| Date | 23 July 1952 |
|---|---|
| Location | Kingdom of Egypt |
| Result | End of rule of the Muhammad Ali dynasty The Kingdom of Egypt becomes the Republic of Egypt End of British influence in Egypt Independence of Sudan Beginning of the Nasser era Revolutionary wave across the Arab World Beginning of the Arab Cold War |
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Why was King Farouk overthrown?
The military defeat especially enraged many Egyptian army officers, who saw Farouk's corruption and incompetence as being largely the cause of it. His activities became intolerable in 1952, and the Free Officers, led by Gamal Abdel Nasser, overthrew his regime in July and forced him to abdicate.
What did Nasser fight for?
Nasser led the 1952 overthrow of the monarchy and introduced far-reaching land reforms the following year. Following a 1954 attempt on his life by a Muslim Brotherhood member, he cracked down on the organization, put President Mohamed Naguib under house arrest and assumed executive office.
When was Nasser overthrown?
Egypt, Jordan and Syria accepted a UN Security Council ceasefire on 7 June to 10 June. Egypt's defeat in the 1967 War compelled Nasser to resign on 9 June, naming Vice-President Zakaria Mohieddin as his successor.
Who won the Suez Crisis?
EgyptIn the end, Egypt emerged victorious, and the British, French and Israeli governments withdrew their troops in late 1956 and early 1957. The event was a pivotal event among Cold War superpowers.
Who owns Suez Canal now?
It took 10 years to build, and was officially opened on November 17, 1869. Owned and operated by the Suez Canal Authority, the Suez Canal's use is intended to be open to ships of all countries, be it for purposes of commerce or war—though that hasn't always been the case.
When did Egypt overthrow their government?
A 48-hour ultimatum was issued to him, demanding that he respond to the demands of the Egyptians, and on 3 July 2013, the President of Egypt was overthrown.
What caused the Suez Crisis?
The Suez Crisis was precipitated by Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser's decision in July 1956 to nationalize the 120-mile Suez Canal, which had been jointly controlled by Great Britain and France, in part to fund construction of the Aswan Dam across the Nile River, a project that Western countries had refused to ...
Who did Egypt gain independence from?
Therefore, when Zaghlul and his team were exiled to Malta, Egypt rose in their first revolution which resulted in their independence from the British on February 22, 1922.
Why did Nasser oppose the Baghdad Pact?
led by Cemal Abdul Nasser reacted a severe opposition to the pact since they thought Baghdad Pact as a threat which would lose their leadership over the region and make Turkey to control the region.
Why did Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal?
After World War II, Egypt pressed for evacuation of British troops from the Suez Canal Zone, and in July 1956 President Nasser nationalized the canal, hoping to charge tolls that would pay for construction of a massive dam on the Nile River.
What two steps did Nasser outraged the Americans?
Nasser reacted to the American and British decision by declaring martial law in the canal zone and seizing control of the Suez Canal Company, predicting that the tolls collected from ships passing through the canal would pay for the dam's construction within five years.
What were the causes of the protests in Egypt in 2011?
The Egyptian protesters' grievances focused on legal and political issues, including police brutality, state-of-emergency laws, lack of political freedom, civil liberty, freedom of speech, corruption, high unemployment, food-price inflation and low wages.
What was Gamal Abdel Nasser’s childhood like?
Born in Alexandria, Gamal Abdel Nasser grew up in Al-Khaṭāṭibah, where he received his first schooling. He lived in Cairo with an uncle for a time...
How did Gamal Abdel Nasser become famous?
On July 23, 1952, Gamal Abdel Nasser and 89 other Free Officers, a secret revolutionary organization, staged a coup d’état, ousting the monarchy. E...
What were some of Gamal Abdel Nasser’s major accomplishments?
Gamal Abdel Nasser arranged for the construction of the Aswan High Dam, built with the help of the Soviet Union. It began operating in 1968, contro...
How did Gamal Abdel Nasser change the world?
Gamal Abdel Nasser was revered by the masses throughout the Arab world. Even the losses of two wars did not dim his popularity. In 1958 Syria and E...
How did Nasser die?
As the Arab League summit closed on 28 September 1970, hours after escorting the last Arab leader to leave, Nasser suffered a heart attack. He was immediately transported to his house, where his physicians tended to him. Nasser died several hours later, around 6 p.m. at age 52. Heikal, Sadat, and Nasser's wife Tahia were at his deathbed. According to his doctor, al-Sawi Habibi, Nasser's likely cause of death was arteriosclerosis, varicose veins, and complications from long-standing diabetes. Nasser was also a heavy smoker with a family history of heart disease—two of his brothers died in their fifties from the same condition. The state of Nasser's health was not known to the public prior to his death. He had previously suffered heart attacks in 1966 and September 1969.
What happened to Nasser in 1968?
After the conclusion of the 1970 Arab League summit, Nasser suffered a heart attack and died.
What did Nasser read?
Nasser spent most of his spare time reading, particularly in 1933 when he lived near the National Library of Egypt. He read the Qur'an, the sayings of Muhammad, the lives of the Sahaba (Muhammad's companions), and the biographies of nationalist leaders Napoleon, Atatürk, Otto von Bismarck, and Garibaldi and the autobiography of Winston Churchill.
How many children did Nasser have?
He preferred to spend most of his free time with his children. Nasser and Tahia had two daughters and three sons: Hoda, Mona, Khaled, Abdel Hamid, and Abdel Hakim. Although he was a proponent of secular politics, Nasser was an observant Muslim who made the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in 1954 and 1965.
What was Nasser's only regional ally?
Despite his popularity with the people of the Arab world, by mid-1957 his only regional ally was Syria. In September, Turkish troops massed along the Syrian border, giving credence to rumors that the Baghdad Pact countries were attempting to topple Syria's leftist government. Nasser sent a contingent force to Syria as a symbolic display of solidarity, further elevating his prestige in the Arab world, and particularly among Syrians.
What countries did Nasser visit?
He had paid earlier visits to Pakistan (9 April), India (14 April), Burma, and Afghanistan on the way to Bandung, and previously cemented a treaty of friendship with India in Cairo on 6 April, strengthening Egyptian–Indian relations on the international policy and economic development fronts.
When did Chehab and Nasser meet?
Following the Lebanese election of Fuad Chehab in September 1958, relations between Lebanon and the UAR improved considerably. On 25 March 1959, Chehab and Nasser met at the Lebanese–Syrian border and compromised on an end to the Lebanese crisis. Nasser waving to crowds in Damascus, Syria, October 1960.
Why did Caffery send only the secretary to the Ras el Tin palace?
According to Anwar Sadat’s memoirs, sending only the secretary to the Ras el-Tin palace was “cautious” Caffery’s way of not antagonizing the rebels, and because he knew the king seemed to have lost.
When did King Farouk escape?
On July 25, 1952, King Farouk was trapped in his palace by revolutionaries, who then forced him into abdication and exile. The dramatic tale unfolds through a copy of the king's long-forgotten memoirs obtained by Al Arabiya News.
Where was Farouk staying during the coup?
Farouk, who, on the 25th, had been staying at Montaza Palace while the coup had been brewing, decided that it had “become the perfect air target” for Free Officer-controlled bombers.
Who is Farouk's wife?
With this formal agreement signed, Farouk - now dethroned- now faced the difficult task of explaining the new, humiliating status quo to his wife, Narriman , and three young daughters, Farial, Fawzia and Fadia.
What is the name of the group of Arab villages that Nasser was surrounded by?
In the 1948 Arab war against the newly created State of Israel, Nasser was an officer in one of three battalions surrounded for weeks by the Israelis in a group of Arab villages called the Faluja Pocket.
What countries did Nasser want to join?
Even the losses of two wars did not dim his popularity. In 1958 Syria and Egypt formed the United Arab Republic, which Nasser hoped would someday include the entire Arab world. Syria withdrew in 1961, but Egypt remained the United Arab Republic until 1971.
What percentage of Egyptians vote for Nasser?
In June, 99.948 percent of the five million Egyptians voting marked their ballots for Nasser, the only candidate, for president. The constitution was approved by 99.8 percent. As Nasser took titular as well as actual control, Egypt’s prospects looked bright.
Where was Nasser born?
Nasser was born in a mud-brick house on an unpaved street in the Bacos section of Alexandria, where his father was in charge of the local post office. In an effort to cultivate a more earthy image of the president as a member of the class of rural agrarians (fellahin), Egyptian government publications for years gave his birthplace as Banī Murr, the primitive Upper Egypt village of his ancestors. From Alexandria, Nasser’s father was transferred to Al-Khaṭāṭibah, a squalid delta village, where the boy got his first schooling. Then he went to live in Cairo with an uncle who had just been released from a British prison and had rooms in a building occupied by nine Jewish families.
When did Nasser and 89 other Free Officers stage a coup d'état?
Attainment of power. On July 23, 1952 , Nasser and 89 other Free Officers staged an almost bloodless coup d’état, ousting the monarchy. Sādāt favoured the immediate public execution of King Farouk I and some members of the establishment, but Nasser vetoed the idea and permitted Farouk and others to go into exile.
Who was the leader of Egypt in 1952?
On July 23, 1952, Gamal Abdel Nasser and 89 other Free Officers, a secret revolutionary organization, staged a coup d’état, ousting the monarchy. Egypt was taken over by a council of 11 officers controlled by Nasser, with Maj. Gen. Muḥammad Naguib as the puppet head of state. Nasser named himself prime minister in spring 1954.
When did Nasser form the United Arab Republic?
In 1958 Syria and Egypt formed the United Arab Republic, which Nasser hoped would someday include the entire Arab world. Syria withdrew in 1961, but Egypt continued to be known as the United Arab Republic until 1971. That was as close as Nasser ever came to realizing his tripartite dream. Load Next Page.
What did Nasser do to the Suez Canal?
In response, Nasser nationalized the British and French-owned Suez Canal, intending to use tolls to pay for his high dam project. At the end of October 1956, Israel, Britain and France attacked Egypt in a joint operation.
What was Nasser's new constitution?
In the same ballot, Nasser’s new constitution, under which Egypt became a one-party socialist state with Islam as the official religion, was approved by 99.8 percent of voters. Gamal Abdel Nasser was born in Alexandria in 1918. As a youth, he participated in demonstrations against British rule in Egypt.
What happened to Nasser in 1958?
The episode greatly enhanced Nasser’s prestige in the Arab world, and in 1958 he oversaw the unification of Egypt and Syria as the United Arab Republic, of which he became president. He dreamed of bringing all the Arab world into the United Arab Republic, but in 1961 Syria withdrew from the entity following a military coup, leaving Egypt alone.
What happened after the Six Day War?
After the Six-Day War, Nasser accepted greater Soviet military and economic aid, compromising Egypt’s status as a “nonaligned” state, such as Josip Broz Tito’s Yugoslavia or Jawaharlal Nehru’s India. In July 1970, the Aswan High Dam was completed with Soviet assistance, providing a major boost to the Egyptian economy.
How did Nasser die?
Two months later, Nasser died of a heart attack in Cairo. He was succeeded by Anwar el-Sadat, a fellow Free Officer. Despite his military defeats, Nasser was a consistently popular leader during his 18 years in power.
What war did Egypt fight in?
From 1962 to 1967, Egypt intervened in a civil war in Yemen on behalf of the anti-royalists. In 1967, increased Arab-Israeli tension led Egypt to mobilize its forces and demand the withdrawal of U.N. peacekeepers from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.
What was the first day of the Six Day War?
Egypt and five other Arab nations prepared for a united strike against Israel, but Israel preempted the attack, beginning the Six-Day War with the destruction of Egypt’s air force on June 5.
What were Nasser's achievements?
A new middle class began to occupy the political and economic positions once held in Egypt by Italians, Greeks, French, Britons, and other foreigners, whom Nasser now encouraged—sometimes not gently—to leave the country. Nasser’s outstanding accomplishment was his survival for 18 years as Egypt’s political leader, despite the strength of his opponents: communists, Muslim extremists, old political parties, rival military cliques, dispossessed landowners, supporters of Naguib, and what was left of the foreign colony.
What was Nasser's negative side?
On the negative side, Nasser made Egypt a police state, in which mail was opened, the communications media were strictly censored, the chief newspapers were nationalized, telephones were tapped, and visitors’ rooms were searched. Political democracy in the Western sense was nonexistent.
Was Nasser a conservative?
Although complex and revolutionary in his public life, privately Nasser was conservative and simple. No other Arab leader in modern times has succeeded in winning the sometimes hysterical support of Arab masses throughout the Middle East as did Nasser during the last 15 years of his life. Even the loss of two wars, with disastrous results for Egypt, did not dim the popularity of this charismatic, almost mythogenic, army officer who became the first true Egyptian to rule the country in several millennia, giving his people the dignity denied them under foreign rule. Yet he failed in his ambition to create a unified Arab world, and before his death he was forced to sacrifice some of Egypt’s political independence for the military support of the Soviet Union.
What was Sadat's reaction to the Nasser era?
They wished to turn back the clock and roll back the social gains of the Nasser era. In a sense, this reaction was quite “logical” on a capitalist basis. It was not possible to carry on with the massive public subsidies for basic goods and loss-making production. It had to end with either a complete state takeover with a democratic plan under the workers’ control, or a roll-back and a frontal attack on the living standards of the masses.
What was the first decision made by the Free Officers to build the Aswan Dam in Upper Egypt?
The dam would produce vast amounts of electricity and drastically improve conditions for agriculture. Thus, the dam became a symbol of the new Egypt. Initially, the US granted a loan of 56 million dollars for the construction. Britain granted a loan (conditioned by the US loan) of 14 million dollars. The World Bank granted a loan of 200 million dollars on condition that this would allow it to oversee Egypt's state finances. In this way, the imperialists sought to maintain colonial rule over Egypt.
What were the effects of the Suez Crisis?
Protests against Nassers resignation 1967 The effects of the Suez crisis were enormous. In the entire Arab world, the masses saw the victory as a great step towards liberation. The United Arab Republic between Egypt and Syria was established. In effect, this was conceived as a mere expansion of the Egyptian market, and Syria withdrew after a military coup in 1961.
What was the weakness of the communist movement in the 1950s?
The weakness and fragmentation of the Communist movement was further amplified during the 1950s by the inability of all Communist factions to understand the nature of Arab nationalism precisely when it was rising as a mass force and taking the lead in the revolution through Nasser's “Free officers”. The fact that several prominent figures in the Revolutionary Command Council and the Free Officers had links to HADITU (the main Communist organisation at the time of the revolution) didn't make up for the lack of an independent revolutionary strategy from the party.
What was the Egyptian working class?
The Egyptian working class in the context of a general mass upsurge was emerging strengthened with a significant rise in trade union activity and organisation. The Communist movement, however, was rife with internal disputes and divisions.
Why did the world turn into a socialist society?
Because capitalism was incapable of developing the backward countries, many movement s around the world took on a so-called “socialist” character , despite the fact that the working class was not able to become the leading force of the democratic revolution. Revolutions occurred, although this was often in a distorted and unfinished form. In the absence of a revolutionary leadership of the working class, other social layers, including sections of the military caste in a number of countries, were pushed to the forefront.
What was the Arab Revolution?
The world has been shaken by the Arab Revolution. From the Atlantic to the Persian Gulf, revolution is on the agenda. And once again Egypt has been at the heart of this process, as it has always played a leading role in the region, due to its size, population and economic weight.
What was Nasser's age of revolution?
Nasser’s Age of Revolution. In 1952, an Egyptian army officer stepped forward to lead the drive for Arab unity. Despite the military defeat, Nasser had forced the West into submission. The Arab World had a new hero. The Arab World now felt it could rally behind a strong leader.
What did Nasser believe?
Nasser’s vision extended far beyond Egypt. He believed that the lessons of the revolution should be applied in other Arab countries. His charisma and influence were so great that he inspired Arabs elsewhere to dream of a unified Arab nation.
What was Nasser's aim after the coup?
Nasser’s aim was to improve the conditions of the peasant majority – establishing land reforms, free educational programmes for boys and girls and developing the country’s medical infrastructure. Egypt was captivated, and the Arab World watched closely as Nasser expanded on his brand of socialism.
What is the capital of the Arab world?
Cairo, the capital of Egypt, is the Arab World’s largest city. Home to over 18 million people, it is often called the heart of the Arab World. It is also considered by many to be the cradle of modern Arab nationalism for it was in Cairo that the idea of a unified Arab nation found its greatest expression. Bloodless coup.
What is the name of the capital of Egypt in Al Jazeera?
Part five of Al Jazeera’s nine-part series, A Question of Arab Unity, examines the achievements of Gamal Abdel Nasser, the second president of the Arab Republic of Egypt, and asks if one person could really close the gap between the dream and reality of Arab unity. Cairo , the capital of Egypt, is the Arab World’s largest city.
Where did Nasserism spread?
But the most notable spread of Nasserism in 1958 came in Syria. A power struggle erupted within the military between Baathist and Nasserist currents. Fearing their country might be divided and that this could derail the drive towards Arab unity, a group of Syrian army officers asked Nasser to join Egypt with Syria.
What was the drive for Arab unity?
The years between 1952 and 1970 saw the drive for Arab unity at its strongest. It was an age of solidarity and the pursuit of unity through mass political movements. And it was an era dominated by a leader the likes ...
Overview
Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein was an Egyptian politician who served as the second president of Egypt from 1954 until his death in 1970. Nasser led the 1952 overthrow of the monarchy and introduced far-reaching land reforms the following year. Following a 1954 attempt on his life by a Muslim Brotherhood member, he cracked down on the organization, put President Mohamed Naguib
Early life
Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein was born in Bakos, Alexandria, Egypt on 15 January 1918, a year before the tumultuous events of the Egyptian Revolution of 1919. Nasser's father was a postal worker born in Beni Mur in Upper Egypt, and raised in Alexandria, and his mother's family came from Mallawi, el-Minya. His parents married in 1917. Nasser had two brothers, Izz al-Arab and al-Leithi. Nasser's bi…
Military career
In 1937, Nasser applied to the Royal Military Academy for army officer training, but his police record of anti-government protest initially blocked his entry. Disappointed, he enrolled in the law school at King Fuad University, but quit after one semester to reapply to the Military Academy. From his readings, Nasser, who frequently spoke of "dignity, glory, and freedom" in his youth, became enc…
Revolution
Nasser's return to Egypt coincided with Husni al-Za'im's Syrian coup d'état. Its success and evident popular support among the Syrian people encouraged Nasser's revolutionary pursuits. Soon after his return, he was summoned and interrogated by Prime Minister Ibrahim Abdel Hadi regarding suspicions that he was forming a secret group of dissenting officers. According to secondhand r…
Road to presidency
In January 1953, Nasser overcame opposition from Naguib and banned all political parties, creating a one-party system under the Liberation Rally, a loosely structured movement whose chief task was to organize pro-RCC rallies and lectures, with Nasser its secretary-general. Despite the dissolution order, Nasser was the only RCC member who still favored holding parliamentary elections, a…
Nationalization of the Suez Canal Company
After the three-year transition period ended with Nasser's official assumption of power, his domestic and independent foreign policies increasingly collided with the regional interests of the UK and France. The latter condemned his strong support for Algerian independence, and the UK's Eden government was agitated by Nasser's campaign against the Baghdad Pact. In addition, Nasser's adheren…
Pan-Arabism and socialism
By 1957, pan-Arabism had become the dominant ideology in the Arab world, and the average Arab citizen considered Nasser their undisputed leader. Historian Adeed Dawisha credited Nasser's status to his "charisma, bolstered by his perceived victory in the Suez Crisis". The Cairo-based Voice of the Arabs radio station spread Nasser's ideas of united Arab action throughout the Arabic-spe…
Modernization efforts and internal dissent
In 1961, Nasser sought to firmly establish Egypt as the leader of the Arab world and to promote a second revolution in Egypt with the purpose of merging Islamic and socialist thinking. To achieve this, he initiated several reforms to modernize al-Azhar, which serves as the de facto leading authority in Sunni Islam, and to ensure its prominence over the Muslim Brotherhood and the more cons…
Early life and career
- Gamal Abdel Nasser was born in Alexandria in 1918. As a youth, he participated in demonstrations against British rule in Egypt. After secondary school, he studied at a law college for several months and then entered the Royal Military Academy. In 1938, he graduated as a second lieutenant. While serving in the Sudan during World War II, he helped found a secret revol…
Later career
- On July 23, 1952, Nasser led 89 other Free Officers in an army coup that deposed the regime of King Farouk. A new government was formed by the Nasser-led Revolutionary Command Council, of which Major General Muhammad Naguib was the figurehead leader. In 1954, Nasser emerged from behind the scenes, removed Naguib from power, and proclaimed himself prime minister of …
Background
- One month later, President Nasser faced a major crisis when the United States and Great Britain reversed their decision to finance a high dam on the Nile River in light of an Egyptian arms agreement with the USSR. In response, Nasser nationalized the British and French-owned Suez Canal, intending to use tolls to pay for his high dam project. At the end of October 1956, Israel, B…
Aftermath
- The episode greatly enhanced Nassers prestige in the Arab world, and in 1958 he oversaw the unification of Egypt and Syria as the United Arab Republic, of which he became president. He dreamed of bringing all the Arab world into the United Arab Republic, but in 1961 Syria withdrew from the entity following a military coup, leaving Egypt alone. From...
Death and legacy
- In July 1970, the Aswan High Dam was completed with Soviet assistance, providing a major boost to the Egyptian economy. Two months later, Nasser died of a heart attack in Cairo. He was succeeded by Anwar el-Sadat, a fellow Free Officer. Despite his military defeats, Nasser was a consistently popular leader during his 18 years in power. His economic policies and land reform…