Similarities Between Saddam Hussein's 'Terror, And Terror Alone'

This essay disagrees with the statement ‘Terror, and terror alone, explains Saddam Hussein’s success in holding on to power’ and will argue that it was actually a combination of factors, including: his development of infrastructure and the economy; his indoctrination and cult of personality and his use of terror and force. Although, some may argue that terror was not at all responsible and in fact he held on to power because of the good work he did for the country. Others may argue that his use of terror was the only reason why he held on to power because people were afraid to go against his beliefs. However, evidence suggests that his use of terror was not wholly responsible and in fact, it was due to a combination of reasons; as civilians

Saddam Hussein worked on developing the land and increasing the economy, which meant that he stayed in power for longer, because he was doing a good job, and making working and living conditions better for the people in the country. In 1972-73, Saddam led the nationalisation of oil and joined the Iraqis and the other Arab oil producing states together, which meant that the price of oil drove up by 400% and meant that there was more money to build education, health and welfare services. This increased his power as people had more money and got help from the government when they were in need. Under Saddam 's Hussein’s regime, water and electricity were made available to nearly every city and village in Iraq. He built 'Model Villages ', which were new developments designed to have perfect infrastructure and facilities, with at least one school and health clinic in each village. These were made to provide farmers with better overall living standards. Similarly, dams were built during the 1970s and 80s which meant that Iraq had more control over its water resources and had access to more electricity. Moreover under Saddam, roads were paved and highways were set up all over the country and bridges were built in numerous locations. Whilst Saddam was in power it was illegal to refuse to send your child, boy or girl, to school at six years old and education was free to everyone in Iraq. All of these reasons meant that the country became more educated and meant that people could pursue their dreams, which made them happier under his rule. All of this suggests that he held onto power because of his good ideas, and the developments of the