Part 4/9:

By the late 1960s, the Baath Party seized control, amplifying nationalism and socialism—a period characterized by rapid industrial growth and nationalization of key resources due to soaring oil revenues. Under the Baathists, Iraq transformed into one of the richest Arab states, with GDP growth rates reaching 8% per year. This period of prosperity obscured systemic internal issues, including the oppressive treatment of ethnic minorities, particularly the Kurds, leading to civil conflict.