Saddam Hussein - biography of the former dictator. Why was Saddam Hussein executed? What happened to Saddam Hussein?

Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein (Saddam Hussein, full name Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid at-Tikriti) was born on April 28, 1937 in the small village of Al-Auja, 13 kilometers from the city of Tikrit, into a peasant family. He was brought up in the house of his maternal uncle, Khairullah Tulfah, a former Iraqi army officer and a staunch nationalist. The uncle had a great influence on the formation of his nephew's worldview.

After graduating from Khark High School in Baghdad, Saddam joined the ranks of the Arab Socialist Renaissance Party (Baath).

In October 1959, Hussein took part in an unsuccessful attempt by the Baathists to overthrow Iraqi Prime Minister Abdel Kerim Qassem, was wounded and sentenced to death. He fled abroad - to Syria, then to Egypt. In 1962-1963 he studied at the Faculty of Law of Cairo University, was actively involved in party activities.

In 1963, the Baathists came to power in Iraq. Saddam Hussein returned from emigration, continued his education at a law college in Baghdad. In the same year, the Baathist government fell, Saddam was arrested, spent several years in prison, from which he managed to escape. By 1966, he was promoted to leading roles in the party, headed the party security service.

Saddam Hussein took part in the coup on July 17, 1968, which again brought the Baath Party to power, and became a member of the supreme body of power - the Revolutionary Command Council, headed by Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr. As al-Bakr's deputy, Hussein oversaw the security forces and gradually concentrated real power in his hands.

On July 16, 1979, President al-Bakr resigned and was succeeded in this post by Saddam Hussein, who also headed the Iraqi branch of the Baath Party, became chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council, and supreme commander.

In 1979-1991, 1994-2003, Saddam Hussein also served as chairman of the Iraqi government.

In September 1980, Saddam Hussein ordered the invasion of Iran. The devastating war that followed ended in August 1988. An estimated 1.7 million people were killed during the conflict. In August 1990, Hussein attempted to annex Kuwait. The UN condemned the takeover, and in February 1991, multinational military forces drove the Iraqi army out of the emirate.

In March 2003, US and British troops began military action in Iraq. The pretext for the invasion was the accusation of the Iraqi government of work on the creation and production of weapons of mass destruction and involvement in the organization and financing of international terrorism.

On April 17, 2003, Saddam Hussein's government fell. The Iraqi leader himself was forced into hiding. On December 13, 2003, Hussein was discovered near his hometown of Tikrit in an underground cave.

Saddam Hussein, along with 11 members of the Baathist regime, was handed over to the Iraqi authorities.

The first court hearing in the ex-president's case took place in Baghdad.

Saddam Hussein in the attack on Kuwait (1990), the suppression of the Kurdish and Shiite uprisings (1991), the genocide of the Kurdish population (1987-1988), the gas attack on the city of Halabja (1988), the murders of religious leaders (1974), the murders of 8 thousand Kurds of the Barzan tribe (1983), assassinations of political opponents and oppositionists.

The process began with a study of the circumstances of the extermination of the population of the Shiite village of Al-Dujeil in 1982. According to the prosecution, 148 people (including women, children and old people) were killed for an attempt on Hussein's life near the village.

On November 5, 2006, Saddam Hussein was found guilty of killing 148 Shiites and sentenced to death by hanging.

Due to the already existing death sentence, the proceedings were not brought to an end.

Saddam Hussein at the age of three. 1940 Photo: -space "Commons.wikimedia.org

He has not been in the world for more than a decade, and peace has not come to the land of Iraq. And today, many Iraqis remember the early years of Saddam's rule as a "golden age."

Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid at-Tikriti is a man who made himself.

He was born on April 28, 1937 in the village of Al-Auja, 13 km from the Iraqi city of Tikrit, in the family of a landless peasant. Childhood did not bode well for Saddam: his father either died or ran away, his mother was ill, the family lived in poverty. Saddam's stepfather (such was the local tradition) was his father's brother, a former military man. There is conflicting information about the boy's relationship with his stepfather, but one thing is clear: the dictator’s youth was neither comfortable nor cloudless.

Despite all the troubles, Saddam grew up alive, sociable, and this attracted people to him. He dreamed of a career as an officer that could pull him from the very bottom of his life.

Revolutionary

Saddam was heavily influenced by his other uncle,Heyrallah Tulfah , a former military man, nationalist, fighter with the current regime.

In 1952, a revolution took place in Egypt. For 15-year-old Saddam, its leader became an idolGamal Abdel Nasser ... Imitating him, Hussein is headlong involved in underground activities in Iraq. In 1956, 19-year-old Saddam took part in a failed coup attempt against the kingFaisal II ... The following year, he became a member of the Arab Socialist Renaissance Party (Baath), of which his uncle was a supporter.

Saddam Hussein - young member of the Baath Party (late 1950s) Photo:Commons.wikimedia.org

Iraq at that time was a country of coups, and Baath activist Saddam Hussein, as an active participant in them, very quickly earned a death sentence in absentia.

But even that does not stop him. The energetic young man is gradually making a career in the Baath Party. The activist is hunted down, he ends up in prison, runs and again joins the struggle.

By 1966, Hussein was already one of the leaders of the Baath Party, heading the security service.

Iraqi "Beria"

In 1968, the Baathists came to power in Iraq. The Revolutionary Command Council is headed byAhmed Hassan al-Bakr ... Saddam is the fifth on the list of leaders. But in his hands is the special service, which helps to neutralize external and internal enemies.

In 1969, Hussein was already deputy chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council and deputy general secretary of the Baath leadership.

The head of the Iraqi secret service, which bears the name of the General Intelligence Directorate, in the seventies, Hussein "cleans out" the "Zionists", Kurds, communists, oppositionists in the party. Despite the reprisals against the communists, Saddam manages to establish a dialogue with Moscow and sign the Soviet-Iraqi Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation. Baghdad is receiving assistance in rearming the army and building industrial facilities.

The nationalization of the oil industry, coupled with high oil prices, allows Iraq to generate huge revenues from the sale of hydrocarbons. At the suggestion of Hussein, they are sent to the social sphere, the construction of new schools, universities, hospitals, as well as the development of local businesses. During this period, he achieves the highest popularity among the people.

Friend of Moscow, friend of Washington

On July 16, 1979, Saddam Hussein takes the last step to the pinnacle of power. Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr, by then only nominally a leader, resigns, and the 42-year-old Hussein becomes the head of the Revolutionary Command Council, the president and prime minister of Iraq.

But Saddam wants more: like his idol Nasser, he dreams of becoming the leader of not one country, but the entire Arab world. Hussein promises financial assistance to his neighbors and is quickly gaining prestige in the region.

Hussein at that time was the classic secular dictator of the Middle Eastern country. Slightly more cruel because of a complex biography, with a slightly smaller outlook (he began to receive primary education at the age of 10, and graduated from the military academy, being the second person in the state), but does not cause universal rejection by his actions.

General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Leonid Brezhnev talks with the Deputy General Leadership of the Party of Arab Socialist Renaissance ("Baath") of Iraq, Deputy Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council of the Iraqi Republic Saddam Hussein.

Kuwait had close ties with the Americans, which Hussein was well aware of. Nevertheless, on August 2, 1990, the Iraqi army launched an invasion of this country.

In the history of Iraq and the biography of Saddam himself, this moment will be a turning point. The United States will declare him an "aggressor" and unleash its military might on Iraq.

Hussein fell into a trap. On July 25, 1990, a week before the invasion of Kuwait, he met with the US AmbassadorApril Glaspie. The "Kuwaiti issue" was also discussed at the talks. “I have a direct instruction from the president: to seek to improve relations with Iraq. We do not have a point of view on inter-Arab conflicts, such as your border dispute with Kuwait ... This topic is not related to America, ”Glaspie said.

These words, according to experts, became the signal for the Iraqi leader to take action.

Why did the USA need it? Strengthening the military presence in the oil-rich region near Iran's borders was deemed necessary by US military strategists. However, the deployment of large military forces for no good reason could provoke indignation among the Arab countries, which already did not favor the Americans.

Military intervention with the aim of restoring justice and stopping the aggression of a large Iraq with a powerful army against its small and defenseless neighbor is a different matter.

On January 17, 1991, the US-led multinational force will begin Operation Desert Storm. After five weeks of massive bombing in a four-day ground operation, Kuwait will be fully liberated. Also, up to 15 percent of Iraqi territory will be occupied.

42 divisions of the Iraqi army were defeated or lost their combat effectiveness, more than 20 thousand servicemen were killed, more than 70 thousand were captured. In the north of Iraq, the Kurds rebelled, in the south - the Shiites, Saddam lost control over 15 of the 18 provinces of the country.

"I often think of Saddam." Hussein's translator on the war, the US and Putin

But there was no final blow. Peace was made and the dictator was allowed to defeat the rebels in most of the country. In southern and northern Iraq, the multinational coalition has created "no-fly zones", under the protection of which Hussein's opponents have created their own governments.

Saddam resigned himself to this, restoring his power in the remaining territory with even more harsh methods.

Iraq lived under sanctions. The regime was required to completely eliminate stocks of weapons of mass destruction. Hussein assured that the requirements were being met, and that he had no such weapons.

But why was he even allowed to remain in power? Did Washington think that without him Iraq would face chaos? Or were you planning to once again use "Doctor Evil" for your own purposes?

Saddam Hussein with his family. From left to right clockwise: sons-in-law Hussein and Saddam Kamel, daughter Rana, son Udey, daughter Raghad with son Ali in her arms, daughter-in-law Sahar, son Kusey, daughter Khala, president and his wife Sajida Photo:Commons.wikimedia.org

Outstanding Case of Political Fraud

The tragedy of September 11, 2001, untied the hands of the United States for any action around the world under the slogan of fighting terrorism. The Iraqi leader was accused of having ties with bin Laden and of developing weapons of mass destruction.

In the UN conference room, the US Secretary of StateColin Powell waved a test tube, claiming that this is a sample of biological weapons at the disposal of Iraq, and therefore an urgent need to start an armed invasion of this country.

It was a bluff, an outstanding case of political fraud: there were no biological weapons either in a test tube or on the territory of Iraq, which Powell, as it turned out later, was well aware of. The Americans failed to convince Russia and China, which did not prevent them from launching a new armed invasion of Iraq on March 20, 2003.

By April 12, Baghdad had completely come under the control of the coalition forces, and by May 1, the resistance of the units loyal to Hussein was finally broken. President of the U.S.AGeorge W. Bush rejoiced: the blitzkrieg was a success.

But the country, having lost its dictator, rapidly began to slide into chaos. Internal contradictions resulted in civil strife, where everyone hates everyone, and most of all - the American occupiers.

Hussein, who fled Baghdad, no longer played any role in these processes. A real hunt was on for him.

Saddam Hussein after his arrest, 2003 Photo:

Scaffold for the president

On July 22, 2003, American special forces attacked a villa in Mosul where Saddam's two sons were hiding:Uday and Kusey ... The Husseins were taken by surprise, they were offered to surrender, but they accepted the battle. The assault lasted six hours, during which the building was almost completely destroyed, and Saddam's sons were killed.

On December 13, 2003, Saddam Hussein himself was captured. His last refuge was the basement of a village house near the village of Ad-Daur. The whole world was covered by the filming of a dirty, overgrown old man with a huge beard, in whom the former dictator was hardly recognizable.

However, once in prison, Saddam put himself in order and at the trial, which began on October 19, 2005, he looked quite dignified.

This was not an international process: Hussein was tried by his political opponents, who became power in Iraq thanks to the invaders.

Saddam Hussein was not an innocent sheep, and the terrible crimes imputed to him did take place. But here's what's interesting: most of these episodes took place at a time when Hussein was not only a legitimate leader for Washington, but also a strategic partner. But no one began to understand all these intricacies.

Already in the first episode - the killing of 148 residents of the Shiite village of al-Dujayl in 1982 - Saddam Hussein was found guilty and sentenced to death.

The death of Saddam Hussein, the first state leader to be executed in the 21st century, did not bring happiness and tranquility to Iraq. International terrorism, the fight against which was declared one of the main goals of the invasion of Iraq, flourished on this earth with a magnificent color. The crimes of the "Islamic State" (a group whose activities are prohibited on the territory of the Russian Federation), in their cruelty and the number of victims, overshadowed those that were charged with Saddam Hussein's regime.

As the saying goes, everything is learned by comparison.

He went through a long and grueling war with Iran. Shameful defeat in the Gulf War. Dozens of conspiracies and assassination attempts, a significant part of which, as it turned out later, was organized either by himself or by people loyal to him.

The latter, by the way, he shuffles from time to time, but more often he eliminates. There is no point in explaining the meaning of this kind of political practice to the domestic reader ... the Baghdad ruler simply adopted the methods that "the great leader of all times and peoples" invented in the 30s.

Meanwhile, in Iraq, 18 million citizens are living in a state of slow extinction. In a country where the average salary is 300 dinars and chicken, for example, costs 400 dinars, Iraqis have to get out. Mainly at the expense of state rations, which are issued once a week. The ration contains bread, some sugar, rice and margarine. Milk and meat do not appear on the table for months.

Beggars at every corner. Even decently dressed people do not hesitate to beg foreigners. According to news reports from Baghdad, some desperate Iraqis are offering their internal organs for sale. The demand for kidneys is especially great, which cost 50 thousand dinars apiece. By the way, the simplest operation in a private clinic costs several annual salaries. Children continue to be born, but Iraqis can no longer afford to have multiple children.

As is often the case, poverty and misery are accompanied by an unprecedented wave of crime. Moreover, the authorities deal with swindlers by far from civilized methods.

Nevertheless, the struggle for life, according to eyewitnesses, forces Iraqis to trample the norms of Islam. In the backyards and side streets of Baghdad, women trade in their bodies (an extreme phenomenon in Muslim society), while men are engaged in robbery of cars and theft of neighbors' apartments.

However, the catastrophic situation of the people does not prevent Saddam from spending public money on the construction of palaces for his family and a new town for members of the government. He does not have enough money for food and medicine, but they are instantly found when the opportunity arises to acquire a weapon.

Best of the day

And what about the Iraqis? Are they outraged? Are they indignant? Yes! But not against the regime, but against the UN sanctions. Paradoxically, Saddam managed to use the desperate economic situation to consolidate his power: the obedient propaganda apparatus drummed into the population every day that all troubles are due to "unjust" and "inhuman" UN sanctions. Well, by moving in October 1994 a 60,000th corps and 700 tanks to the borders of Kuwait, he seems to have further strengthened his internal political position, for once again he demonstrated to the people that he was ready to fight for "improving his situation" by decisive means themselves ... It's really like water off a duck's back ...

So what helps the Iraqi dictator (being a Sunni in a country where the majority of the population is Shiites) to survive and stay in power for more than twenty years? I think that the answer should be sought both in himself and in his ascent to the top of the power pyramid.

ORPHAN FROM TIKRIT

Saddam Hussein - his real name is Al-Tikriti - was born on April 27, 1937 in the small town of Tikrit, located 160 kilometers north of Baghdad on the right bank of the Tigris. His father, a simple peasant who worked the land all his life, died when Saddam was nine months old. According to local custom, his uncle Al-Hajj Ibrahim, an army officer who fought against British rule in Iraq, married his brother's widow and took the orphan into his family, which had many children and little wealth.

However, these details have been forgotten in Iraq for a long time. Saddam's official biographers reverently report that the Al-Tikriti clan are the direct heirs of Imam Ali, the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad.

He did not attend school until he was nine. Later he tried to enroll in an elite military academy in Baghdad, but failed in the first exam. This was a strong blow and inspired the future "knight of the Arab nation", as the Iraqi media call him, an obsession with the power of force. Incidentally, in 1969, already vice-president, he arrived for the exam with a pistol on his belt and accompanied by four armed bodyguards. Naturally, the examiners dispensed with unnecessary formalities.

With the help of his uncle, Saddam moved to Baghdad and entered Al-Khark College. Here in 1954 he joined the secret cell of the Baath Party, whose ideas are a bizarre mixture of socialism and Arab nationalism.

The Tikrit orphan began his political career literally with a pistol in his hand.

In 1958, General Abdel Kerim Qasem seized power in Baghdad. The following year, Saddam was included in a group tasked with assassinating Prime Minister Qasem. They ambushed the car in which the then Iraqi dictator was.

But it was a badly planned attack. Although the driver of the Prime Minister and his adjutant were killed, Kassem himself escaped by hiding on the floor of his car. Most of the attackers were killed and Saddam was wounded in the shootout. It was then that the first (how many there were later!) Legend about the future ruler of Iraq was born. She said that he "performed the operation on himself, pulling out a bullet stuck in his leg with a knife, swam across the Tiger, disguised himself as a Bedouin and, having stolen a donkey, fled to Syria on it."

Apparently, rumors of the adventures of the Tikrit "revolutionary" reached Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, who helped him move to Cairo.

Like many Arabs caught up in nationalist ideas, Saddam fell under the influence of President Nasser and his vision of Arab unification. True, as the facts show, he deftly transformed and adapted the ideas of the Egyptian leader to achieve his own goals.

The future "fighter leader" (an epithet of Iraqi newspapers) returned to Baghdad after a coup by the Baath Party in February 1963. The first rung of the career ladder is the head of the Baathist party's order service. He was one of those who led the bloody repressions against dissidents in the country; he spent several months in a row in prisons in the society of "shoulder masters".

However, he did not enjoy the fruits of victory for long. His party soon lost power, and the new regime considered Saddam to be dangerous. The official biography claims that government agents literally cornered him, and in the alleged shootout, he single-handedly fired at them all day until the cartridges ran out.

If so, then Saddam got off extremely lightly. He spent two years in prison, was released and took part in another coup d'état by the Baath party in 1968. As follows from the official biography, he was among the first to "drove in a tank into the courtyard of the presidential palace." This was the first lesson to demonstrate that former prisoners can return to power. Saddam never made such mistakes, ruthlessly destroying every suspect in any thoughts except friendly ones.

For eleven years, Saddam was the "second man", the right-hand man of then President Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr. More precisely, General Al-Bakr led Iraq only nominally. Saddam was the real ruler. By the way, a relative of the president.

On July 16, 1979, the old man al-Bakr left the presidency. They say, not without the help of their relative ...

ON THE THRONE

So, the top is taken. The new Iraqi president immediately launched another large-scale purge. On his instructions, 21 leading Baath leaders, almost all ministers and close friends were arrested, with the help of whom he rose to the top of power.

Each was charged with "treason and conspiracy against the nation." Specifically: "the transfer of classified information to Syria."

Yesterday's comrades-in-arms were sent to solitary cells. In order to morally crush the "traitors" and force them to confess, on Saddam's orders, their children were thrown into neighboring cells, who, as it was established, were tortured in front of their parents, raped teenage girls, and destroyed entire families.

After lengthy interrogations and torture, in which the president participated, his former associates were executed. By the way, he personally supervised the execution ceremony.

For Saddam, there was and is nothing sacred. Human life means nothing to him. The moral values \u200b\u200bof the Iraqi dictator varied depending on his own interests. He always did what he considered beneficial for himself.

It is pertinent to recall in this regard that back in 1973, when he was vice president, he initiated the creation of a united front with the communists. A few years later, the Communist Party was defeated. To satisfy his ambitions, he launched a war with Iran - the bloodiest war in the Middle East in 50 years. He told his Arab neighbors that the war would last for several days and would serve as a lesson for the Khomeini regime. The war ended after eight years and the Iraqi table of 500 thousand human lives. Saddam not only survived this political and economic calamity, but also declared the war victorious without embarrassment. For him, the war was nothing more than a chance to assert his position among the Arabs and, ultimately, become the ruler of the entire Arab world.

All these years, the tactics of the Baghdad ruler were based on two "whales". The first is not to trust anyone except the representatives of your clan. That is why he surrounded himself with only relatives. Another "whale" of the president is the physical elimination of all potential competitors.

Among his victims are not only people devoted to him, but even relatives. Saddam is ruthless when it comes to maintaining his own power.

CLINICAL CASE

In recent years, some oddities have begun to appear in the behavior of the Iraqi dictator ...

Many of those who had a chance to talk with him on the eve of the Gulf War noticed that he "lost his sense of reality, lost contact with the surrounding reality." The then UN Secretary General Perez de Cuellar, having talked before the war with Saddam, called him a man "unable to grasp the gravity of the situation." Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak called him a "psychopath" and King Fahd of Saudi Arabia "mentally handicapped."

English psychiatrists came to the conclusion that his assessment of the world around him is associated with a false idea of \u200b\u200bhimself and those around him. Some experts go even further in their conclusions. They believe that the Iraqi leader is a "malignant narcissist." There are four criteria for this diagnosis: megalomania to an extreme degree, sadistic cruelty, morbid suspicion, lack of ability to repent.

As for the last symptom, Saddam sees people only as a tool to achieve his goals. Sympathy and compassion are alien to him. He is a cold-blooded and cruel pragmatist, calculating every step.

Megalomania manifests itself in Saddam not only in arrogance, but also in the deepest belief in his exclusivity. At one time he compared himself with Salah ed-Din - the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty, who led the struggle of Muslims against the crusaders. As you know, the great warrior of the Middle Ages was born in the same place of Tikrit as Saddam. He became the ruler of Egypt, Syria and Mesopotamia at the age of 43 - at the same age Hussein came to power in Iraq.

These are truly grimaces of history!

Today he identifies himself with ... the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, who destroyed Jerusalem in 587 BC and held its inhabitants captive for many years. Moreover, not only identifies. He really wants the Iraqis to believe that he is descended from this king.

Megalomania becomes chronic when it is supplemented by the belief that any crime is justified if it leads to a goal. This is the credo of the Iraqi emir.

Yes, Emir! Moreover, without quotes. The fact is that Saddam has developed a plan to proclaim Iraq an Islamic state, Baghdad the capital of the Caliphate, and himself the emir of all the faithful.

The first step towards the Islamization of the country was taken during the Persian Gulf War. Then Saddam inscribed on the coat of arms of the state the words: "Allahu Akbar! (" Allah is Great! "). The next step was the restoration of some Sharia law in Iraq. Now they cut off their left hand for theft, their left leg for a relapse, cut off an ear for desertion and stab out On the bridge of the nose, the letter "x" (from the Arabic "harami" - a criminal.) It was also decided to close all entertainment establishments and prohibit women from appearing in public places with makeup on their faces.

Moreover, Saddam appointed himself "the supreme religious authority in matters of Islamic law." The Iraqi media keep repeating that he prays five times a day, observes all the commandments of Islam, and visits the mosque on Fridays.

At night, Saddam works on his own interpretation of the Koran. In addition, he decided to build (the case clearly smacks of the Guinness Book of Records) the world's largest mosque 1800 meters high, 700 wide, designed for 75 thousand worshipers.

18 MILLION TWINS

In the East, it is not customary to advertise personal life. However, the Iraqi dictator is known to have been married twice. His first wife Sajida grew up with her husband as he is her cousin. She is one of the leaders of the Federation of Iraqi Women, which is a branch of the Baath Party.

When Saddam "took over" the front pages of the world press, Mrs. Hussein always remained in the shadows. You can find only two of her images. One of them was made on the wedding day. Another was published in 1978 in Al-Maraa magazine, which then published an article on the president's family. Its author was Saddam. In it, he expounded his views on family life. "The most important thing in marriage is that a man does not give a woman a reason to feel oppressed just because she is a woman and he is a man. As soon as she feels humiliated, family life will end."

Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid at-Tikriti during his lifetime held various high-ranking government posts in Iraq, but went down in history as a tough politician, the President of the Iraqi state (1979-2003), who achieved the highest level of development of his native country among the territories of the Middle East ...

Known for large-scale reforms, military operations with Iran, the use of its army during the war of chemical weapons. In 2003, when there was an invasion of Iraq by world leaders in the form of a coalition (USA, Great Britain), Hussein was overthrown and subsequently punished by death by hanging.

Childhood and youth

An interesting fact is the meaning of the name of the politician - Saddam, which in translation from Arabic means "opposing". This is how the hero of this biography can be characterized. From the point of view of European understanding, the former President of Iraq did not have a surname. The word Hussein is the name of his own father, who did not possess wealth and power during his lifetime, but was a simple landless peasant.

Saddam was born on April 28, 1937 in the city of Tikrit, or rather, in the neighboring village of Al-Auja. Shortly before his birth, Hussein's father died, went missing, or, according to one of the versions, left his family. There is also an opinion that the politician was born outside the family, but these are only rumors.

Before the birth of the future ruler, Saddam's mother had another son who died of cancer at the age of 12 during a period when the woman was in an interesting position. The terrible tragedy led to a deep depression. The mother did not even want to look at the newborn Hussein. The little boy was raised by his maternal uncle for several years, but after he was imprisoned as a participant in an anti-British uprising, Hussein was forced to return to his mother.

According to the traditions of the Arab people, if the deceased husband has a sibling, the widow becomes his wife. So it happened to Saddam's mother, whom the brother of the deceased Hussein, Ibrahim al-Hasan, took as his wife. It is difficult to call his stepfather a kind and bright person, he brought up his stepson in cruelty and the strictest discipline: he beat him up, made him work hard. In this marriage, five more children were born (triplet boys and two girls).

Hussein's childhood passed in extreme poverty, in a state of constant hunger. It is known that his stepfather even forced the youngster to steal cattle for its further sale on the market. The daily bullying of the boy left a corresponding imprint on his character, but Saddam did not close himself off from society. He had many friends, acquaintances among different age groups of people.

The inquisitive Hussein was thirsty for knowledge, asked his stepfather to send him to school, but he resisted, not wanting to part with an additional pair of working hands. Then the little boy decided to flee to the city to his uncle - a devout Muslim, nationalist and admirer, who by that time had left the prison. It was the uncle who helped the nephew to become what he was in his mature years.

In Tikrit, Saddam went to school. Education was not easy for him, because at the age of 10, Hussein could not even read and write. For comic daring tricks with peers and teachers, violation of discipline, the future ruler was expelled from the educational institution.

At the age of 15, the young man experienced serious stress - the death of a horse, which was his faithful friend. This paralyzed the boy's arm. After that, Hussein had to be treated for several months. From the memories of an adult Saddam, it sounded that then he cried for the last time in his life.

When uncle Heyrallah moved to Baghdad, his nephew decided to follow him and enter the military academy (1953), but to no avail. The next year, Hussein entered al-Karh school, where he finally completed his secondary education.

Party activities

The beginning of Saddam Hussein's political activity was closely intertwined with his further education. The young activist graduated from Khark College and later received a law degree from Cairo University.

In 1952, the Egyptian revolution began, led by Gamal Abdel Nasser. This man was an idol for Hussein, an example to follow. The revolutionary actions brought the head of the movement to the office of President of Egypt.

In 1956, the future ruler of Iraq joined the ranks of the army against King Faisal II, but the coup was unsuccessful. A year later, Hussein became a member of the Baath Party, and already in 1958, during another uprising, the king was nevertheless overthrown.

At the age of 21, Saddam went to jail as a suspect in the murder of a senior district administration official. There is an opinion that the politician's uncle gave his nephew a task - to kill an opponent, which he fulfilled "worthily". The local police did not find a single piece of evidence at the scene, so Hussein was released 6 months later and later took part in a special operation against General Qasem.

While studying at the University of Cairo (1961-1963), Saddam proved to be an active political figure, gaining fame in the relevant circles. In 1963, the Baath Party defeated the Qasem regime, Hussein returned to his native Iraq and received the post of a member in the Central Peasant Bureau there. According to the young activist, the main representatives of the Ba'ah party recklessly performed the functions assigned to them, and Hussein did not hesitate to speak about this at general Arab meetings. Soon the Baathists were removed from power, and Saddam began to form his own association.

In 1964, a new party leadership (5 people) appeared, and Hussein joined it. The leaders decided to capture Baghdad, but the attempt was crowned with failure. One of the main instigators, Saddam, was imprisoned, but in 1966 the politician fled, and a few months later became deputy secretary general of the Baath party. The range of his duties included operations related to intelligence of special secrecy.

In 1968, another coup in Iraq began, and in 1970 Saddam Hussein became the Vice President of the country. With significant influence, he carried out a number of reorganizations in the special services segment. Hussein's tough character, formed in childhood, was reflected in his methods of work.

Anyone who opposed the current government was severely punished: prisoners in prisons were bullied, using electric shock, acid, hanging, blindness, sexual violence, and also forcing those who disliked them to watch their relatives tortured. Fortunately, these methods have been canceled in Iraq today, although some of them still remain in use by local authorities.

Having the status of the second person in the country, Hussein paid due attention to such issues as:

• Strengthening foreign policy.
• Literacy of women and the general population.
• Private sector development, rural modernization.
• Encouraging entrepreneurship.
• Construction of various educational institutions, hospitals, technical enterprises, etc.

Saddam has become a popular and promising man in the country, gaining respect among the common people and achieving a real economic boom in Iraq.

Iraqi President

In 1976, Hussein eliminated all his party rivals, created a strong army with the "correct" ideology. Soon, all significant structures of the state apparatus, including ministries and the armed forces, were accountable to the strict politician.

In 1979, the President of Iraq resigned, and his post was taken by his successor - the famous Saddam Hussein. From the first days of his reign, he began to make high plans for his native state, wishing to see him among the leaders of the world scale. Thanks to the natural resources (oil) of the Iraqi territory, it became possible to conclude agreements with various countries and reach a new level of further development.

But Saddam was by his nature a warrior, he wanted to own and rule. The wars with Iran, initiated by Hussein, subsequently led the Iraqi economy to decline.

Since 1991 (post-war period), the previously flourishing country has turned into a den of devastation and hunger. In the cities there was not enough food, water, various intestinal diseases "reigned". Many Iraqis have left their homes in search of a better life outside the country. Hussein was under pressure from the UN, and the President was forced to make concessions on oil exports.

The period of Saddam's rule is associated differently by different people. Some proudly argue that he was a great ruler who provided security for his people, while others, on the contrary, criticize the President for cruelty, and others simply idolize him.

US invasion

In 2003, the United States formed a coalition with world leaders to overthrow Saddam Hussein's rule in Iraq. A military operation was organized, which lasted for several years (2003-2011).

The reasons for the invasion of the American army into Iraqi territory are as follows:

• Iraq's relationship with international terrorism.
• Destruction of chemical weapons (factories for their production operated in Iraq).
• Control over the country's oil deposits.

The Iraqi president was forced to flee and go into hiding every three hours in different places, but in 2004 he was found in his hometown of Tikrit and arrested. At court hearings in Baghdad in the area where the US armed forces were located, Hussein was charged with many charges: antihuman methods of government, war crimes, the murder of 148 Shiites, etc.

Personal life

Saddam Hussein has been married four times. His first chosen one was a girl named Sajida, who was the ruler's cousin. She gave birth to Husseina in marriage, five children: two sons (Udey and Kusey) and three daughters (Ragad, Khala and Rana). This union was organized by the parents of the spouses when Hussein was only five years old. The fate of all the children and grandson of the former President of Iraq was tragic (shooting).

The second marriage of the announcer took place in 1988. An imperious and successful man fell in love with the wife of an airline director. He suggested that the husband of his beloved divorce his wife peacefully. And so it happened.

In 1990, Hussein married for the third time. His muse was a woman named Nidal al-Hamdani, but she could not keep the free personality in the family shelter.

In 2002, the "father of the people" gets married again. This time his love was the minister's 27-year-old daughter, Iman Huweish. During this period, hostilities began from the United States, so the beloved did not celebrate the wedding loudly and widely. The ceremony took place in a quiet, friendly circle.

There are legends about the love affairs of the Iraqi ruler. They say that the girls who refused the ex-president intimacy were raped and killed. In the history of the personal life of a controversial personality, a woman named Mansia Hazer is noted. She claimed that their civil marriage lasted for 17 years, but Hussein asked to keep their relationship secret. There are also other ladies who said that they have children from Saddam, but now this is difficult to prove.

Hussein's associates have always considered him only Sajida's legal wife, despite the constant hobbies and "imaginary marriages" of their comrade.

Death

In 2006, the ex-ruler of Iraq was sentenced to death by hanging. On December 30, he was taken to the scene of the massacre. Before his death, Hussein was subjected to various insults and even spitting from the Shia guards. Saddam tried to object, persuaded that he wanted to save the country, but in the last minutes he quieted down and began to pray.

Hussein did not suffer for a long time, his death was instant. One of the guards managed to film a horrifying spectacle from the phone (there is also a photo), so the whole world saw the execution of a bright historical personality. The media turned the Iraqi president into a despot, a tough dictator, an evil incarnate to fight.

After his death, there were rumors that there was allegedly no execution and Saddam was alive. It was also said that Hussein died back in 1999, and instead of him a double ruled in the country, who could not adequately lead the country out of the crisis and defeat the war. Based on the book by Latif Yahia, a former Iraqi battalion commander, directed by Lee Tamahori, a film titled "The Devil's Double" was made on this topic in 2011.

Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein (Saddam Hussein, full name Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid at-Tikriti) was born on April 28, 1937 in the small village of Al-Auja, 13 kilometers from the city of Tikrit, into a peasant family. He was brought up in the house of his maternal uncle, Khairullah Tulfah, a former Iraqi army officer and a staunch nationalist. The uncle had a great influence on the formation of his nephew's worldview.

After graduating from Khark High School in Baghdad, Saddam joined the ranks of the Arab Socialist Renaissance Party (Baath).

In October 1959, Hussein took part in an unsuccessful attempt by the Baathists to overthrow Iraqi Prime Minister Abdel Kerim Qassem, was wounded and sentenced to death. He fled abroad - to Syria, then to Egypt. In 1962-1963 he studied at the Faculty of Law of Cairo University, was actively involved in party activities.

In 1963, the Baathists came to power in Iraq. Saddam Hussein returned from emigration, continued his education at a law college in Baghdad. In the same year, the Baathist government fell, Saddam was arrested, spent several years in prison, from which he managed to escape. By 1966, he was promoted to leading roles in the party, headed the party security service.

Saddam Hussein took part in the coup on July 17, 1968, which again brought the Baath Party to power, and became a member of the supreme body of power - the Revolutionary Command Council, headed by Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr. As al-Bakr's deputy, Hussein oversaw the security forces and gradually concentrated real power in his hands.

On July 16, 1979, President al-Bakr resigned and was succeeded in this post by Saddam Hussein, who also headed the Iraqi branch of the Baath Party, became chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council, and supreme commander.
In 1979-1991, 1994-2003, Saddam Hussein also served as chairman of the Iraqi government.

In September 1980, Saddam Hussein ordered the invasion of Iran. The devastating war that followed ended in August 1988. An estimated 1.7 million people were killed during the conflict. In August 1990, Hussein attempted to annex Kuwait. The UN condemned the takeover, and in February 1991, multinational military forces drove the Iraqi army out of the emirate.

In March 2003, US and British troops began military action in Iraq. The pretext for the invasion was the accusation of the Iraqi government of work on the creation and production of weapons of mass destruction and involvement in the organization and financing of international terrorism.

Former President of Iraq in the vicinity of Tikrit.