The Arab Ba'ath Party formed in 1947 through a merger of the Arab Ba'ath Movement and the Arab Ba'ath. It later joined with the Arab Socialist Movement in 1952 to become the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party. This new party gained momentum, becoming the second-largest in the Syrian parliament by 1954.
Saddam Hussein, a prominent figure in Iraqi politics, held various key positions within the Ba'ath Party, including president and prime minister of Iraq from 1979 to 2003. He was a staunch advocate of Ba'athism, a political ideology blending Arab nationalism and socialism.