Abdul-Karim Qassim the man who governed Irak before the Reign of Saddam Hussein

You may have never heard his name because it was such a long time ago but General Qassim was one the most popular rulers of Iraq. He seemed to have been completely forgotten in the Who's Who as Saddam Hussein can be found whereas Abdul Qassim cannot.

Like many Iraqis, Qassim disliked the socially conservative and pro-Western policies of the British-installed monarchy. On July 14, 1958, Qassim and his followers used troop movements planned by the government as an opportunity to seize military control of Baghdad and overthrew the monarchy. This movement was widely supported by the people and it still refered to as the revolution of the 14th of July.

Qassim assumed the post of the prime minister of the newly formed republic. Like Hugo Chavez today, he tried to steer Iraq through an era when pro-Arab nationalism was in it's peak of power in the Arab world. He started serious attempts to develop the country and to improve its infrastructure. On 8th of February 1963 officers of the Baath Party overthrew his government and killed Qassim after a phony trial.

In 1959, Saddam Hussein took part in his assassination attempt. That attempt failed and Hussein escaped.