Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr

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Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr
4th President of Iraq
In office July 1968 – July 16, 1979
Preceded by	Abd ar-Rahman Arif
Succeeded by	Saddam Hussein
Born	July 1, 1914 Tikrit, Iraq
Died	October 4, 1982 Baghdad, Iraq

General Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr (Arabic أحمد حسن البكر) (July 1, 1914 - October 4, 1982), a member of Iraq's Sunni community, was President of Iraq (military dictator) from 1968 to 1979.

Al-Bakr entered the Iraqi Military Academy in 1938 after spending six years as a primary-school teacher.

During his early military career, he took part in the Rashid Ali revolt in 1941, was arrested, imprisoned, and compulsorily retired from the army, but was reinstated in 1957. As a brigadier general, he was one of the "free officers," a group that overthrew the monarchy in 1958.

He was again forced to retire from the Army in 1959 because of his alleged leadership of a rebellion in Mosul (Al-Bakr was a member of the Ba'th Socialist Party at that time) organized officers favouring closer ties with the United Arab Republic.

He became Prime Minister for 10 months following the Ba'th coup of 1963. A leading member of the Ba'ath Party he orchestrated the 1963 coup that overthrew Iraq's military leader Abdul Karim Kasim. Al Bakr left the government in November 1963, when Field Marshal Abdul Salam Arif staged a countercoup. Al-Bakr stayed on as Vice President.

In January 1964 he was removed as Vice president, but retained control of the Regional Command of the Ba'th Party.

In 1968, with Egyptian help, al-Bakr orchestrated an internal coup within the government of President Abdul Rahman Arif, a brother of Abdul Salam who had taken over in 1966. Arif was exiled, and al-Bakr installed as Iraq's fourth president. He thus became the leading face of the Ba'ath party and Iraqi pan-Arabism and was praised as "leader of the revolution."

[edit] President of the Republic (July 1968 – July 1979)

He quickly nationalized the Iraq Petroleum Company and compensated all foreign oil companies operating within its borders while introducing wide-ranging social and economic reforms.

The country enjoyed a massive increase in oil revenues starting in late 1973 when international petroleum prices began a steep rise. His economic policy began with a cautious continuation of the former regime's five-year plan but turned toward industrial expansion as oil revenues increased.

His government supported closer ties to the United Arab Republic and under his rule Iraq almost joined the state. Under his rule, the flag of Iraq was modified in preparation for this dream.

Bakr's regime also strengthened Iraq's ties with the Soviet Union: On April 9, 1972, Iraq and the Soviet Union signed a treaty of friendship. The two countries agreed to cooperate in political, economic, and military affairs. The Soviet Union also agreed to supply Iraq with arms.

His government also aided Syria with troops and weapons during the Yom Kippur War of October 1973. Calling for military action against Israel, he denounced the cease-fire that ended the 1973 conflict and opposed the interim agreements negotiated by Egypt and Syria. Iraq was able to hurt the Western economy when it participated in the oil boycott against Israel's supporters.

Under Bakr conflicts intensified between the government and the Kurds. In early 1974 heavy fighting erupted in northern Iraq between government forces and Kurdish nationalists, who rejected as inadequate a new Kurdish autonomy law based on a 1970 agreement. The Kurds, led by Mustafa al-Barzani, received arms and support from Iran.

After Iraq agreed in early 1975 to make major concessions to Iran in settling their border disputes, Iran halted aid to the Kurds, and the revolt was dealt a severe blow.

In July 1978 a decree was passed which made all non-Ba'thist political activity illegal and membership of any other political party punishable by death for all those who were members or former members of the Armed Forces.

Al-Bakr is best known for appointing Saddam Hussein, his Tikriti cousin, as his Vice President. As the president got older, more and more authority was gradually usurped by Hussein, and by the mid-1970s the vice president had established virtual de facto rule over the entire nation, leaning on al-Bakr to resign.

On July 16, 1979 the 65-year-old Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr stepped down, ostensibly on health grounds, and Saddam Hussein assumed the presidency in a move that was widely regarded as little more than a formality.

His death in 1982 received little recognition from the new regime. He also is said to have died under very suspicious circumstances, with several rumors that he was liquidated by pro-Saddam elements.

Preceded by Abdul Karim Qassim	Prime Minister of Iraq February 1963 – November 1963	Succeeded by Tahir Yahya
Preceded by --	Vice President of Iraq February 1963 – January 1964	Succeeded by --
Preceded by Abd ar-Razzaq an-Naif	Prime Minister of Iraq July 17, 1968 – July 16, 1979	Succeeded by Saddam Hussein
Preceded by Abd ar-Rahman Arif	President of Iraq July 17, 1968 – July 16, 1979
Preceded by None - Position created	Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council July 17, 1968 – July 16, 1979

Persondata
NAME	Bakr, Ahmed Hassan al-
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	أحمد حسن البكر (Arabic)
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Iraqi president
DATE OF BIRTH	July 1, 1914
PLACE OF BIRTH	Tikrit, Iraq
DATE OF DEATH	October 4, 1982
PLACE OF DEATH	Baghdad, Iraq