This biography of Saddam Hussein (1937-2006) provides an in-depth look at the life and career of the former President of Iraq. From his humble beginnings in Tikrit to his rise to power and eventual downfall, this book examines Hussein's life and legacy.
Saddam Hussein was an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 until his overthrow in 2003 during the United States-led invasion of Iraq. He previously served as the vice president from 1968 to 1979 and also as the prime minister from 1979 to 1991 and later from 1994 to 2003. A leading member of the Iraqi Ba'ath Party, he was a proponent of Ba'athism, a mix of Arab nationalism and Arab socialism. The policies and ideologies he championed are collectively known as Saddamism, a "right-wing" variant of Ba'athism.