On July 23, 1952, a group of military men known as the Free
Officers seized power in Egypt, toppling the British-backed
monarchy and setting the country on a new political path It was the
first time Egypt had been ruled by Egyptians for two and a half
millennia The country had been conquered by a succession of
foreigners - Persians, Greeks, Romans, Circassians, Arabs, Turks
and finally the British
Slide 3
So Gamal Abdel Nasser, and the other young army officers, won
huge popular acclaim when they ended the much-resented domination
of the British, ejected the effete and pleasure-loving King Farouq
and turned the country into a republic Half a century on, Nasser's
legacy is the subject of hot debate Throughout the 1950s and 1960s
and until his death in 1970, he dominated Arab politics and the
popular imagination of the Arab masses
Slide 4
Nasser embodied pan-Arabism - the dream of a united Arab nation
stretching from the Atlantic to the Gulf His message, of social
justice at home and anti- colonialism abroad, restored Arab
dignity
Slide 5
But to his critics, Nasser had led the Arabs down a cul-de-sac
He aligned Egypt with the Soviet Union, and so ended up on the
losing side in the Cold War Relying on Soviet aid, he built up a
monolithic state-run economy - which his successors have ever since
been struggling to demolish
Slide 6
His rule was harshly authoritarian Opponents, ranging from
communists to the Muslim Brotherhood, were jailed and sometimes
tortured Many were driven into exile Finally, the pan-Arab dream
was a costly failure Arabs proved, in practice, unable to unite
under Nasser's leadership The high hopes of 1952 ended in bitter
defeat by Israel in the June war of 1967
Slide 7
- Remembering the Nationalization of the Suez Canal Company On
July 26, 1956, Egypt's president, Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser,
announced the nationalization of the Suez Canal Company to provide
funding for the construction of the Aswan High Dam The British
Government and French stockholders who owned shares in the Suez
Canal Company reacted with shock to the news Nasser said all
company assets in Egypt had been frozen and stockholders would be
paid the price of their shares according to the days closing prices
on the Paris Stock Exchange
Slide 8
The Suez Canal a key waterway for world trade and an important
source of revenue for Britain The Suez Canal Company, which managed
the waterway, was legally Egyptian but, in 1869 was granted a 99
years' concession It was not due to revert to the Egyptian
Government until November 16, 1968
Slide 9
President Nasser, who took control of Egypt following a coup
d'tat began implementing a nationalization program in the country,
and was vehement in his criticism of the West Nasser said 120,000
Egyptians had died building the canal but Egypt was receiving just
a tiny proportion of the company's annual earnings
Slide 10
President Nasser's decision to nationalize the Suez Canal
company came following Britain and America's withdrawal of
financial assistance towards the Aswan Dam Instead the USSR agreed
to provide an unconditional loan towards the project
Slide 11
Nassers legacy: (From Time Magazine) -Nasser overturned a
rotting monarchy 18 years ago and brought visions of prosperity to
his own country and hope for new unity to a diffuse and frustrated
Arab world - Nasser carried out drastic land reforms, wiping out a
parasitic pasha class that had lived off the poverty-stricken
peasants for generations - But he was finally forced to admit that
his dreams of building a modern industrial nation had gone and that
the most he could do for his overpopulated land was to keep it from
sliding backward
Slide 12
Nasser had himself mostly to blame He precipitated a succession
of feuds and intrigues with virtually every one of Egypt's Arab
neighbors He was humiliatingly trounced in two wars with Israel,
and sent 70,000 Egyptian soldiers off on a bloody misadventure in
Yemen To rebuild his army, he allowed himself to become the
bondsman of the Soviet Union, and he squandered Egypt's limited
resources in pursuit of disastrously misguided goals
Slide 13
Yet for all his mistakes and shortcomings, Nasser managed one
inestimable accomplishment To the people of Egypt and the rest of
the Arab world, he imparted a sense of personal worth and national
pride that they had not known for 400 years
Slide 14
Reflections and thoughts from the article: Egyptians Celebrate
a New Era in History By John Simpson BBC News February 11, 2011 The
Authors Thesis: In its way the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak
is as significant as the collapse of the Soviet bloc in Eastern
Europe back in 1989.
Slide 15
So why has Mr. Hosni Mubarak gone after insisting that he would
stay until the presidential elections? Two main reasons The
Americans - who had been embarrassed, helpless, onlookers - finally
summoned up all their power and influence to force the Egyptian
military to get rid of Mr. Mubarak And the military leaders
realized that cracks were starting to appear in the army's
structure Many junior officers, ordinary soldiers, sided with the
demonstrators while the generals backed the president who was one
of their own
Slide 16
There is a historical echo to this In the 1952 revolution
against the monarchy, some senior officers supported the king,
while younger ones like Colonel Gamal Abdul Nasser backed the coup
Nasser became president after sweeping his boss, General Naguib,
aside Since Nasser, only two presidents have ruled Egypt, Anwar
Sadat and Hosni Mubarak
Slide 17
For sixty years Egypt has been a military dictatorship backed
by a nasty secret police force No doubt reluctantly, the army
leaders have brought Nasser's system to an end It would never have
happened though had it not been for the tremendous fortitude of the
tens of thousands of people who took control of Tahrir Square and
refused to leave On Friday 28 January, the police attacked them
with bricks, iron bars, and live ammunition Yet the protesters
would not be budged
Slide 18
Right from the start the soldiers who were sent in to
discourage the demonstrators from taking over the square showed
themselves to be clearly sympathetic That, in the end, proved
decisive Now the Egyptians have the prospect of voting for their
own leader in the coming presidential election In Egypt's 5,000
years as a unitary state, Egyptians have never been able to choose
their government before