The Rise of Saddam Hussein: From Street Thug to Dictator
About this episode
This episode explores the rise of Saddam Hussein from a troubled childhood to becoming a dictator of Iraq.
Saddam Hussein with nothing. Born to a poor peasant family in a mud-brick village. Abandoned by his father before he was born. Raised by an abusive uncle who beat him daily. By thirty, he was an assassin. By forty, he controlled one of the world's most oil-rich nations. By fifty, he was called the "Butcher of Baghdad." How does someone climb from absolute obscurity to absolute power? How do you build a dictatorship in a world that's supposed to have moved on from strongmen and tyrants? Today we're going back to the beginning. From Saddam's brutal childhood to the 1968 Ba'athist coup. From his CIA connections to the 1979 purge that cemented his reign of terror. Watch the podcast Fight me at war of the barons Travel to Estonia with me here Travel to China with me here Check out other trips with me here Check out my merch here Check out our sister podcast the Mystery of Everything Coffee Collab With The Lore Lodge COFFEE Bonus episodes as well as ad-free episodes on Patreon. Find us on…
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