Saddam Hussein was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth President of Iraq from 1979 until 2003. Born in a small village near Tikrit in 1937, Hussein joined the Ba’ath Party at a young age and was involved in several failed attempts to overthrow the Iraqi government. After becoming the President of Iraq, Hussein quickly established himself as a ruthless dictator who used brutal tactics, including torture and mass executions, to maintain his grip on power. Hussein’s regime was marked by numerous conflicts, including the Iran-Iraq War and the Gulf War, which severely damaged Iraq’s economy and infrastructure. In 2003, the United States and its allies invaded Iraq and overthrew Hussein’s government, accusing him of possessing weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). However, no such weapons were found and Hussein was eventually captured, tried, and executed by hanging in 2006. Despite his many atrocities, Hussein remains a controversial figure in Iraq and the Middle East, with some regarding him as a hero and others condemning him as a tyrant.