<human>:  What is the history of the country of Iraq?
<bot>: The history of Iraq is long and complex. It dates back to the pre-historical period, but the first written records of its civilization are from the Sumerian empire in the 4th millennium BC. Iraq was later conquered by the Assyrians, Babylonians, and the Achaemenian, Seleucid, Parthian and Sassanid empires. Iraq was controlled by various Islamic empires such as the Abbasids, Seljuks and the Ottoman Empire until it became a British Mandate in 1920. Iraq declared its independence in 1932 and became a member state of the League of Nations. In 1958, a military coup overthrew the monarchy, and Iraq came under the control of the Ba'ath Party. After Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait, Iraq faced international condemnation and sanctions until the 2003 US-led invasion which overthrew him. Iraq experienced a period of reconstruction and the emergence of the present-day Iraqi government took place in 2006 following the elections.