Saddam Hussein was the fifth President of Iraq, and had an estimated net worth of $2 billion as of 2003. He served the position from July 16, 1979 to April 9, 2003. The leading member of the revolutionary Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party and later the Baghdad-based Ba’ath Party, he was the key person during the 1968 coup, which was later referred to as the July 17 Revolution, that brought the party to power in Iraq.
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was born on April 28, 1937 in Al-Awja, Saladin Province, Iraq. He served as the vice president to General Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr. He formally rose to power in 1979 after being the de facto head of Iraq for several years. During his time in office, he gained control over the conflict between the government and the armed forces. He also nationalized oil and other industries, as well as took control of state-owned banks.
Saddam suppressed several movements, such as Shi’a and Kurdish movements, who sought to overthrow the government or gain independence. Some citizens may have adored his position on Israel during the Gulf War and his control of power during the Iran-Iraq war, but he was highly condemned for the brutality of his dictatorship in the west.
In the spring of 2003, a coalition of foreign nations led by the U.S. and the U.K. invaded Iraq and deposed him. U.S. President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair accused him of possessing weapons of mass destructions, as well as having ties to al-Qaeda. His Ba’ath party was disbanded and elections were held.
Saddam Hussein was captured on December 13, 2003 and was subsequently tried under the Iraqi interim government. He was convicted of charges related to the 1982 killing of 148 Iraqi Shi’ites on November 5, 2006 and was sentenced to death by hanging. He was executed on December 30, 2006.