Nasser was born on the 15th of January in 1918 in the poor Alexandrian
suburb of Bacos to southern Egyptianparents. Talking about his childhood
Nasser says
"..... I am proud to belong to this small village of Beni Morr. And
I am more proud to be a member of a poor family from that village. I am saying
these words for history that Nasser was born in a poor family and I promise
that he will live and die a poor man."
(*)
Beni Morr is a small village in Upper Egypt lies
in the province of Assiut. Belonging to such a place was may be the reason why
Nasser always focused his thoughts on peasants.
He always
thought of their poverty and suffering. Nasser's father was an employee of the
middle class which made Nasser more aware of poverty of the majority of the
people in Egypt.
Nasser was brought up and educated
in Alexandria and Cairo
Nasser joined
the military collage after the the signature of the 1936 pact which allowed
lower class youth to join such a collage that they were not allowed to
before this pact.
Graduated from
the Military Academy in July 1938 and hence joined the Egyptian army and
was appointed as an Officer in the Infantry Regiment in
Assiut. 
Nasser worked
in Sudan (a part of the Egyptian Kingdom at that time)
Nasser was
transfered to Cairo and was appointed as an instructor in the Military
Academy
It did not
last long, before he joined the General Staff Academy where he was appointed
again as instructor.
Britain and Egypt
When Egypt
achieved independence from Britain in 1922, it had certain limitations imposed
on it. Specifically, the right for Britain to maintain garrisons and navel
bases in the Suez Canal Zone.
An
Anglo-Egyptian agreement in 1936 replaced the 1922 unilateral declaration of
independence (which had been imposed by Britain), setting a 20-year period for
the removal of British forces.
Following the Second
World War, Britain embarked on a policy of de-colonisation. In contrast to the
experiences of India, Pakistan and Ceylon, it was decided that granting
self-rule in Africa would have to be a long term process - a viewpoint
supported by the United Nations.
The majority
of Egyptians were in favour of a much faster process. Britain had used Egypt
as a base during the Second World War, interested mainly in defeating the
German forces in the Libyan desert. It had little interest in the domestic
politics of a country which was unfortunately riddled by governmental
corruption.
Britain and Africa
At the
end of the Second World War, only four African countries could claim to be
independent from colonial rule: Ethiopia (which had been under British
administration following Italian occupation of 1935 - 41), Liberia, South
Africa, and Egypt. However, the Suez Canal Zone in Egypt was still under
occupation by British troops. As a result of the failed Tripartite Invasion,
another six countries gained full independence by 1958, 16 more in 1960, and
by the end of the 60's only seven continental African countries were still
under colonial power.
The
Free Officers Movement
The Free
Officers Movement was formed in 1939 by Second Lieutenant Gamal Abdul Nasser
and eight like-minded officers. Convinced that reform of the Egyptian army was
necessary as a precursor to ejecting the British from Egypt, Nasser carefully
recruited members to his underground organisation.
While fighting
for the Allies at El Alamein, he was able to make subversive contact with
German and Italian agents
By the end of
the war, Nasser had been successful in maintaining his cover and had reached
the rank of major.
The
1948 Palestinean war and problems
During the
first Arab-Israeli war in 1948 " First Palestine War" Nasser fought in
the. Participating in this war increased his awareness of the
Palestinean problem and the contemporary Arabic case. His troops strong
positions in (El Falouga) were surrounded by the Israeli troops for several
months. He was wounded while sitting in a Bren gun carrier. In Falouga, Nasser
faced and later met Moshe 
Dayan for the first and last
time in life.
The impacts of
Palestine war were the drive for him, to organize an underground
Officers movement against the corrupt
Egyptian King Farouk - , an Albanian on his paternal side-and the corrupted
government.
Dissatisfied
with the corruption of the Egyptian King Farouk regime and the British
occupation, he formed together with a group of colleagues, a
semi-underground organization, " The Free Officers", known in Egypt as
El-Dhobatt El-Ahrar.
Nasser led the
Free Officers Movement and was steering confrontation with the High Command
during the Officers Club elections.
Gamal Abdel
Nasser had reached the rank of a Colonel (Bikbashi) when he led the 23rd July
1952 Revolution " El Thawrah"
He became the
mnister of Interior , then the Prime Minister in 1954
Gamal Abdel
Nasser began the negotations to end the 1936 Treaty and signed with Britain
the evacuation of British forces
agreement from the Canal base in July
27, 1954.
[Top of Page]
The
1950s
As the '50s
began, turmoil reigned. 
The monarchy had become
synonymous with scandal and moral decadence, British domination was
intolerable, and the people's party, the Wafd returning to power with an
overwhelming parliamentary majority in 1950 was about to perform its swan
song. In October 1951, Wafd
leader Mustafa El-Nahhas declared Egypt's unilateral abrogation of the
Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of 1936. Armed struggle was launched in the Canal Zone,
and radical social movements (notably, the Muslim Brotherhood, the communists
and Ahmed Hussein's Socialist Party) began to outflank the increasingly
conservative and paralysed Wafd.
A new
generation of army officers, seething with nationalist sentiment and calling
themselves the Free Officers, held secret meetings and laboured to hatch what
must have seemed a highly unlikely conspiracy.
British occupation forces attack
the police barracks in
Ismailiya
On
25 January 1952, British occupation forces in Suez attacked the Ismailiya
barracks, staffed and heroically defended by a small and lightly armed
contingent of the Egyptian Buluk Nizam. Fifty Egyptians were
killed.
The following
day, the Buluk Nizam from the Abbasiya barracks in Cairo, demanding arms to
fight the British, marched to the university, where they were joined by
thousands of students.
Tragically,
what began as a great patriotic demonstration soon degenerated into the Cairo
Fire "This was no longer a people but a howling mob, striking out, striking
itself, grasping at its phantom foes, and as it tried to rend them rending
itself," wrote Jacques Berque.
The king
declared martial law, the Wafd government was thrown out and the stage was set
for the Free Officers to radically transform the face of the country. The
Revolution was at the top step of Egypt's front door...and the gate was
peacefully opened....
The
Free Officers seized army GHQ
The corruption of the
government inside and the losing of the 1948 war beside the sudden internal
unrest developemts when the pro-British Wafd government fell in 1952, were the
main motives that made Nasser decide that the Free Officers "led" by General
Mohammed Naguib should up rise the revolution. 
The previously secret Free
Officers Movement, El-Dhobatt El-Ahrar, staged a military coup (23-26
July, 1952). On 23
July, the Free Officers seized army GHQ and laid siege to Abdin Palace in
Cairo and Ras El-Tin Palace in Alexandria.
The next day,
one of the officers, -Anwar Sada-t, informed the nation by radio that for
the first time
in two thousand years Egypt was under the rule of Egyptians. Sadat spoke in
the name of General Mohammed Neguib, the revolution’s titular
head.
Abdin
Palace blocked gates on 23. July 1952
General Naguib was a respected senior officer who was only appointed
as a figure-leader to enhance the credibility of the
coup.
Gamal Abdel Nasser was in fact,
the real leader. He was 34 at the time and would rule Egypt for the next 18
turbulent years. Because of his youth, Nasser hid his power behind the older
Neguib for the first two years of the new regime. 
On July 26, King
Farouk, was forced to abdicate, and was escorted in all military
honore to his royal yacht " El Mahrousa" in
Alexandria, and left the country at 18.00 for the last time.
and his son, Ahmad Fouad, was soon declared
King.
The remaining
British troops in the Suez Canal Zone were asked to evacuate the country and,
by 1954, the last British soldier had indeed left.
The Revolutionary Command
Council
Although General Muhammad Naguib was the public face of the new
administration, Nasser maintained control through the Revolutionary Command
Committee. A earlier prime minister, Ali Mahir, was offered the premiership of
the new administration, but resigned on 7 September,
1952.
The
Revolutionary Counsel 1962
General Naguib & Gamal Abdel
Nasser
General Naguib became president, prime minister, minister of war and
commander-in-chief of the army. The Revolutionary Command Council was
established under Major General Mohamed Naguib; but it
was clear from the outset that the real leader was Colonel Gamal
Abdel-Nasser.
In September
1952, the first Agrarian Reform Law was enacted, limiting land ownership to
200 feddans. For the first time, land was distributed to landless peasants
. The
Free Officers gradually engaged in politics during the following
years.
Egypt declared as
Republic On June 18th, 1953, the
Free Officers deposed Ahmad Fouad, the last King, and declared Egypt a
Republic. General Naguib was declared president of an Egyptian
Republic.
For the first
time in millennia, Egypt was ruled by Egyptians. when Egypt was declared
as Republic .
Naguib, who
grew up within the old system, was a courageous yet peaceful man and 
had no
plans for radical change.
Nasser and
Naguib had different ideas on how the country should be run, and Naguib was
removed from office on two occasions.
So he too was
deposed in 1954 by the true leader of the coup, Nasser, who became the
country's head of state.
It was
only when Nasser became president that the 1952 military coup started turning
into a real social and political revolution, now referred to as the 1952
Revolution. Nasser was highly praised for his Nationalization of the Suez
Canal, his Agrarian reform, and his socialist policies that brought the vast
majority of Egyptians out of poverty.
The
February / March crisis of 1954
Nasser's undisputed leadership was confirmed as an impact of the
February/March crisis of 1954 ; General Naguib remained as a figure-head until
November 1954
Anti-imperialist radicalism
determine the course of Egyptian
historyFor the rest of the century, Nasser's
anti-imperialist radicalism and the authoritarian character of the new regime
would determine the course of Egyptian history . The revolutionary regime had
dissolved all political parties in January 1953, and as early as August 1952
had put two textile workers to death for leading a peaceful
strike.
Muslim Brotherhood attempts
assassination of Nasser
On 26 October,
1954, the Muslim Brotherhood attempted to assassinate Gamal Abdel
Nasser.
The Muslim Brotherhood
was dissolved on 29 October, following widespread public demonstrations which
included the burning of its headquarters by an enraged
mob.
General
Naguib, who was implicated in the assassination attempt, he was shorn of the
presidency and was ousted by Colonel Nasser on 13 November and placed under
house arrest. Nasser finally took control of the country on 17
November.
The coming to
power in Egypt of the energetic young warrior sent shockwaves through Britain,
France and Israel. Leaders in all three countries feared him as a galvanizing
ruler who had the potential to unify the shattered Arab world at the expense
of the West and Israel.
As Israel’s
David Ben- Gurion put it: “I always feared that a personality might rise such
as arose among the Arab rulers in the seventh century or like [Kemal Ataturk]
who rose in Turkey after its defeat in the First World War. He raised their
spirits, changed their character, and turned them into a fighting nation.
There was and still is a danger that Nasser is this man.
| Nasser's Speech at the moment
of beng shot at ..in
Alexandria |
To listen to each
speach clik on CLlP text
|
Following the failed assassination attempt on Nasser, the Muslim
Brotherhood (the only political group not suppressed in 1953) was dissolvedin
November 1954, launching a bitter feud that was to continue, often at great
cost, for the rest of long years to come.
|
Complete adress by Gamal Abdel-Nasser at Al-Manshiya-Alexandria in 1954
|
56kbps |
The followd
rise of a strong Arab leader could not have come at a worse time for Britain
and France Both nations held similar concerns as they were drained by World
War II, and were both in the process of losing their vast colonial empires.
Britain and France had already lost their mandates in the Middle East and both
were desperately trying to maintain their influence in North
Africa.
The
evacuation agreement 1954Nasser, above all else,
wanted Egypt rid of British troops stationed along the Suez Canal, London’s
passage to India.
Negotiations
for British withdrawal began in February of 1953, but it was not until July
1954 that agreement was reached.
Britain
finally gave in to Nasser’s demand and agreed to withdraw its 80,000 British
troops since, indeed, there no longer existed any reason for their presence.
India was now independent and the canal had lost its strategic importance to
Britain.
The troops had
been there since 1882 and their departure, the last foreign troops on Egyptian
soil, was an enormous boost to Nasser’s prestige.
The signing of a draft
evacuation agreement with Britain in July 1954 effectively certified Egypt's
independence.
On 19 October, 1954, a treaty ceding the Suez
Canal to Egypt was signed which required all British troops to be removed by
June 1956.
The historic agreement meant, in British diplomat
Anthony Nutting’s words: “For the first time in two and a half thousand years
the Egyptian people would know what it was to be independent and not to be
ruled or occupied or told what to do by some foreign power
There was still one provison: the British would be
allowed to return to Egypt if they, or any nearby Arab state, were attacked.
This condition was imposed as result of Cold War pressures and the British
fear of Soviet expansion in the region.
Independence would come
at a cost, however: Britain and the US expected Egypt to join the Baghdad
Pact. Nasser actively fought the offer on the Arab level, effectively making
it a dead letter.
Israel, however, was greatly distressed by the agreement. The presence
of British troops along the canal acted as a buffer against any rash action by
Egypt, Israel’s strongest Arab neighbor. Israel was so disturbed by the
withdrawal that it had acted directly to ruin the talks by sending a sabotage
team to Egypt to attack British and U.S. facilities. However, the covert
effort backfired when Egyptian counterintelligence agents captured the spy
ring and the embarrassing mission known as the Lavon Affair became
public.
New
generation of world leaders
On Nov. 1, 1954 Algerian Arabs, whose morale was
boosted by Nasser’s success, two weeks earlier began their revolt against
French colonial rule, which dated back to 1830.
France and Britain were
convinced, that Egypt, and specifically Nasser, was aiding the Algerians and
therefore has become a dangerous common enemy of the
West.
France had long seen Israel as a natural ally
against the Arabs, and indeed was Israel’s major friend at the time. The close
friendship included France secretly sending weapons to the Jewish state in
violation of the arms embargo agreed to by Western nations, including the
United States.
In April 1955, soon after an Israeli raid on Egyptian-controlled Gaza
left 50 Egyptians dead, Nasser was in Bandung to attend the first Afro-Asian
Conference. There he met Chou En Lai, Nehru and Sukarno; a new generation of
world leaders from the South was born. A major result of Bandung would follow
shortly. The Block Free States.
Nasser was a
founding-leader of the Nonaligned movement. Along with India's Nehru and
Indonesia's Sukarno, Nasser became a major international power-broker in the
politics of the developing world.
The Aswan Dam
Nasser, was
approved a loan from the World Bank, build the Aswan Dam, in order to irrigate
potential farm land. The USA, Britain were providing the larger
share and Egypt also has put up money
A certain irony caused
the additionaltension between Nasser und USA namely.... 
The attitude of the influental American Cotton
Kings, whose ancestors benefited so much from the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
They were concerned over competition from Egyptian cotton farmers. Therefore
they demanded that the USA stop funding improvements to the Aswan Dam which
would increase Egyptian cotton output threefold.
A domino
effect resulted in Britain and the World Bank also withdrawing funding offr to
Nasser -then Egyptian premier-.
At this time,
however, the Cold War was growing, with Egypt denouncing all Western-backed
policies, and the Western powers withdrew their offers of monetary assistance.
This sparked a major international crisis, with the West protesting against
Nasser's subsequent nationalisation of the Suez Canal..
The
arms deal with Czechoslovakia
During 1955
Presdent Nasser made several overtures to communist China and USSR, trading
cotton for military aid (an estimated $200 million of
arms).
In September 1955, Egypt signed an arms deal with
Czechoslovakia in an attempt to defy the West's virtual arms embargo on the
country and to face the increasing threat from Israel.
However, he maintained
a public stance that he wanted to follow a non-aligned policy, favouring
neither the West or the Soviets.
In reaction to
increased purchase of arms, especially from Czechoslovakia, both the US and UK
stopped their own arms sales to Egypt. Meanwhile, France was angered by
Egypt's aid to the growing Algerian national movement (which was fighting for
independence).
When the US
announced its intention to cut funding of the Aswan Dam project, it
specifically referred to Egypt's close ties to the USSR.
The
World Bank reneged the finance aidUnder US pressure, the
World Bank, reneged on its promise to finance the Aswan High Dam
project.
Nasser's backbone was intended to be broken......and so
the Suez War . "Suez Crisis, The 7 Day War, The
Port Said War, The Double fought War, The tripartite War........etc has
started"
Nationalisation of the Suez Canal
Company
peas Nasser,
known as a tactician planned to counter and take other measures to secure the
financing of his dream project "Asawan Dam".
Although, the Suez Canal Company 99 years monoplo treaty was going to expire
on 11.11.1968, Gamal Abdel Nasser preferred to hit back and
soon.
On 26 July 1956, Nasser announced the nationalisation of the Suez
Canal Company " Compagnie Martime International du Canal de Suez". Overnight,
he was the undisputed liberator not only of Egypt, but of the Arab
"countries" world. Britain and France intervened in the situation for numerous
political reasons, completely undermining the Charter of the United Nations,
in order to try and topple the Egyptian regime.
Political
escalation, including the deportation of two British envoys for spying,
resulted in a stalemate. Nasser promised to compensate the Suez Canal
shareholders, but refused to accept international control of the canal. Whilst
the US, Britain, and France protested to the UN, the USSR sent ship-pilots to
aid Egypt. By September, Egypt was in full control of the canal and war was
looming.
President
Nasser
Their aim ....was to
get rid of him
Download
the Suez Canal Company nationaliztion's
speech.
ÃáßÜÜÇãÜáÜÉ
| Nationalization of Suez Canal |
56kbps
|
Nasser achieved unprecedented popularity throughout the Arab world. He
was admired for his rousing support of Arab Nationalism; his domestic social
programmes (which, for the first time in Egypt's history, sought to better the
lot of the peasant majority)
The
1956 Tripartite War
and
Ultimatum
For the
British and French, the Suez Canal represented a vital lifeline to oil
supplies. The British premier Anthony Eden considered an immediate attack on
Egypt, but was informed by parliament that the country was not prepared for
such a military engagement. Eden secretly worked with France and Israel to
plan a combined attack against Egypt, concealing his co-operation from both
his cabinet and political allies (including the US)..
The
ConspiracyFrance put forward a
plan whereby Israel invaded Sinai, and then Britain and France called for an
end to the fighting, intervening militarily if a cease-fire was not reached.
This pact was confirmed, with the Israelis due to launch the initial attack on
October 29th 1956.
Jordanian
elections, also in October, saw the Arabs emerging victorious, leading to
growing anti- Israeli feeling. Britain, meanwhile, was preparing a battle
fleet in Malta, ready for their invasion of Egypt.
| Adress by Gamal Abdel-Nasser in Al-Azhar, November 1956
|
56kbps |
On 29 October,
Israel invaded Sinai. Two days later, British and French forces were bombing
Egyptian air fields and, on 5 November, landing in Port
Said.
The
1956 Anglo-French
War
and Invasion
On 29th October, as planned, Israeli forces crossed the borders
to the Sinai peninsula, advancing quickly on all fronts. Following this
initial invasion, two wars were started the Israeli- Egyptian conflict, and
the Anglo- French occupation of Egypt (which was to be the last British exercise in imperial diplomacy, also getting caught up in the escalating Cold
War).
President Nasser's visit to Port Said after the 1956
warFive days after the first incursion, the Israelis
had taken Gaza and other key areas, occupying most of the Sinai peninsula east
of the Suez Canal. Israel was now working to its own objectives, destroying
Egyptian bases in the Sinai desert, in an attempt to take the
| Adress by Gamal Abdel-Nasser on the occassion of the Tripartite
Aggression |
56kbps |
.
Britain's early preparation of a battle fleet allowed them to sail immediately
for Egypt and on October 30th, the ultimatum for a
cease-fire was presented by France and Britain. 
Israel agreed to comply with the terms, but Egypt predictably refused.
The next day, Anglo- French air strikes were launched against Egyptian
airfields, continuing until November 4th.
On the 5th,
paratroopers and seaborne forces landed at Port Said, in preparation to
advance down the canal. In total, 22,000 men landed in the Canal Zone - 13,500
British and the rest French. Also by now, the Israelis had taken the Gaza
Strip and most of Sinai.
Nasser responded to the
invasion by nationalising all British and French assets in Egypt, and baring
Israeli ships from the canal.
The
UN & the Ceasefire impactsUnfortunately for the
three allies, there was widespread condemnation of the invasion. Britain and
France were threatened with military reprisals by the USSR, and the US,
worried by a potential escalation in the Cold War and an increased involvement
by the Soviet Union in Middle East and African affairs, applied heavy
political pressure (almost leading to the collapse of the British
pound).
The international
community immediately condemned this action, with the UN calling for an
instant cease-fire. Britain announced that they would comply, if Israel and
Egypt also accepted the agreement.
On November
6th, a cease-fire was eventually agreed.
On 7 November,
the UN Assembly voted 65 to 1 that the invading countries should quit Egyptian
territory. A UN Emergency Force (UNEF) was created, with the first troops
arriving from Italy on 21 November. By the end of December British and French
forces were completely removed, and Israel had returned all territory except
for the Gaza Strip.
Tough and
severe resistance in the Port Said, a Soviet ultimatum, and immense US
pressure finally forced the three governments to withdraw their
forces.
The UNEF remained along the Egyptian-Israeli
border and along the Sinai coast until 1967. Their removal contributed to the
outbreak of the next Arab-Israeli war, commonly known as the Six-Day War.
Britain and Egypt did not restore diplomatic relations until
1969.
The
Suez War was turned out to a great victory for
Nasser,
the
Arabs and the Third World.
President Nasser's second visit to Port Said after the 1956
war
The
Ceasefire impacts The Suez Canal was
still blocked, but was eventually cleared by a UN salvage fleet in March 1957.
The consequences of this conflict were two- fold:
- 
They affected both Arab- Israeli relations, and
- The
international Cold War.
Israel, ,
agreed - under pressure - to withdraw once the UN Emergency Force had been
established and was in place, although they kept control of the Gaza
Strip.
The American pressure eventually made them return
this area to Egypt as well. Israel now had a direct sea route to east Africa,
plus much better relations with France.
Egypt also
gained advantages - Nasser was increasingly more popular, and had strong
political influence, and Egypt gained full control of the Suez Canal (once it
was reopened).
Failure of the Suez
plot had disastrous consequences for the colluders. The attack by Britain and
France on Egypt drained moral authority from those two countries and spelled
the end of their empires. Iraq, Britain’s last major ally in the region, fell
to Arab nationalists in 1958. And France finally lost Algeria in 1962. After
Suez, the United States became the major Western power in the Middle
East
Not only did
Britain and France lose their position in the region, but their rash actions
helped the Soviet Union cement its presence in such countries as Egypt, Iraq
and Syria. Moscow was able to strut as the defender of the Arabs against the
perfidious West, earning Russia considerable popular support in the Arab
world.
Download a
CNN movie video clip from the film NASSER 56... starring Ahmed Zaki as Nasser
..
The UN forces arrived in November, and all British and French troops
had withdrawn by 23 December, 1956 demonstrating the first example of the
United Nations acting as an international police force. While Western European
influence in the area was diminishing, the Soviet Union gained prestige there
supporting Egypt. This led to the Eisenhower Doctrine, where the US agreed to
defend any Middle East nation threatened by Communism.
The Tripartite Invasion, or 1956 War, was perhaps the single
most important event in the history of African independence. The fallout from
this unsuccessful attempt by Britain, France, and Israel to maintain an
influence over the Suez Canal created a climate in Africa which both
encouraged and escalated the struggle for independence.
The
High Dam at AswanAs soon the agreement
with Sudan was signed, Nasser ordered the beginning of the High
Dam.Construction at Aswan in 1959.
When it was finally
finished in 1970, the dam was more than 17 times the volume of the Great
Pyramid at El Giza. It stretches 4 kilometres across the river's path, rises
over 100 meters for its base, and is almost a kilometer
thick.
Behind it, the waters have formed Lake Nasser,
which is 600 kilometers long and 50 kilometers wide in some places. This
reservoir is the second largest man-made lake in the
world.
The High Dam as published in
Internet
The Aswan Dam
is arguably one of the great architectural accomplishments of the 20th
century. To build it, Egypt had to obtain outside funding, because it was to
cost over one billion dollars to build.
Nasser had to turn to
the Soviet Union, as being rebuffed by the United States and the World Bank.
The USSR was only too glad to help.
The
United Arab Republic 1958
In
February 1958, ."
the
short-lived Egyptian-Syrian merger was accomplished. In Damascus, millions of
Syrians thronged to hail Nasser as leader of the
Arabs
Color &
Symbolism
