after which he returned to politics. In the fall of 1966, he was elected Deputy Secretary General of the Baath Party. During this period of his biography, he developed operations related to intelligence and counterintelligence.
In 1968, a new coup was organized in Iraq, and a couple of years later, Hussein became the Vice President of the state. Becoming one of the most influential politicians, he radically reformed the secret service. All who in one way or another opposed the current government were severely punished.
An interesting fact is that at the suggestion of Saddam, inmates were tortured in prisons: they used electric shock, blinded, used acid, subjected to sexual violence, etc. As the second person in the country, the politician paid special attention to the following issues:
- strengthening foreign policy;
- literacy of women and the general population;
- private sector development;
- assistance to entrepreneurs;
- construction of educational, medical, and administrative buildings, as well as the construction of technical facilities.
Thanks to the efforts of the vice-president, active economic development began in the state. The people had a positive attitude towards Hussein's work, as a result of which they showed him respect and support.
Iraqi President
In 1976, Saddam got rid of all party opponents by creating a combat-ready army and enlisting the support of soldiers. For this reason, no serious issue was resolved without his consent.
In 1979, the Iraqi president resigned, and Saddam Hussein took his place. From the first days of his coming to power, he did everything possible to make Iraq a prosperous country playing an important role on the world stage.
For serious transformations in the state, a lot of money was required, which was obtained through the oil trade. The President signed agreements with various countries, starting fruitful cooperation with them. Everything was going relatively well until the moment when he decided to start wars with Iran.
Military conflicts were expensive, so the Iraqi economy began to decline rapidly. For 8 years of war, the state has a huge external debt - $ 80 billion! As a result, the state faced a shortage of food and water. Many citizens were forced to leave the country in search of a better life.
In 1990, Iraq accused Kuwait of waging an economic war against it and illegal oil production on its territory. This resulted in Hussein's army attacking and capturing Kuwait. The international community condemned Saddam's actions.
The United States, together with the allied armies, liberated Kuwait, restoring its independence. Curiously, the personality cult of Saddam Hussein flourished in Iraq. Most of all, it manifested itself in the following areas:
- in all state institutions there were monuments to Hussein;
- in the Iraqi media, he has always been portrayed as the father and savior of the nation;
- schoolchildren were supposed to praise the president by singing odes and hymns to him;
- Many streets and cities were named after him;
- Iraqi medals, banknotes and coins featured a portrait of Saddam;
- every official was obliged to know perfectly the biography of Hussein, etc.
The period of Saddam Hussein's rule is perceived by people in different ways. Some consider him a great ruler, while others a bloody dictator.
US invasion
In 2003, America formed a coalition with world leaders to remove Hussein from power. A military operation was organized, which lasted from 2003 to 2011. The reasons for such actions were the following:
- Iraq's involvement in international terrorism;
- destruction of chemical weapons;
- control over oil resources.
Saddam Hussein had to flee and go into hiding every 3 hours in various places. They managed to detain him in 2004 in Tikrit. He was charged with a number of crimes including: anti-human methods of government, war crimes, the murder of 148 Shiites, etc.
Personal life
The dictator's first wife was his cousin named Sajida. In this marriage, the couple had three girls and two boys. An interesting fact is that this union was organized by the parents of the spouses when Saddam was barely 5 years old. The life of all the children was tragic - execution.
After that, Hussein fell in love with the wife of the airline owner. He offered the girl's husband to divorce his wife peacefully, which actually happened.
In 1990, the president went down the aisle for the third time. His wife was Nidal al-Hamdani, however, she also failed to save the family hearth. In 2002, Saddam for the fourth time marries the daughter of a minister named Iman Huweish.
Rumor has it that the man often cheated on his wives. At the same time, those women who refused him intimacy were subjected to violence or murder. In addition to the girls, Hussein was interested in fashionable outfits, boat trips, expensive cars and luxurious mansions.
It is curious that during the years of his reign, the politician built over 80 palaces and residences. However, according to Arab sources, there were twice as many. Fearing for his life, he never slept twice in the same place.
Saddam Hussein professed Sunni Islam: he prayed 5 times a day, followed all the commandments and visited the mosque on Fridays. In the period 1997-2000. he donated 28 liters of blood, which was needed to write a copy of the Koran.
Death
In 2006, Hussein was sentenced to death by hanging. He was taken to the scaffold, where he was insulted and spit by Shiite guards. Initially, he tried to make excuses, but then he fell silent and began to pray.
Video clips of his execution have spread all over the world. Saddam Hussein was hanged on December 30, 2006. At the time of his death, he was 69 years old.
Hussein Photos
