Program Information

Carved out of the Ottoman Empire in the early 1920s, Iraq struggled for stability and independence for nearly five decades until the emergence of the Baath Party.

A Moment in Time is a brief, exciting and compelling journey into the past. Created to excite and enlighten the public about the past, its relevance to the present and its impact on the future, A Moment In Time is a captivating historical narrative that is currently broadcast worldwide.

Transcript

Introduction: A Moment in Time, 1968: A special series on the 40th anniversary of a year of upheaval, in a world seemingly out of control.

Content: Carved out of the Ottoman Empire in the early 1920s, Iraq struggled for stability and independence for nearly five decades until the emergence of the Baath Party. The Baathists originated in Syria in the 1940s. They were Arab nationalists with a decidedly secular bent. An allied branch was planted in Iraq in 1951. Its goals of pan-Arab unity and the rejection of the interests that had dominated the region for generations appealed to many young Iraqis. In 1963, for a brief time and by a bloody coup d’état, the Party assumed control of the Baghdad government. Internal conflict led to the collapse of the Baath coalition after only nine months. They re-grouped and five years later they were ready to try again.

Rumors of dissatisfaction among the top military and intelligence aides to President Abd al-Salam ‘Arif, led to conversations and support for the Baathist cause. With their help, on July 17, 1968 the Party seized key defense points in Baghdad, organized a coalition government with non-Baathists and packed the President off to England. The power-sharing proved to be awkward and on July 30th, in a second coup, Baath cadres completed the transformation of Iraq by grabbing a majority of governmental ministries for the Party.

The Prime Minister was arrested and put a plane out of the country by a group of young officers led by Saddam Hussein. The Baath Party dominated Iraq through war and peace until the fall of Baghdad in 2003. Gradually using persuasion and brutal tactics, Hussein eliminated opposition to his personal rule of the Party and the country.

Research assistance by Timothy Litzenburg, at the University of Richmond, this is Dan Roberts.

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