Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr vs Francisco Villa

Al-Bakr, a senior Ba'athist officer, helped plan and execute the coup that overthrew Qasim. He became Prime Minister briefly but was forced out by President Arif later that year, marking an early setback for the Ba'ath Party.

Al-Bakr led a bloodless coup that brought the Ba'ath Party back to power. He became President and Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council, establishing a regime that would rule Iraq for decades. Saddam Hussein was his deputy.

Al-Bakr's government fully nationalized the Iraq Petroleum Company, ending foreign control of the country's oil industry. This move dramatically increased state revenue and funded development projects, but also led to Western sanctions.

Al-Bakr was forced to resign as President, ostensibly for health reasons, and was succeeded by Saddam Hussein. He was placed under house arrest until his death in 1982. The transition consolidated Saddam's absolute power.

Villa commanded the Division of the North, a powerful revolutionary army that captured key cities like Torre

Villa's forces were decisively defeated by

Villa's forces attacked the town of Columbus, New Mexico, killing 18 Americans and burning the town. This raid prompted the U.S. government to send a punitive expedition under General John Pershing into Mexico, which failed to capture Villa.

Villa was ambushed and killed by gunmen while driving in Parral, Chihuahua. His assassination was likely ordered by political rivals, including Plutarco El