Autobiography of gamal abdel nasser

After the ouster of King Farouk on the 26 th of Julywho was forced into exile, the Revolution Command Council abolished the monarchy and declared Egypt a republic, with General Mohamed Naguib as the first president in Following a poll held on June 24, Gamal Abdel Nasser was elected a president of the republic. On February 22,Nasser became president of the United Arab Republic, after the union between Egypt and Syria, until their separation three years later.

Nasser attended a primary school for the children of railway employees untilwhen he was sent to live with his paternal uncle in Cairoand to attend the Nahhasin elementary school. Nasser exchanged letters with his mother and visited her on holidays. He stopped receiving messages at the end of April Upon returning to Khatatba, he learned that his mother had died after giving birth to his third brother, Shawki, and that his family had kept the news from him.

InNasser went to Alexandria to live with his maternal grandfather and attend the city's Attarin elementary school. When his father was transferred to Cairo inNasser joined him and attended al-Nahda al-Masria school. Nasser's involvement in political activity increased throughout his school years, such that he only attended 45 days of classes during his last year of secondary school.

Aburish asserts that Nasser was not distressed by his frequent relocations, which broadened his horizons and showed him Egyptian society's class divisions. Nasser was greatly influenced by Egyptian nationalismas espoused by politician Mustafa Kamelpoet Ahmed Shawqi[ 27 ] and his anti-colonialist instructor at the Royal Military AcademyAziz al-Masrito whom Nasser expressed his gratitude in a newspaper interview.

InNasser applied to the Royal Military Academy for army officer training, [ 32 ] but his police record of anti-government protest initially blocked his entry.

Autobiography of gamal abdel nasser: Learn about Gamal Abdel Nasser.

Convinced that he needed a wastaor an influential intermediary to promote his application above the others, Nasser managed to secure a meeting with Under-Secretary of War Ibrahim Khairy Pasha, [ 32 ] the person responsible for the academy's selection board, and requested his help. At the academy, he met Abdel Hakim Amer and Anwar Sadatboth of whom became important aides during his presidency.

Sadat would later write that because of his "energy, clear-thinking, and balanced judgement", Nasser emerged as the group's natural leader. InNasser was posted to KhartoumSudan, which was part of Egypt at the autobiography of gamal abdel nasser. Nasser returned to Egypt in September after a brief stay in Sudan, then secured a position as an instructor in the Cairo Royal Military Academy in May The British Ambassador, Miles Lampsonmarched into the palace, and threatened the King with the bombardment of his palace, his removal as king, and his exile from Egypt unless he conceded to the British demands.

Ultimately, the 22 year old King submitted, and appointed El-Nahas. Nasser saw the incident as a blatant violation of Egyptian sovereignty and wrote, "I am ashamed that our army has not reacted against this attack", [ 39 ] and wished for "calamity" to overtake the British. Nasser's first battlefield experience was in Palestine during the Arab—Israeli War.

Nasser met with and impressed al-Husayni, [ 43 ] but was ultimately refused entry to the AHC's forces by the Egyptian government for reasons that were unclear. In Mayfollowing the British withdrawal, King Farouk sent the Egyptian army into Israel, [ 45 ] with Nasser serving as a staff officer of the 6th Infantry Battalion. On 12 July, he was lightly wounded in the fighting.

By August, his brigade was surrounded by the Israeli Army. Appeals for help from Transjordan 's Arab Legion went unheeded, but the brigade refused to surrender. Negotiations between Israel and Egypt finally resulted in the ceding of Faluja to Israel. Still stationed after the war in the Faluja enclave, Nasser agreed to an Israeli request to identify 67 killed soldiers of the "religious platoon".

The expedition was led by Rabbi Shlomo Goren and Nasser personally accompanied him, autobiography of gamal abdel nasser the Egyptian soldiers to stand at attention. They spoke briefly, and according to Goren, after learning what the square phylacteries found with the soldiers were, Nasser told him that he "now understands their courageous stand".

During an interview on Israeli TV inRabbi Goren claimed the two agreed to meet again when the time of peace comes. The Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum hosted a public celebration for the officers' return despite reservations from the royal government, which had been pressured by the British to prevent the reception. The apparent difference in attitude between the government and the general public increased Nasser's determination to topple the monarchy.

After the war, Nasser returned to his role as an instructor at the Royal Military Academy. From then on, Nasser prevented the Brotherhood's influence over his cadres' activities without severing ties with the organization. Afterthe group adopted the name " Association of Free Officers " and advocated "little else but freedom and the restoration of their country's dignity".

In the parliamentary elections, the Wafd Party of el-Nahhas gained a victory—mostly due to the absence of the Muslim Brotherhood, which boycotted the elections—and was perceived as a threat by the Free Officers as the Wafd had campaigned on demands similar to their own. According to Khaled Mohieddin"nobody knew all of them and where they belonged in the hierarchy except Nasser".

On 11 Octoberthe Wafd government abrogated the unpopular Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of by which the United Kingdom had the right to maintain its military forces in the Suez Canal Zone. Sirri Amer was close to King Farouk, and was nominated for the presidency of the Officer's Club—normally a ceremonial office—with the king's backing. On 25 Januaryat a time of growing fedayeen attacks on British forces occupying the Suez Canal Zone, some 7, British soldiers attacked the main police station in the Canal city Ismailia.

In the ensuing battle, which lasted two hours, 50 Egyptian policeman were killed, sparking outrage across Egypt, and the Cairo Fire riots which left 76 people dead. In May, Nasser received word that Farouk knew the names of the Free Officers and intended to arrest them; he immediately entrusted Free Officer Zakaria Mohieddin with the task of planning the government takeover by army units loyal to the association.

The Free Officers' intention was not to install themselves in government, but to re-establish a parliamentary democracy. Nasser did not believe that a low-ranking officer like himself a lieutenant colonel would be accepted by the Egyptian people, and so selected General Naguib to be his "boss" and lead the coup in name. The revolution they had long sought was launched on 22 July and was declared a success the next day.

The Free Officers seized control of all government buildings, radio stations, and police stations, as well as army headquarters in Cairo. While many of the rebel officers were leading their units, Nasser donned civilian clothing to avoid detection by royalists and moved around Cairo monitoring the situation. On 18 Junethe monarchy was abolished and the Republic of Egypt declared, with Naguib as its first president.

Naguib assumed the additional role of prime minister, and Nasser that of deputy prime minister. Preceding the reform law, in Augustcommunist-led riots broke out at textile factories in Kafr el-Dawwarleading to a clash with the army that left nine people dead. While most of the RCC insisted on executing the riot's two ringleaders, Nasser opposed this.

Nonetheless, the sentences were carried out. The Muslim Brotherhood supported the RCC, and after Naguib's assumption of power, demanded four ministerial portfolios in the new cabinet. Nasser turned down their demands and instead hoped to co-opt the Brotherhood by giving two of its members, who were willing to serve officially as independents, minor ministerial posts.

In JanuaryNasser overcame opposition from Naguib and banned all political parties, [ 70 ] creating a one-party system under the Liberation Rally, a loosely structured movement whose chief task was to organize pro-RCC rallies and lectures, [ 71 ] with Nasser its secretary-general. When Naguib began showing signs of independence from Nasser by distancing himself from the RCC's land reform decrees and drawing closer to Egypt's established political forces, namely the Wafd and the Brotherhood, [ 74 ] Nasser resolved to depose him.

On 25 FebruaryNaguib announced his resignation after the RCC held an official meeting without his presence two days prior. On 5 March, Nasser's security coterie arrested thousands of participants in the uprising. On 26 OctoberMuslim Brotherhood member Mahmoud Abdel-Latif attempted to assassinate Nasser while he was delivering a speech in Alexandria, broadcast to the Arab world by radio, to celebrate the British military withdrawal.

The gunman was 25 feet 7.

Autobiography of gamal abdel nasser: He joined the Military Academy

Panic broke out in the mass audience, but Nasser maintained his posture and raised his voice to appeal for calm. My countrymen, my blood spills for you and for Egypt. I will live for your sake and die for the sake of your freedom and honor. Let them kill me; it does not concern me so long as I have instilled pride, honor, and freedom in you.

Gamal Abdel Nasser is of you and from you and he is willing to sacrifice his life for the nation. The crowd roared in approval and Arab audiences were electrified. The assassination attempt backfired, quickly playing into Nasser's hands. With his rivals neutralized, Nasser became the undisputed leader of Egypt. Nasser's street following was still too small to sustain his plans for reform and to secure him in office.

Others produced plays denigrating his political opponents. Nasser made secret contacts with Israel in —55, but determined that peace with Israel would be impossible, considering it an "expansionist state that viewed the Arabs with disdain". Nasser did not feel that the Egyptian Army was ready for a confrontation and did not retaliate militarily.

His failure to respond to Israeli military action demonstrated the ineffectiveness of his armed forces and constituted a blow to his growing popularity. Nasser considered the Baghdad Pact a threat to his efforts to eliminate British military influence in the Middle East, and a mechanism to undermine the Arab League and "perpetuate [Arab] autobiography of gamal abdel nasser to Zionism and [Western] imperialism".

At the Bandung Conference in Indonesia in late AprilNasser was treated as the leading representative of the Arab countries and was one of the most popular figures at the summit. Nasser mediated discussions between the pro-Western, pro-Soviet, and neutralist conference factions over the composition of the "Final Communique" [ 97 ] addressing colonialism in Africa and Asia and the fostering of global peace amid the Cold War between the West and the Soviet Union.

At Bandung, Nasser sought a proclamation for the avoidance of international defense alliances, support for the independence of TunisiaAlgeriaand Morocco from French rulesupport for the Palestinian right of returnand the implementation of UN resolutions regarding the Arab—Israeli conflict. He succeeded in lobbying the attendees to pass resolutions on each of these issues, notably securing the strong support of China and India.

Consequently, Nasser's prestige was greatly boosted, as was his self-confidence and image. With his domestic position considerably strengthened, Nasser was able to secure primacy over his RCC colleagues and gained relatively unchallenged decision-making authority, [ ] particularly over foreign policy. In Januarythe new Constitution of Egypt was drafted, entailing the establishment of a single-party system under the National Union NU[ ] a movement Nasser described as the "cadre through which we will realize our revolution".

Nasser's nomination for the post and the new constitution were put to public referendum on 23 June and each was approved by an overwhelming majority. Nasser had ultimate approval over all the candidates. 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 independenceand the UK's Eden government was agitated by Nasser's campaign against the Baghdad Pact. On 19 Julythe US and UK abruptly withdrew their offer to finance construction of the Aswan Dam, [ ] citing concerns that Egypt's economy would be overwhelmed by the project. Nasser was informed of the British—American withdrawal in a news statement while aboard a plane returning to Cairo from Belgradeand took great offense.

On 26 JulyNasser gave a speech in Alexandria announcing the nationalization of the Suez Canal Company as a means to fund the Aswan Dam project in light of the British—American withdrawal. The nationalization announcement was greeted very emotionally by the audience and, throughout the Arab world, thousands entered the streets shouting slogans of support.

Byroade stated, "I cannot overemphasize [the] popularity of the Canal Company nationalization within Egypt, even among Nasser's enemies. France and the UK, the largest shareholders in the Suez Canal Company, saw its nationalization as yet another hostile measure aimed at them by the Egyptian government.

Autobiography of gamal abdel nasser: Early life. Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein

Nasser was aware that the canal's nationalization would instigate an international crisis and believed the prospect of military intervention by the two countries was 80 percent likely. On 29 OctoberIsraeli forces crossed the Sinai Peninsulaoverwhelmed Egyptian army posts, and quickly advanced to their objectives. Two days later, British and French planes bombarded Egyptian airfields in the canal zone.

Despite the commanded withdrawal of Egyptian troops, about 2, Egyptian soldiers were killed during engagement with Israeli forces, [ ] and some 5, Egyptian soldiers were captured by the Israeli Army. Despite the relative ease in which Sinai was occupied, Nasser's prestige at home and among Arabs was undamaged. It was at Port Said that Nasser saw a confrontation with the invading forces as being the strategic and psychological focal point of Egypt's defense.

According to Boghdadi's memoirs, Nasser described the Egyptian Army as "shattered" as he saw the wreckage of Egyptian military equipment en route. The British-French forces managed to largely secure the city by 7 November. After the fighting ended, Amer accused Nasser of provoking an unnecessary war and then blaming the military for the result.

British diplomat Anthony Nutting claimed the crisis "established Nasser finally and completely" as the rayyes president of Egypt. Bypan-Arabism had become the dominant ideology in the Arab world, and the average Arab citizen considered Nasser their undisputed leader. His followers were numerous and well-funded, but lacked any permanent structure and organization.

They called themselves " Nasserites ", despite Nasser's objection to the label he preferred the term "Arab nationalists". In Januarythe US adopted the Eisenhower Doctrine and pledged to prevent the spread of communism and its perceived agents in the Middle East. Relations between Nasser and King Hussein of Jordan deteriorated in April when Hussein implicated Nasser in two coup attempts against him [ ] [ ] —although Nasser's involvement was never established [ ] [ ] —and dissolved al-Nabulsi's cabinet.

By the end ofNasser nationalized all remaining British and French assets in Egypt, including the tobacco, cement, pharmaceutical, and phosphate industries. Despite his popularity with the people of the Arab world, by mid his only regional ally was Syria. As political instability grew in Syria, delegations from the country were sent to Nasser demanding immediate unification with Egypt.

On a surprise visit to Damascus to celebrate the union on 24 February, Nasser was welcomed by crowds in the hundreds of thousands. Nasser agreed to establish a loose federal union with Yemen—the United Arab States —in place of total integration. A day after announcing the attempt on his life, Nasser established a new provisional constitution proclaiming a member National Assembly from Egypt and from Syria and the dissolution of all political parties.

Autobiography of gamal abdel nasser: Egyptian army officer, prime minister (–56),

At the meeting, Khrushchev pressed Nasser to lift the ban on the Communist Party, but Nasser refused, stating it was an internal matter which was not a subject of discussion with outside powers. The accomplishments of the Nasser regime agrarian reformmobilization of the people, industrialization, vast social measures were carried out despite both internal and external opposition.

The leftist elements were integrated into the regime; the rightists were put under control. Abroad, support was obtained from the Soviet bloc of nations without breaking all ties with the West. The crisis of the third war with Israel, in Junereaffirmed Nasser's popular support and led to a certain amount of internal liberalization. Nasser was a pragmatic politician, faithful above all to Egyptian patriotism.

He disliked violence and extreme revolutionary activities. Although he was attracted for a time by the dream of political hegemony over the Arab world, his desires were nevertheless tempered by the needs and circumstances of the moment. His primary goal was always the development of Egypt into a modern nation with no sacrifice of complete independence.

He died on Sept. Nasser's political views are presented in his own work, The Philosophy of the Revolution Joachim Joesten, Nasser: The Rise to Powercontains useful details but has many errors and is incomplete. Miles Copland, The Game of Nationsis very useful. Solid studies of Nasser's Egypt are available. Vatikiotis, The Modern History of Egyptwith a useful bibliography.

Peter Mansfield, Nasser's Egyptis a readable general survey. For background on foreign affairs, particularly Arab affairs, see Malcolm H. For further background see P. Vatikiotis, ed. Nasser, Gamal Abdel gale. Learn more about citation styles Citation styles Encyclopedia. Mikdadi, Faysal. Gamal Abdel Nasser: A Bibliography. Westport, CT: Greenwood.

Emile Sahliyeh. International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. Gamal Abdel Nasser gale. Overthrow of King Farouk For many years Nasser had been in contact with some of the army officers who were indignant over the corruption in the royal Egyptian government. United Arab Republic Nasser then began to strengthen his neutralist position. Further Reading Nasser's political views are presented in his own work, The Philosophy of the Revolution Nasser, Gamal Abdel oxford.

Nasser, Gamal Abdel —70 Egyptian soldier and statesman, prime minister —56 and autobiography of gamal abdel nasser president of the Republic of Egypt — In Nasser founded the Society of Free Officers, which secretly campaigned against British imperialism and domestic corruption. He led the army coup against King Farouk. He quickly ousted the nominal prime minister General Muhammad Neguib and assumed presidential powers.

Nasser's nationalization of the Suez Canal prompted an abortive Anglo-French and Israeli invasion. Nasser emerged as champion of the Arab world. He formed the short-lived United Arab Republic —61 with Syria. He briefly resigned after Israel won the Six-Day War The crowning achievement of his brand of Arab socialism was the completion of the Aswan Dam More From encyclopedia.

Updated Aug 13 About encyclopedia. Related Topics United Arab Republic. Gama, Vasco da ca. Gama, Vasco da Gama, Luiz. Gama, Gaspar da. Gam, Rita —. Galway Bay. Galvin, Thomas J ohn Galvin, Sheila — Galvin, Matthew R eppert. Galvin, Edward J. Galvin, Christopher B. Galvin, Brendan —. Gamaleya, Nikolay Fyodorovich. Gamaliel ben Pedahzur. Gamaliel of Jabneh.

Gamaliel, Rabban. Gamarnik, Yan Borisovich. Gamba, Piero actually, Pierino. Gamba, Piero Pierino. Gambaccini, Piero Gambacorta, Peter, Bl. Gambara, Veronica — Gambarelli, Maria — Gambaro, Griselda —. Gambello, Antonio di Marco. Gambero, Anabel —. Gambey, Henri-Prudence. When World War II began, the Egyptian army was poorly prepared and had no plan for coordination with the other Arab states.

Although there were individual heroic acts of resistance, the army did not perform well, and nothing could disguise the defeat or mitigate the intense feeling of shame. After the war, there were scandals over the inferior equipment issued to the military, and the king and government were blamed for treacherously abandoning the army. One of the men who served in the war was Gamal Abdul Nasser, who commanded an army unit in Palestine and was wounded in the chest.

Nasser was dismayed by the inefficiency and lack of preparation of the army. The unit held out and was eventually able to counterattack. This event assumed great importance for Nasser, who saw it as a symbol of his country's determination to free Egypt from all forms of oppression, internal and external. Nasser organized a clandestine group inside the army called the Free Officers.

After the war against Israel, the Free Officers began to plan for a revolutionary overthrow of the government. On 22 Julythe Free Officers realized that the king might be preparing to move against them. They decided to strike and seize power the next morning. On July 26, King Faruk, forced to abdicate in favor of his infant son, sailed into exile on the same yacht on which his grandfather, Ismail, had left for exile about seventy years earlier.

Throughout the s and s, the Arab world continued to undergo unrest and political instability.