Iraq, 1979 — military coup attempt
Event Summary
The dataset records an event coded as an attempted military coup in Iraq on 28 July 1979, corresponding to the alleged pro-Syrian conspiracy that Saddam Hussein claimed to have uncovered within the Baath Party days after he took the presidency, which he used to justify a devastating purge of his rivals. On 16 July 1979 the ailing president Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr had resigned and handed power to Saddam. Days later, on 22 July, Saddam convened an assembly of party leaders in Baghdad, ordered it videotaped, and had a broken RCC member confess to a Syrian-financed plot to overthrow the regime, then read out the names of alleged conspirators, who were led from the hall.
Sixty eight were arrested and about twenty two senior figures were executed, some by their own surviving colleagues, in the following days, with a wider purge claiming several hundred. Whether a genuine coup plot existed or was fabricated to eliminate opponents remains disputed; either way Saddam emerged as the absolute ruler of Iraq, a position he held until 2003.
Researched Details
Researched
Independent research, added record by record. Hover any label for what it means.
Sources
Editorial Note
Cross-Reference
Only one dataset carries it. One of the three reference datasets we check against carries this event; the others do not list it. That is not a contradiction — the datasets cover different periods and use different thresholds — but it means the record has had less outside corroboration.
Identifiers for finding this same event in the other datasets:
- Cline Center id
64507281979
How the match is made is described in crossref-report.md.
Outcome and Target
Coup Atlas research identifies the target as: Saddam Hussein crushed the alleged July 1979 plot with a purge and consolidated absolute power over Iraq.
Baseline coding: Coup attempt failed to remove the incumbent. Recorded leader fate: remained in office; not physically harmed. The baseline file does not name individual targets; researched names are kept in a separate layer.
Baseline Dataset Citation
Baseline Source-Document Entries
CSP
Boston Globe
Irish Times
This is the citation trail carried by the baseline dataset, grouped by outlet and rejoined from the line-wrapped original. Coup Atlas has not independently re-checked every document; read the original before citing a specific claim. URLs the import damaged beyond safe repair are shown as plain text and listed in citations-report.md. How this list is built →