The Rise of Saddam Hussein - History Flashcards
What three provinces of the Ottoman Empire did the British create Iraq out of?
Mosul, Baghdad and Basra
Who ruled the country in 1921?
King Faisal I
Although Britain granted independence to Iraq in 1932, the British kept control of what?
Oil, Iraq’s defence and foreign policy
What were the reasons why Iraq was difficult to rule?
The population was 80% Arabian and 20% Kurdish, speaking a different language
Shia Muslims were majority but government was dominated by Sunnis.
In 1941, a rebellion was launched by who? What happened?
Rashed Ali but was soon crushed
How and when was the British government overthrown?
It was overthrown in a military coup in 1968
Who was the new government led by?
Brigadie Abd al-Karim Qasim
The army had been inspired by what? What were its aims?
By pan-Arabism, a doctrine that aimed to unite all Arabs and end interference by western powers in the Middle East.
What was the Ba’ath Party?
Aimed to unite Arabs in one single state and remove western influence.
What did they do in 1963?
The Ba’atists overthrew and executed Qasim
Who was Ahmad Hasan al-Bakr? What did he do?
He came from Tikrit and secretly reorganised the Ba’ath party after it was banned.
What was the Revolutionary Command Council?
The main decision making and law making body of the Iraqi government after 1968.
What seemed to have a strong effect on Hussein’s development?
The fact that his father died so Saddam was raised by an uncle who hated the British and had taken part in the failed 1941 rebellion.
Saddam was an admirer of who?
Stalin
Saddam had a reputation for being what?
Being ruthless
What happened with Saddam’s relationship with al-Bakr?’
Worked well in the early 1970s but by the time he became President, their relationship was more difficult.
Saddam consolidated his power by doing what?
By purging his enemies in the armed forces and the party.
Saddam became what?
Undisputed ruler of Iraq
What were the political parties in Iraq?
Ba’ath Party
Communist Party
Kurd Party
Shia Party
What was the purpose of the National Assembly?
To provide Saddam with a place to make speeches; It had no power
What example in the book shows Saddam’s ruthlessness?
He would often purge the government and army of those he believed to be disloyal.
He had 66 leading figures tried and 22 sentenced to death.
State propaganda called Saddam what?
Al-Batal (the hero)
Al-mufakir (the thinker)
What does it mean that the government nationalized the oil industry?
They took possession of the oil industry and ended foreign control over it.
What was the massive increase in finance used for?
It was used to develop public services and help ordinary people.
What are the three phases that Saddam’s rule can be divided into?
1968-1980 this was a time of great prosperity and economic and social progress.
1980-1991 destroyed the economy and plunged the nation into debt.
1991-2003 was marked by stagnation made harder by international sanctions imposed by the United Nations over weapons production.
Define secular
The Ba’ath Party wasn’t influenced by religious rules or beliefs.
What did the Ba’ath Party believe about women?
That women should be educated and have important jobs in society.
How and why did Saddam’s ideology change?
He relied more on tribal support to maintain his regime so this led old-fashioned customs to become more important than progressive ideas.
What did the government set limits on in the 1970?
Property ownership with surplus land taken away and given to poorer farmers.
What was launched in 1978?
A campaign to end illiteracy within three years.
