Gamal Abdel Nasser
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| Gamal Abdel Nasser | |
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| In office 23 June 1956 – September 28, 1970 |
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| Preceded by | Muhammad Naguib |
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| Succeeded by | Anwar Sadat |
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| Born | January 15, 1918 Alexandria |
| Died | September 28, 1970 Cairo |
| Political party | Military/Arab Socialist Union |
| Spouse | Tahia Kazem |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
- This article is about the former president of Egypt. For articles about other people with the same surname, see Nasser.
Gamal Abdel Nasser (Arabic: جمال عبد الناصر - Gamāl ‘Abd el-Nāṣir; also transliterated as Jamal Abd al-Naser, Jamal Abd An-Nasser and other variants; January 15, 1918 – September 28, 1970) was the President of Egypt from 1954 until his death in 1970.
Nasser was well-known for his Arab nationalist and anti-colonial foreign policy. The pan-Arabist ideology named after him, Nasserism, won some following in the Arab world in the 1950s and 1960s. Nasser is still seen by many throughout the Arab World as a symbol of Arab dignity and freedom.
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[edit] Early life
On January 15, 1918, Gamal Abdel 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, Egyptian government publications for years gave his birthplace as Bani Murr. He first became interested in politics at the age of eleven when he began attending the Ras el Tin secondary school. He attended his first political demonstration while still a “schoolboy”. At that protest, Nasser “was hit in the face by a police baton”. He was then arrested and placed in jail.[1]
Nasser’s political involvement lasted throughout his school career, and became such a dominant part of his life that during his last year of secondary school, Nasser “spent only forty-five days actually in school”.[2] During that same period, 1935-1936, Nasser was elected chairman of a committee of Cairo secondary school students interested in Egyptian political reform.[3] Then, in March 1937, Nasser was admitted to the Egyptian Military Academy and, temporarily, abandoned his political activities in favor of studying to become an army officer.
[edit] World War II
In 1939, shortly after graduating and being commissioned in the army, Nasser and a friend volunteered to serve in Sudan where they arrived shortly before the outbreak of World War II.[4] During the war, Nasser and Anwar Sadat, another friend and political ally, established contact with agents of the Axis powers, particularly several Italian ones and planned a coup to coincide with an Italian offensive that would expel the British forces from Egypt; however, the plan was never executed.[5] During the war, Nasser also began forming a group of other young military officers with strong Egyptian nationalist feelings who supported some form of revolution.[6]
At the end of WWII, Nasser had no combat experience, having never been stationed on an actual battlefield; he would gain battle experience during the first Arab-Israeli war, in 1948, in the Falluja Pocket and elsewhere. After WWII, he secured a post as an instructor at the Military Academy in Cairo.[7] For the next several years, Nasser worked to organize his group of other reform minded officers and recruit new members. After 1949, this group adopted the name “Free Officers”,[8] and “talked of ... freedom and the restoration of their country’s dignity”.[9]
[edit] Revolution
By 1952, "Egypt was ripe for revolution."[10] Nasser and the Free Officers seized on this situation to launch a coup on July 23, 1952. That night, the Free Officers seized control of all government buildings, radio stations, police stations, and the army headquarters in Cairo. The coup installed General Muhammad Naguib, a hero from the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, as President. In an important move, the newly installed government immediately assured Britain that it would respect British citizens and property in Egypt, greatly diminishing the possibility of intervention against the coup.[11] Nasser and his fellow revolutionaries also bowed to American pressure by allowing the deposed King Farouk and his family to “leave Egypt unharmed and ‘with honour’”.[12]
After assuming power, Nasser and the Free Officers were not interested in undertaking the day to day administration of the Egyptian government.[citation needed] Thus, the Free Officers passed power to Ali Maher, a long-time political insider, whom they appointed as Prime Minister. The Free Officers then formed the Egyptian Revolutionary Command Council, which constituted the real power in Egypt, with Neguib as chairman and Nasser as vice-chairman.[13] However, the Revolutionary Council actually had strong ideological notions, and Maher was forced to resign on September 7, 1952 because he refused to support agrarian reform laws proposed by the Council. At that time, Naguib assumed full leadership as the new Prime Minister.[14]
[edit] Conflict with Naguib
In June 1953, with land reform fully underway, Naguib announced the official abolition of the Egyptian monarchy and proclaimed himself President of the Republic of Egypt. After the establishment of the republic, Naguib and Nasser began to come into conflict with each other. These troubles culminated in Naguib’s resignation on February 23, 1954 from his posts as both President and Prime Minister.[15] The Revolutionary Command Council then “joyfully...proclaimed Nasser as Prime Minister”;[16] however, they selected no President at that time. Next, the Revolutionary Command Council placed Naguib under house arrest, hoping to prevent any chance that he would return to power.[17]
The Revolutionary Command Council had overstepped its popular support in dealing with Naguib, and large numbers of citizens joined protests demanding that he be reinstated.[18] As a result of these demonstrations, a sizable group within the Revolutionary Command Council demanded that Nasser allow Neguib to return to the Presidency and then hold free elections to select a new President and Prime Minister. Nasser was forced to agree and Naguib reassumed the Presidency. Several days later, Nasser was forced to resign as Prime Minister in favor of Naguib, effectively destroying all progress that Nasser had made towards leadership.[19]
[edit] Leader of Egypt
Although it gave him no permanent position, Nasser did use his brief time as Prime Minister to “purge... pro-Naguib elements in the army”,[20] and over the next eight months he gradually forced Naguib from power. Finally, in October 1954, Nasser formally removed Naguib from power and established himself as the effective leader of Egypt. Nasser remained in power over Egypt for the next fifteen years with no major domestic challenges to his power.[21]
Nasser's place in the Egyptian national consciousness was secured following the failed assassination attempt of 26th October 1954 and his own defiant response in the immediate aftermath. During a speech in Manshia Square, Alexandria, a volley of shots rang out. Unharmed, Nasser was heard shouting his defiance over the screams of the crowd. This event provided the final pretext for the removal of Naguib on the grounds of his supposed collaboration with the Muslim Brotherhood who were accused of the failed attempt. In the immediate aftermath numerous members of the Brotherhood were rounded up, Mahmoud Abdul Latif was found guilty of the attempt and the Brotherhood was, to all intents and purposes, crushed. There have subsequently been claims that the whole event was stage managed by Nasser and his supporters; however, to date there has been no hard evidence to support this claim.
[edit] Domestic Policy
[edit] The New Constitution
The story of Egypt's new constitution confirmed this view. The new charter which was announced on January 16 was the junto's second attempt to replace arbitrary rule with constitutional government. A previous draft constitution, which had been framed by a commission of distinguished jurists and other experts, was rejected by the junto. The substitute version published in January greatly strengthens the powers of the President of the Republic at the expense of the Legislature. Accordingly, the chief executive is to be elected for a period of six years and may be re-elected. He is to be nominated by a simple majority vote of the National Assembly and elected by a plebiscite. As part of his executive power, he is given the right to dissolve the Assembly, as well as to propose, approve, and veto new laws. His veto may be over-ridden by a two-thirds vote of the Legislature.
The new constitution envisages free democratic elections. However, the old political parties have been dissolved and the formation of new ones is prohibited. Candidates for the first five-year term of the National Assembly were chosen exclusively from the lists of the single party, the Liberation Rally, now called the National Union, which is controlled by President Nasser's henchmen. The constitution nominally protects the citizen from arbitrary arrest, but in 1956 the Minister of the Interior was given the power for a 10-year period to arrest anybody charged with counter-revolutionary activity and to order his confinement at administrative discretion. The rights of free speech and free press are guaranteed under the new charter and, on June 19, Nasser announced that the state of martial law which had been imposed at the beginning of the revolution was ended and that press censorship would be lifted. However, Egyptian publications continue to be tightly controlled by the government. Press cables sent abroad must pass the censorship office and are screened for unfavorable news. The new Egyptian constitution in its preamble proclaims as its objectives "the eradication of imperialism, the extinction of feudalism, the destruction of capitalistic influence, and the establishment of a strong national army, of social justice, and of a sound democratic society." It declares Egypt to be a sovereign Arab state with Islam as its religion and Arabic as the official language of the country.
On June 24, a plebiscite was held to ratify the new constitution and was overwhelmingly approved. Of a population of almost 22,000,000, a total of 5,697,467 persons registered and 5,488,225 or 99.8 per cent voted in favor of the new charter. Only 10,045 voted "No." At the same time, Premier Nasser was elected president by a still greater majority. He received 5,496,965 ballots or 99.9 per cent of the total vote. Those who marked their ballots with a red circle approved Premier Nasser's election to the Presidency of the Republic. A new election law, promulgated in March, made voting compulsory for all men and gave to the Egyptian women their option of voting. However, only 150,000 Egyptian women voted. The new election law, therefore, did little to improve the position of Egyptian women in public life and at home where, until now, their status has been little better than that of chattels.
A few days after his election as president, Nasser reshuffled his cabinet and replaced several military members with civilians. On this occasion, he bestowed on eight of his military associates the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Nile, Egypt's highest decoration.
[edit] Growing Opposition
The opposition to Nasser's regime inside Egypt was high during the period from 1962-1967. The economic decline under Nasser's last years as well as the suppression of the opposition increased his unpopularity between the educated class and the Al-Azhar University religious scholars. Nasser turned the country into a police state. Many of the oppositionists were either arrested or assassinated. It is not known exactly how many people were killed by the state security apparatus during Nasser's 16 years in power. Thousands of Egyptians were forced to flee the country to escape his regime. Two of the Al-Azhar Grand Imams were forced to resign because of their opposition to the regime. In 1961, Nasser issued a new Al-Azhar Law, limiting the power of the Al-Azhar Imams and giving the government power to appoint the Grand Imam instead of having him elected by the Al-Azhar scholars.
In 1969, after a group of reformers and critics of the regime’s authoritarianism won an election for the board of the Egyptian Judges Club, the direct challenge posed by the vocal judicial leadership proved intolerable to Nasser regime. Nasser responded with a series of measures subsequently referred to as the “massacre of the judiciary,” including the dismissal of over a hundred sitting judges [5].
[edit] Economy
The Egyptian economy was dominated by private capital until the revolution of 1952, which replaced the monarchy with a republic. The new government began to reorganize the economy along socialist lines in the late 1950s. The state played an increasing role in economic development through its management of the agricultural sector after the land reforms of 1952 and 1961. These reforms limited the amount of land an individual or family could own. In the early 1960s the government nationalized much of the industrial, financial, and commercial sectors of the economy.
Egyptian industry progressed very much during Nasser's rule. Capital Investment in industry and mining increased considerably. The National Production Council allocated the equivalent of $36,700,000 in 1954-1955 and $55,100,000 in 1955-1956 for developing electric power, industry, and mining. Private local investment, as reported by the Federation of Egyptian Industries, rose from $8,500,000 in 1953 to $18,000,000 in 1954. Foreign investment amounted to $2,000,000 in 1954, including $1,800,000 in the petroleum industry.
There was also considerable growth in industrial production. Electricity consumption increased from 978,000,000 kW in 1952 to 1,339,000,000 kW in 1954. The cotton yarn output increased from 49,200 to 64,400 tons, and cotton fabric output increased from 157,800,000 meters to 240,900,000 meters. Cement production reached a new high of almost 1,500,000 tons.
In the 50's, Several important power projects had been under construction. Their total ultimate cost had been estimated at $166,000,000. The Talkha station had a capacity of 42,500 kW and supplies electricity to the Northern Nile region. The Northern Cairo station operated at a capacity of 60,000 kW. The Southern Cairo station, as planned, will have a capacity of 120,000 kW. A thermal plant at El Tabinne is planned, with a capacity of 45,000 kW, which used gases released from the projected steel factory of Helwan. Construction had also continued on the proposed Aswan Dam hydroelectric project aiming at a capacity of 345,000 kW which would have supply energy to a nitrogen fertilizer plant. This plant, it is planned, will be in turn a major source of artificial fertilizer for Egyptian agriculture and is supposed to produce 370,000 tons of nitrate annually by 1960.
On the other hand, construction of the giant steel mill at Helwan, 20 miles south of Cairo, was proceeding very slowly. It was supposed to have an initial output capacity of 220,000 tons of steel. The plant was scheduled to start operation in 1957, but construction work had been lagging behind considerably because of engineering difficulties in the location chosen.
Egypt's petroleum refining industry produced approximately 2,203,000 tons in refined products in 1956, but Egyptian domestic consumption amounted to 3,410,000 tons. There had been reports of new petroleum reserves discovered in the Sinai Peninsula and in the Suez desert at that period.
In 1955, the country had a large deficit in its foreign trade balance, amounting to $126,000,000 as compared to $63,000,000 in the preceding year. As a result of this unfavorable trade balance, Egypt's gold and currency reserves dwindled rapidly, falling from $732,000,000 in 1954 to $594,000,000 in August 1956. The blocking of Egypt's sterling accounts abroad, after Nasser's seizure of the Suez Canal, aggravated the currency situation. In 1955, Egypt's balance of payments showed a deficit of $95,200,000. However, during the first half of 1956, Egypt increased its exports to $255,000,000 as compared to $186,000,000 during the corresponding period of 1955 and accordingly reduced its deficit to $40,880,000 as compared with $51,530,000 in 1955.
Egypt continued to spend lavishly on the modernization of its armed forces. The Egyptian budget for the year 1955-1956 foresaw an outlay of £75,400,000, or $216,000,000, for defense as compared to £53,000,000 in 1954-1955. The Egyptian army of 200,000 had 50,000 first class combat troops.
[edit] Land Reform
Financial hurdles have considerably delayed the progress of the much publicized land reform which was the cornerstone of President Nasser's social program. The land reform as promulgated by the Revolutionary Command Council in 1952 proposed two basic steps to improve the lot of the Egyptian peasant:
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- dramatic reduction of agricultural rents
- expropriation of all landed property-holdings above 200 feddâns (1 feddân = 1.038 acres)
By the end of 1955, of the total of 567,000 feddâns subject to sequestration, 415,000 feddâns had been expropriated by the government. However, only a part of this land has been distributed among the small landholders, and the government held most of the expropriated land. By the end of the year 1955, 261,000 feddâns had been reallocated from the government reserve. In addition, 92,000 feddâns had been sold by large to small landowners just prior to the requisition. The government was attempting to organize the beneficiaries of this plan in cooperatives and also to continue the maintenance of the existing irrigation and drainage systems. The land reform of the revolutionary government had undoubtedly benefited the Egyptian peasantry. An Egyptian government source estimated that the new farmers have doubled their incomes, and that setting a limit on rents has reduced the total amount of land rent by $196,000,000.
[edit] Foreign Policy
[edit] Relationship with the Soviet Union
The Suez Crisis also drove Egypt into a closer relationship with the Soviet Union.[22] As a part of this new relationship, the Soviets agreed to provide approximately one-third of the cost of the Aswan High Dam and provided four hundred technicians to aid in the construction.[23] Construction of the dam began on January 1, 1960[24] and was completed in 1970. Its reservoir was named Lake Nasser, honoring Nasser. As it was hoped, the dam was able to produce substantial electric power, 2.1 gigawatts, and is still standing today.[25]
The Aswan Dam was not the only result of the Egyptian relationship with the USSR. As a result of Soviet influence and domestic factors, Nasser gradually began to move Egypt toward a socialist economic system, at least somewhat shaped by Marxism-Leninism. By 1962, this had led to a minimum 51% government ownership of virtually all Egyptian business.[26] During his official visit to Egypt on May 9-26, 1964, Nikita Khrushchev awarded Nasser the title of the Hero of the Soviet Union and the Order of Lenin.[27]
Most historians agree that Egypt under Nasser never truly reached socialism, and under Nasser’s successor, Anwar Sadat, the economy moved back to a more firmly capitalist system.[28]
[edit] Suez Canal
Shortly before his full assumption of power, Nasser signed an agreement with Britain that provided for the withdrawal of all British uniformed military personnel from the Suez Canal Zone, although a small civilian force was allowed to temporarily remain. This agreement finally gave Egypt true full independence and ended tensions between Britain and Egypt.[29] Shortly after the treaty with the British, Nasser won forty million dollars in combined financial aid for economic development from the British and Americans.[30]
The next year, 1955, the United States promised fifty-six million dollars, along with two-hundred million dollars through the World Bank, to aid in financing the construction of the Aswan High Dam[31] [1], which Nasser and his allies had begun planning shortly after the revolution. The planned dam would create the largest man-made lake in the world, generate electric power for much of Egypt, provide water for irrigation, and control flooding along the Nile River.[32] In September 1955 Nasser shocked the West by signing an arms deal with the Eastern bloc country Czechoslovakia. Consequently, in July 1956, the Western Powers retracted their financial offers, forcing Nasser to search for alternate methods to finance the dam.[33] On July 26, as part of a plan to raise money for the dam, and as a powerful reminder to the west that Egypt would do as it pleased, Nasser announced the nationalization of the Suez Canal.[34]
Nasser realized that the nationalization of the canal would provoke a strong reaction from the West, especially Britain and France that had major shareholdings of the Suez Canal. However, Nasser believed that Britain would not be able to intervene militarily for at least two months after the announcement, and dismissed Israeli action as “impossible”.[35] In early October, the United Nations Security Council met on the matter of the Suez Canal and adopted a resolution recognizing Egypt’s right to control the canal as long as it continued to allow passage through it for foreign ships.[36] After this agreement, “Nasser estimated that the danger of invasion had dropped to 10 per cent”.[37]
France approached Israel and Britain secretly with a plan to gain control over the Suez canal. The plan was that Israel would finally counter attack the daily attacks on her from the Egyptian controlled Gaza strip. The Israelis were to seize the Sinai Peninsula and when they reached the Suez Canal British and French forces would enter as a buffer zone between the two countries and thus retake control over the Suez Canal. On October 29, Israeli forces moved into the Sinai Peninsula, and on October 31, a joint force from Britain and France entered the Canal Zone. President Eisenhower, however, was enraged by this secret plan he was not aware of, and the American government urged the three nations to withdraw their forces. On November 5, 1956, the Soviet Union issued an ultimatum demanding the withdrawal of all-foreign forces from Egypt. Britain, France, and Israel complied, after Britain was forced "into a corner" by the United States threat of destabilizing the British economy and gradually removed their forces, ending what became known as the Suez Crisis.[38] Nasser was perceived as the hero and winner, this heightened his status as the leader of the Arab world.
[edit] Yemen War and Six Day War
Nasser had looked to regime change in Yemen since 1957 and finally put his desires into practice in January 1962 by giving the Free Yemen Movement office space, financial support, and radio air time. Nasser saw Yemen as a way of settling the score with the Saudi royal family, who Nasser felt had undermined his union with Syria. Ambassador Ahmed Abu-Zeid, who served as Egypt's ambassador to Royalist Yemen from 1957 to 1961, warned Egyptian officials in Cairo that the Yemeny tribes were difficult and had no sense of loyalty or nationhood. The Ambassador stood against sending Egyptian combat forces and argued that only money and equipment be sent to the Yemeni Free Officers. Abu Zeid warned that the Saudis would flood Yemen with money to turn against the revolution. Nasser refused Abu-Zeid's ideas and was adamant about the need to protect the Arab nationalist movement in Yemen.
Nasser was convinced that a regiment of Egyptian Special Forces and a wing of fighter-bombers would be able to secure the Yemeni Republican coup d' etat. Within three months of sending troops to Yemen, Nasser realized that this would require a larger commitment than anticipated. By early 1963, he would begin a four-year quest to extricate Egyptian forces from Yemen, using an unsuccessful face-saving mechanism, only to find himself committing more troops.A little less than 5,000 troops were sent in October 1962. Two months later, Egypt had 15,000 regular troops deployed. By late 1963, the number was increased to 36,000; and in late 1964, the number rose to 50,000 Egyptian troops in Yemen. Late 1965 represented the high-water mark of Egyptian troop commitment in Yemen at 55,000 troops, which were broken into 13 infantry regiments of one artillery division, one tank division and several Special Forces as well as paratroop regiments. Egypt paid a very high cost in Yemen war and the Egyptain army sustained high losses during this war.
After the USSR informed Nasser of Israel plans to attack Syria which were doubted by most of the Egyptian army generals, Nasser sought to seize this situation to increase his declined popularity. He sought the remilitarization of the Sinai peninsula and demanded that UNEF evacuate the Sinai, a request with which UN Secretary-General U Thant complied. Nasser then began to re-militarize the Sinai. On May 23, he closed the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping, blockading the Israeli port of Eilat, at the northern end of the Gulf of Aqaba, Israel's only access to the Indian Ocean. The closure was considered by Israel to be a casus belli. Israel gained access to the Straits of Tiran after 1956 war.
During this period, Nasser continually stated his intention to attack Israel, and declared that other Arab nations should support him. Israel responded pre-emptivly to the imminent attack in what became known as the Six Day War. The first wave of attacks by the Israeli air force destroyed most of the Egyptian air forces on the ground. A withdrawal order was issued by the defense minister Abdel Hakim Amer which was a disaster to the Egyptian troops. Most of the Egyptian losses were during this withdrawal. The loss in the Six Day War was one of the most disasterous political blows in Egyptian history and a humiliation to the leaders and people of Egypt. Abdel Hakim Amer tried to overthrow Nasser in a coup days after the war ended but he failed and was forced to commit suicide by taking poison.[citation needed]
[edit] Arab Leader
With his rhetoric and the Suez success, Nasser developed a following throughout the Arab world, inspiring "Nasserist" political parties dedicated to Arab unity. Many saw Nasser as the leader of the Arab world, representing a new, defiant era in Arabic politics. Nasser's policies became associated with Pan-Arabism, which promoted aggressive action by Arab states to confront the "imperialist" West, and urged that the resources of the Arab states should be used for the benefit of the Arab people and not the West. In a 1967 speech, Nasser declared, "We can achieve much by Arab action, which is a main part of our battle. We must develop and build our countries to face the challenge of our enemies."
In 1958, Syrian military and civilian leaders requested a merger of Syria and Egypt. Somewhat surprised by the sudden request and unsure as to whether the time was ripe, Nasser nevertheless agreed and the United Arab Republic came into being. Many saw it as the first step towards the establishment of a pan-Arab state. Attempts were also made to include Yemen. However, the UAR was not a success; In Syria, Egyptian bureaucrats and officers were seen as acting dictatorially, and the rapidly expanded secret police harshly repressed opposition groups including the Muslim Brotherhood and the Syrian Communist Party. Meanwhile, the Syrian bourgeoisie did not gain the access to Egyptian markets that it had hoped for. Discontent among the Syrian bourgeoisie and officer corps led to secessionists taking control in Damascus, and the UAR was dissolved in 1961, although Egypt continued to use the name until 1971. Egyptian intervention in Yemen involved the UAR in a bloody civil war in that country.
[edit] Resignation and aftermath
The humiliating defeat in the Six-Day War was so devastating that it compelled a domestic political reaction. On the evening of June 9, 1967 Nasser's resignation statement was broadcast live on Egyptian television and radio, leaving office to his then vice president Zakaria Mohiedin.
"I have taken a decision with which I need your help. I have decided to withdraw totally and for good from any official post or political role, and to return to the ranks of the masses, performing my duty in their midst, like any other citizen. This is a time for action, not grief... My whole heart is with you, and let your hearts be with me. May God be with us – hope, light and guidance in our hearts."
No sooner was the statement broadcast, however, than millions were pouring into the streets in mass demonstrations not only in Egypt but in streets across the Arab World. Their rejection of Abdel-Nasser's speech was expressed in a battle cry: "We shall fight".[citation needed] As a consequence, Nasser led Egypt through the War of Attrition in 1969-1970.
In 1969, after a group of reformers and critics of the regime’s authoritarianism won an election for the board of the Egyptian Judges Club, the direct challenge posed by the vocal judicial leadership proved intolerable to Nasser regime. Nasser responded with a series of measures subsequently referred to as the “massacre of the judiciary,” including the dismissal of over a hundred sitting judges [5].
[edit] Death and Funeral
Nasser died of a heart attack on September 28, 1970 at the conclusion of Cairo meeting of leaders of Arab countries regarding Israel[39] and the Black September in Jordan. He suffered from hemochromatosis, or Bronze diabetes, a hereditary disease related to excessive iron in the body.
Because of his ability to motivate nationalistic passions, as a testament to his influence, "men, women and children wept and wailed in the streets"[40] after hearing of his death. His funeral on October 1 was one of the largest in history, attended by an estimated five million people. The six-mile procession to his burial site began at the Revolutionary Command Council with MIG-21 jet fighters flying overhead. Emotions, which included telecasters crying on the air, boiled over in the 80-degree heat as thousands swarmed the soldiers who were carrying the coffin and began what was described as "the people's procession". Sadat, who had been interim President following Nasser's death, was officially selected to succeed him on October 5.
[edit] Legacy
[edit] Nasserism
Nasser's legacy is much debated even today in the Arab World. For many people, he was a leader who reformed his country and re-established Arab pride both inside and outside it. Thus, many argue that Nasser freed Egypt from European domination and reformed its economy through his agrarian reform, projects such as the Aswan High Dam, and his moves towards greater government economic involvement. But others see his policy as one of forceful militarism that led Egypt to grave defeats and losses rather than peace and prosperity. In addition, Nasser's suppression of the political opposition and the massive expansion of the police and security apparatuses left a legacy of political repression exploited by his successors until the present. Nasser's role in the Six Day War, which led to tremendous losses for the Arab states, tarnished his legacy and reduced his power in the Middle East. In the last years of his rule, Nasser came to rely increasingly on aid from the Soviet Union.
On the other hand, Nasser's role in modernising Egypt's education system - making education freely available to the poorer masses, and his avid support of the arts, such as the theater, the film and music industries, as well as literature, is seen as having a positive impact on Egypt and the Arab world as a whole.
[edit] Aswan Dam
One of the most controversial of Nasser's achievements is the creation of the Aswan Dam and the eponymous lake in southern Egypt. Built to provide electricity for heavy industry and reduce the risk of flooding along the Nile River, the dam submerged most of Nubia's archeological remains (except the ones saved by UNESCO). It also created major ecological problems. The lake's huge surface 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 decreased. Still, the dam helped provide electric power to Egypt's then growing economy, and was essential in modernizing rural Egypt through the introduction of electricity. The dam also spared Egypt from many floods that plagued the countries through which the Nile flowed.
[edit] Family
Nasser was married to Tahia Kazem, who is the daughter of a humble clerk of Iranian origin. They had five children (three sons and two daughters): Khalid, Abdel Hakeem, Abdel Hameed, Hoda and Mona.[citation needed]
His elder daughter; Hoda Abd El Nasser, became a researcher in politics and a professor of Political Science in Cairo University. With her help, various rare documents were gathered, documented and displayed at Biblotheca Alexandrina as well as on the internet. [2]
[edit] References
- [1] Abdel-Malekh, Anouar. Egypt: Military Society. New York: Random House, 1968.
- [2] “Aswan High Dam”. Encyclopaedia of the Orient. 1996-2006. 25 March 2005 <http://lexicorient.com/e.o/aswandam.htm>
- [3] Copeland, Miles. The Game of Nations. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1969.
- [4] Heikal, Mohamed. The Cairo Documents: The Inside Story of Nasser and His Relationship with World Leaders, Rebels, and Statesmen. New York: Doubleday, 1973.
- [5] Egypt’s Judges Step Forward <http://www.carnegieendowment.org/files/PO17.borwn.FINAL.pdf>
- [6] Nutting, Anthony. Nasser. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1972.
- [7] Stephens, Robert Henry. Nasser; A Political Biography. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1972.
[edit] Notes
- ^ (Stephens, p. 29-31)
- ^ (Stephens 32)
- ^ (31-4)
- ^ (Nutting 16)
- ^ (Stephens 50-4)
- ^ (Nutting 20)
- ^ (Stephens 63)
- ^ (67)
- ^ (Heikal 17)
- ^ (Heikal 18)
- ^ (Nutting 36-7)
- ^ (Stephens 108)
- ^ (Nutting 38-9)
- ^ (Stephens 114)
- ^ (Stephens 123-4)
- ^ (Nutting 60)
- ^ (60-1)
- ^ (Stephens 125)
- ^ (Nutting 61-3)
- ^ (Stephens 129)
- ^ (128-9)
- ^ (Copeland 214)
- ^ (“Aswan High Dam”)
- ^ (Stephens 299)
- ^ (“Aswan High Dam”)
- ^ (Malek 363-5)
- ^ (Russian) Heroes of the Soviet Union
- ^ (367-71)
- ^ (Nutting 69-71)
- ^ (Stephens 143)
- ^ (Nutting 118)
- ^ (Stephens 170)
- ^ (Nutting 140-1)
- ^ (Malek 107)
- ^ (Heikal 91)
- ^ (Heikal 103-4)
- ^ (105)
- ^ (Malek 107)
- ^ (Nutting 475)
- ^ (Nutting 476)
[edit] Writings
President Nasser authored several books during his life.
- "Gamal Abdel Nasser Memoires on the 1948 Palestine war" (published 1955)
- "Towards freedom" (published 1959)
- "Egypt's Liberation The Philosophy of the Revolution" (published 1955) link:http://nasser.bibalex.org/nasserBooks/BookView.aspx?BID=1 (Arabic)
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Muhammad Naguib |
President of Egypt 1956–1970 |
Succeeded by Anwar Sadat |
| Presidents of Egypt |  |
|---|---|
| Muhammad Naguib • Gamal Abdel Nasser • Anwar Al Sadat • Hosni Mubarak |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Nasser, Gamal Abdel |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | جمال عبد الناصر (Arabic); Naser, Jamal Abd al- (alternate transliteration); Nasser, Jamal Abd An- (alternate transliteration |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Egyptian president |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 15, 1918 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Alexandria, Egypt |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 28, 1970 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Cairo, Egypt |
Categories: Articles lacking sources from March 2007 | All articles lacking sources | Articles with unsourced statements since March 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | Presidents of Egypt | Arab nationalists | Egyptian socialists | Egyptian revolutionaries | Egyptian anti-communists | Cold War leaders | Past leaders by coup | Heroes of the Soviet Union | Muslim politicians | People from Alexandria | 1918 births | 1970 deaths
