Iraqi Republic

State · 1960–2005 CE · at its largest around 1990 CE

Iraq after the 1958 revolution that overthrew the monarchy, followed by coups that brought the Ba'ath Party to power in 1968. Saddam Hussein ruled from 1979 until the US-led invasion of 2003.

On its lands while it lasted

Saddam Hussein (1937 CE – 2006 CE): President of Iraq from 1979 to 2003 who led wars against Iran and Kuwait; after the 2003 invasion he was captured, tried and executed.
OPEC founded (1960 CE): Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela founded the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries at a conference in Baghdad.
1973 oil crisis (1973–1974 CE): Arab oil producers embargoed countries that supported Israel in the Yom Kippur War and cut output, quadrupling oil prices and causing economic shocks worldwide.
Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988 CE): Iraq under Saddam Hussein invaded Iran, starting an eight-year war of attrition that killed hundreds of thousands and ended in stalemate.
Halabja chemical attack (1988 CE): Iraqi forces attacked the Kurdish town of Halabja with chemical weapons, killing between 3,200 and 5,000 people, mostly civilians.
Gulf War (1990–1991 CE): Iraq invaded and annexed Kuwait; a US-led coalition authorized by the United Nations expelled Iraqi forces in early 1991.
Iraq War (2003–2011 CE): A US-led coalition invaded Iraq and overthrew Saddam Hussein's government, followed by years of insurgency and sectarian conflict.