after the overthrow in 1968, ahmed hassan al-bakr was appointed as the new president of iraq. during his reign, he nationalised the iraq petroleum company (ipc), which stimulated the economic growth of the country. in july 1979, saddam hussein took over the presidentship of al-bakr and started his twenty-four-year rulership. in 1980, the iran-iraq war emerged, which has seen eight years of severe violence and is notable for the use of chemical and biological warfare. in 1990, iraq led the invasion of kuwait, which led to its second major war, namely the gulf war in 1991. in 2003, the reign of saddam hussein and the ba'ath party came to an end when the united states led the invasion of iraq, also known as the start of the iraq war.