Home > Gamal Abdel Nasser

Nasser was born in Alexandria, the son of a postal official. He spent part of his childhood living with a revolutionary uncle in Cairo. He was active in Egyptian groups against foreign domination after graduating from the Military Academy. Serving with a major's commission, he fought in the 1948 war against Israel; for several months at the war's end he was trapped in the so called "Faluja pocket", together with his men. When a cease-fire was reached, he was allowed to return to Egypt. In 1952, Nasser led the military coup against King Farouk I of Egypt. In early 1954, he arrested the leader of the country, General Muhammad Naguib, and on February 25 became the Egyptian premier. Two years later, Nasser was the only candidate in presidential elections and subsequently became the second President of Egypt.

Nasser's life-long strategy was neutral Pan-ArabismPan-Arabism is a movement for unification among the Arab peoples and nations of the Middle East. It is closely connected to Arab nationalism. Pan-Arabism has tended to be both secular, socialist, with a dash of anti-Westernism. Pan-Arabism was first press (and indeed consolidation among the developing nationA developing nation is an undeveloped nation. Such countries may actually be developing, but the term is often used euphemistically to include those which are not. Borrowing from the natural sciences the comparison to an organism, to say that a nation iss). In spite of initially good relations with the Western powers, Nasser gradually began to lose their favor and inclined more and more towards the Soviet bloc. On January 16January 16 is the 16th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 349 days remaining (350 in leap years). Events 27 BC Octavian Caesar given the title Augustus by the Roman Senate. 1362 One of the North Sea's greatest stormtides ever destroys th, 19561956 is a leap year starting on Sunday. see link for calendar) Events January January 1 End of Anglo- Egyptian Condominium in Sudan. January 16 President Gamal Abdal Nasser of Egypt vows to reconquer Palestine January 26 1956 Winter Olympic Games open in, Nasser vowed to reconquer PalestineFor varying definitions, see definitions of Palestine. Palestine ( Latin: Syria Palaestina Hebrew: Palestina Eretz Yisrael Arabic: Filasin , is a region in the Middle East extending inland from the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. Its political sta and, in summer 1956, he announced the nationalisation of the Suez canal, which made him unpopular with the United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a state in Western Europe, usually known simply as the United Kingdom the UK Britain or less accurately as Great Britain . The UK was formed by a series of Acts of Union which united the formerly and FranceThe French Republic or France ( French: Republique francaise or France is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents., who had shares in the Canal. With the help of Israel they waged war upon Egypt. However, due to pressure from both the United States and the Soviet Union, the British and the French had to withdraw with their demands unanswered. Though Israel did achieve the cessation of fedayeen raids (in return for Israeli withdrawal from the Sinai peninsula), Arabs of all countries regarded Nasser's lack of compromise as a victory over the "imperialist enemy", and support for him rose considerably.

In 1958, Nasser merged Syria and Egypt into the United Arab Republic in an attempt to create a pan-Arab state. Attempts were also made to include Yemen, but the United Arab Republic was dissolved in 1961, though Egypt continued to use the name until 1971. The attempts to include Yemen involved using soldiers and chemical weapons against the people of Northern Yemen.

After a defeat in the 1967 Six-Day War against Israel, Nasser sought (probably symbolically) to resign from his position, but the Egyptian people asked for him to remain in power. He consequently led Egypt through the War of Attrition in 1969-1970. Nasser died of a heart attack only a few weeks after the war ended, on September 28, 1970. He was succeeded by Anwar Sadat.

For many people, Nasser was a leader who reformed his country and re-established Arab pride both inside and outside it. As others perceive it, his policy was one of forceful militarism that led Egypt to grave defeats and losses rather than peace and prosperity. It is however clear that Nasser's imprint on Egypt and Middle East of the 1950s and 60s was as great as of any other leader of that time.

Nasser's tendency towards dramatic manipulation of politics is highlighted by his handling of the October 26, 1954 attempt on his life. While delivering a speech to a crowd, Nasser was shot at eight times by Mahmoud Abd al-Latif, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. Though the shooter was at close range, all of the shots missed. Nasser continued speaking without pause, delivering a fiery and instantly legendary oration: "Let them kill Nasser. What is Nasser but one among many? My fellow countrymen, stay where you are. I am not dead, I am alive, and even if I die all of you is Gamal Abdel Nasser." (The complete address is available in RealAudio from the government of Egypt.) Nasser's perfect execution of this speech and his bodyguards' lack of protective action in response to the shots led to speculation that the entire event had been staged. Whether or not it was, Nasser used the national anger against the Muslim Brotherhood that resulted to launch his program to eradicate the group.

The most dubious of Nasser's achievements was the creation of the Aswan Dam and the lake that bears his name in southern Egypt. Built to provide electricity for heavy industry that never materialised, the dam not only submerged most of Nubia's archeological treasures (except the ones saved by UNESCO), it also created one of the biggest ecological disasters in Egypt's history. The huge surface of the lake lets a significant part of the Nile's water evaporate in vain, while the dam prevents sediment from enriching the delta soil. According to some agronomists, the Nile valley's agricultural productivity subsequently dropped below its previous levels.

Nasser's negative achievement was making Egypt into a police state, where mail was opened, the press was censored and the political enemies were sent to concentration camps in the desert.