As leader of Iraq for more than two decades, Saddam Hussein is known for being one of the most brutal dictators in recent history (Pirincci, 93). The citizens of his country remained terrorized and lived in constant fear for their lives due to the dictators ruthless and inhumane actions. Saddam Hussein and his regime destroyed the lives of millions and led the nation into intense suffering and poverty while in power (Tripp, 206). The period in which Saddam controlled Iraq is often referred to as his “Reign of Terror” it was during this period in which he led his country into war with Iran, Invaded Kuwait, and slaughter thousands in his genocide of the Kurds; these events led by Saddam Hussein are what caused him to shape the course of world …show more content…
In Iraq’s history many of the lead figures of a regime were often army officers which many times helped ensure connections to social networks that helped allow easy recruiting to their regime (Tripp, 193). In Saddam’s case he was able to recruit due to his position as Vice President of the Ba’ath party and his specialty in security. A history of dictatorship in Iraq that required obedience, and many times valued violence and fear, existed within the country and was a theme in politics around the period of Saddam Hussein’s rise to power, this greatly helped shape him into the violent and demanding dictator he later became (Tripp, 194). Once Saddam took control of Iraq and became the President he was aided by the United States with chemical weapons during the countries war with Iran (Tripp, 211). This allowed Saddam to gain fear from his citizens by using a new method of scare tactics which was also previously valued within the country’s history. In previous time periods, dictators such as Joseph Stalin and Adolph Hitler had similarly controlled their country with the same means of brutality and abuse, it was these previous figures that became an inspiration to Saddam Hussein and gave him a blue print on how to become a ruthless dictator (Tripp, 194). There were many reasons that explain how the actions of Saddam Hussein were shaped by the time in which he lived. The previous regimes of Iraq and the political system in which they follow was a major contribution that led Saddam Hussein to rise to power and commit the horrific actions that led to his “Reign of