The Era of Nasser

The Era of Nasser

Gamal Abd al-Nasser was President of Egypt from 1956 until1970. During his Presidency he dealt with two major events, the Suez Crisis in 1956 and the 1967 War. Nasser’s triumph in the Suez Crisis in contrast to his severe loss in 1967 can be explained by evaluating Egypt’s stability before and after each event and the reaction of the public during the times of stability and instability. In order to understand the stability of Egypt during Nasser’s Presidency, it is important to take into account Nasser’s government policies and what the Egyptian people expected from him. Nasser would eventually become a leading figure and hold immense powers within the Arab World. To Nasser’s surprise, being a leader came with great responsibilities and high expectations.

The Old Regime

King Farouk ruled Egypt from 1936-1952 when the Free Officers movement overthrew him. Among many of the problems King Farouk faced, he continued to fail at getting Egypt’s independence from Britain. Not only did this add to resentment that Egyptian people felt towards Britain, it added to the growing anger the Egyptian people felt towards the Egyptian ruling class. Farouk had already proved his weakness to imperial powers in the February Fourth Incident when on February 4, 1942 the British Ambassador Sir Miles Lampson arranged a meeting with King Farouk to discuss the issue of the involvement of the Wafd party in Egyptian government. Lampson ordered British tanks and troops to surround King Farouk in Abdin Palace where the meeting was taking place. The British then gave Farouk the choice of allowing the Wafd to participate in government or abdicating the thrown. Needless to say, Farouk agreed to the first option and appointed a Wafdist Cabin...

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...h, Nasser had renewed dependence on a foreign power, he accepted the existence of Israel, and his social reforms did not last. All of the high expectations that Egyptians had for Nasser after the Suez Crisis were gone. Overall, Nasser’s term as President was marked by inspiration, activism, and encouragement. Upon his death however, Nasser left Egypt in disarray, despair, and in need of a new hero.

Works Cited

Bickerton, Ian, and Carla Klausner. A History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict Sixth Edition. New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc., 2010.

Cleveland, William, and Martin Bunton. A History of the Modern Middle East Fourth Edition. Boulder: Westview Press, 2009.

Kramer, Gudrun. A History of Palestine. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2008.

Laqueur, Walter, and Barry Rubin. The Israel-Arab Reader. New York: Penguin Books, 2008.