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Name:
Gamal Abdal Nasser
Gamal Nasser
Date:
Born: January 15, 1918 in Alexandria, Egypt
Died: September 28, 1970 in Cairo, Egypt
Led Coup in Egypt: 1952
Became Premier of Egypt: February 25, 1954
Biography:
Gamal Abdal Nasser is widely regarded as one of the most important leaders in the history
of the modern Arab Middle East. He is frequently cited as an example and model for Arab
nationalism, Muslim nationalism, and Arab resistance of Western power, Western interests,
and Western domination of the Middle East. At the same time, he also came from very humble
beginnings - he was born in a mud hut in the town of Beni Mor, 200 miles south of Cairo.
A graduate of Egypt's military academy, he had a distinguished service record and participated in the 1948 war against Israel. Dissatisfied with the way Egypt was being run, he became an active participant in plans to overthrow the regime and replace it with a secular government modeled along European lines. He was the leader of the group which initiated the coup against King Farouk I of Egypt in 1952; in 1954 he had Muhammad Naguib, leader of Egypt, arrested and assumed the position of premier himself. Two years later, as the only candidate, he was elected the first president of Egypt.
Nasser's long-range goal was Pan-Arabism, the creation of an Arab super-state that stretched across the Middle East. Before that, however, he needed to unite the existing Arab states on more and more issues, using primarily their resentment against the West as a factor which could create agreement where there was otherwise just bickering. Nasser's popularity with people across the Middle East was heightened considerably when he nationalize the Suez Canal in 1956. Britain and France, with support from Israel, launched a war against Egypt in order to regain control of the Canal, but pressure from the United States and the Soviet Union forced them to withdraw. This was generally ignored by people who instead focused on the fact that Nasser never compromised and never gave up, making him a hero in their eyes.
In 1958 Nasser's dream of an Arab super-state started to become realized when Egypt and Syria merged to form the United Arab Republic. Plans were underway to include Yemen as well, but internal conflicts forced the United Arab Republic to dissolve in 1961. Egypt, however, continued to use that name until 1971.
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Alternate Spellings: none
Common Misspellings: none
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