Gamal Abdel Nasser

Following a 1954 assassination attempt on his life by a Muslim Brotherhood member, he cracked down on the organization, put President Mohamed Naguib under house arrest and assumed executive office.

[13][23] On 13 November 1935, Nasser led a student demonstration against British rule, protesting against a statement made four days prior by UK foreign minister Samuel Hoare that rejected prospects for the 1923 Constitution's restoration.

[36] Convinced that he needed a wasta, or 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.

[45] According to veteran journalist Eric Margolis, the defenders of Faluja, "including young army officer Gamal Abdel Nasser, became national heroes" for enduring Israeli bombardment while isolated from their command.

[54] Nasser organized the Free Officers' founding committee, which eventually comprised fourteen men from different social and political backgrounds, including representation from Young Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood, the Egyptian Communist Party, and the aristocracy.

[59] In January 1952, he and Hassan Ibrahim attempted to kill the royalist general Hussein Sirri Amer by firing their submachine guns at his car as he drove through the streets of Cairo.

[84] On 26 October 1954, Muslim 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.

When it became apparent to him that Western countries would not supply Egypt under acceptable financial and military terms,[93][94][95] Nasser turned to the Eastern Bloc and concluded a US$320,000,000 armaments agreement with Czechoslovakia on 27 September.

[94] The arms deal led to increased unease in the United States, where Nasser was compared to Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler, causing it to strengthen its relations with Israel and become more wary of Egypt as a result.

[112] In addition, Nasser's adherence to neutralism regarding the Cold War, recognition of communist China, and arms deal with the Eastern bloc alienated the United States.

[173] While most members of the Iraqi Revolutionary Command Council (RCC) favored Iraqi-UAR unity,[184] Qasim sought to keep Iraq independent and resented Nasser's large popular base in the country.

[197] Al-Badr and his tribal partisans began receiving increasing support from Saudi Arabia to help reinstate the kingdom, while Nasser subsequently accepted a request by Sallal to militarily aid the new government on 30 September.

[210] Its declared purpose was to solidify international non-alignment and promote world peace amid the Cold War, end colonization, and increase economic cooperation among developing countries.

[214] To achieve this, he initiated several reforms to modernize al-Azhar, which serves as the de facto leading authority in Sunni Islam, and to ensure its prominence over the Muslim Brotherhood and the more conservative Wahhabism promoted by Saudi Arabia.

[221] In October 1961, Nasser embarked on a major nationalization program for Egypt, believing the total adoption of socialism was the answer to his country's problems and would have prevented Syria's secession.

[215] The charter called for universal health care, affordable housing, vocational schools, greater women's rights and a family planning program, as well as widening the Suez Canal.

[251][252] He announced his resignation on television later that day, and ceded all presidential powers to his then-Vice President Zakaria Mohieddin, who had no prior information of this decision and refused to accept the post.

[259] At the 29 August Arab League summit in Khartoum, Nasser's usual commanding position had receded as the attending heads of state expected Saudi King Faisal to lead.

His supporters claimed Nasser's move was meant to buy time to prepare for another confrontation with Israel, while his detractors believed his acceptance of the resolution signaled a waning interest in Palestinian independence.

[265] Angry at the military court's perceived leniency with air force officers charged with negligence during the 1967 war, workers and students launched protests calling for major political reforms in late February 1968.

[277] In June 1970, Nasser accepted the US-sponsored Rogers Plan, which called for an end to hostilities and an Israeli withdrawal from Egyptian territory, but it was rejected by Israel, the PLO, and most Arab states except Jordan.

[298] During his presidency, ordinary citizens enjoyed unprecedented access to housing, education, jobs, health services and nourishment, as well as other forms of social welfare, while feudalistic influence waned.

By the end of his presidency, employment and working conditions improved considerably, although poverty was still high in the country and substantial resources allocated for social welfare had been diverted to the war effort.

[301] Egypt experienced a "golden age" of culture during Nasser's presidency, according to historian Joel Gordon, particularly in film, television, theater, radio, literature, fine arts, comedy, poetry, and music.

[316] General malaise in Egyptian society, particularly during the Mubarak era, augmented nostalgia for Nasser's presidency, which increasingly became associated with the ideals of national purpose, hope, social cohesion, and vibrant culture.

"[291] Historian Steven A. Cook wrote in July 2013, "Nasser's heyday still represents, for many, the last time that Egypt felt united under leaders whose espoused principles met the needs of ordinary Egyptians.

[299] Nasser's Egyptian detractors considered him a dictator who thwarted democratic progress, imprisoned thousands of dissidents, and led a repressive administration responsible for numerous human rights violations.

[332] Historian Abd al-Azim Ramadan wrote that Nasser was an irrational and irresponsible leader, blaming his inclination to solitary decision-making for Egypt's losses during the Suez War, among other events.

[342] To varying degrees,[37] Nasser's statist system of government was continued in Egypt and emulated by virtually all Arab republics,[343] namely Algeria, Syria, Iraq, Tunisia, Yemen, Sudan, and Libya.

[362] Nasser's personal hobbies included playing chess, photography, watching American films, reading Arabic, English, and French magazines, and listening to classical music.

Two seated men in military uniform and wearing fez hats
Nasser (center) with Ahmed Mazhar (left) in army, 1940
Eight men in dressed in military fatigues standing before an organized assembly of weapons, mostly rifles and mortar. The first man from the left is not wearing a hat, while the remaining seven are wearing hats.
Nasser (first from left) with his unit in the Faluja pocket , displaying weapons captured from the Israeli Army during the 1948 war .
Eight men in dressed in military uniform, posing in a room around a rectangular table. All the men, except for third and fifth persons from the left are seated. The third and fifth person from the left are standing.
The Free Officers after the coup, 1953. Counterclockwise: Zakaria Mohieddin , Abdel Latif Boghdadi , Kamel el-Din Hussein (standing), Nasser (seated), Abdel Hakim Amer , Mohamed Naguib , Youssef Seddik , and Ahmad Shawki.
Three men seated and observing an event. The first man from the left is wearing a suit and fez, the second man is wearing a military uniform, and the third man is wearing military uniform with a cap. Behind them are three men standing, all dressed in military uniform. In the background is ab audience seated in bleachers
Leaders of Egypt following the ouster of King Farouk, November 1952. Seated, left to right: Sulayman Hafez , Mohamed Naguib and Nasser
Two smiling men in military uniform seated in an open-top automobile. The first man on the left is pointing his hand in a gesture. Behind the automobile are men in uniform walking away from the vehicle
Nasser (right) and Mohamed Naguib (left) during celebrations marking the second anniversary of the 1952 revolution, July 1954
Five men in military uniforms standing in a row, with the three in the middle saluting
Nasser and Naguib saluting at the opening of the Suez Canal
Nasser laughing at the Muslim Brotherhood for suggesting in 1953 that women should be required to wear the hijab and that Islamic law should be enforced across the country.
A letter written in Arabic with the seal of the RCC at the top
Liberation organization in Alexandria invitation to Nasser speech 26 October 1954
Sound recording of 1954 assassination attempt on Nasser while he was addressing a crowd in Manshia, Alexandria .
A man standing in an open-top vehicle and waving to a crowd of people surrounding the vehicle. There are several men seated in the vehicle and in another trailing vehicle, all dressed in military uniform
Nasser greeted by crowds in Alexandria one day after his announcement of the British withdrawal and the assassination attempt against him, 27 October 1954.
President Nasser receives a delegation of Christian bishops from Dakahlia , Qena , Qus and Sohag (1965)
Six men seated on a rug. The first two men from the left are dressed in white robes and white headdresses, the third and fourth men are dressed in military uniform, and the last two are wearing robes and headdresses
Nasser and Imam Ahmad of North Yemen facing the camera, Prince Faisal of Saudi Arabia in white robes in the background, Amin al-Husayni of the All-Palestine Government in the foreground at the Bandung Conference , April 1955
A man wearing a suit inserting a piece of paper into a box. He is being photographed by cameramen
Nasser submitting his vote for the referendum of the proposed constitution, 23 June 1956
A man in military uniform raising a flag up a pole. Behind him are other uniformed men and others wearing traditional, civilian dress
Nasser raising the Egyptian flag over the Suez Canal city of Port Said to celebrate the final British military withdrawal from the country, June 1956
Nasser giving a speech at the opening of the Suez Canal
Movietone newsreels reporting Nasser's nationalization of the Suez Canal and both domestic and Western reactions
Five men standing side by side behind a table with documents on it. All the men are wearing suits and ties, with the exception of the man in the middle, who is wearing a traditional robe and headdress. There are three men standing behind them.
The signing of the regional defense pact between Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Jordan, January 1957. At the forefront, from left right: Prime Minister Sulayman al-Nabulsi of Jordan, King Hussein of Jordan , King Saud of Saudi Arabia , Nasser, Prime Minister Sabri al-Asali of Syria
Nasser's announcement of the United Arab Republic, 23 February 1958
Newsreel clip about Nasser and Quwatli's establishment of United Arab Republic
Three men sitting next to each other, two of whom are wearing suits and ties, with the man in the middle wearing a traditional robe and headdress.
Nasser seated alongside Crown Prince Muhammad al-Badr of North Yemen (center) and Shukri al-Quwatli (right), February 1958. North Yemen joined the UAR to form the United Arab States , a loose confederation.
Two men standing side by side in the forefront, wearing overcoats. Behind them are several men in military uniform or suits and ties standing and saluting or making no gestures.
Nasser (right) and Lebanese president Fuad Chehab (to Nasser's right) at the Syrian–Lebanese border during talks to end the crisis in Lebanon . Akram al-Hawrani stands third to Nasser's left, and Abdel Hamid Sarraj stands to Chehab's right, March 1959.
The back of a man waving to the throng below
Nasser waving to crowds in Damascus , Syria, October 1960
Three important men walking alongside each other.
Nasser (center) receiving Algerian president Ahmed Ben Bella (right) and Iraqi president Abdel Salam Aref (left) for the Arab League summit in Alexandria, September 1964. Ben Bella and Aref were close allies of Nasser.
Several men in different clothing standing before a crowd of people.
Nasser before Yemeni crowds on his arrival to Sana'a , April 1964. In front of Nasser and giving a salute is Yemeni President Abdullah al-Sallal
Several men walking forward, side by side. There are five men in the forefront, all wearing suits and ties. In the background is an ornate building with two minarets and a dome.
Government officials attending Friday prayers at al-Azhar Mosque , 1959. From left to right; Interior Minister Zakaria Mohieddin , Nasser, Social Affairs Minister Hussein el-Shafei and National Union Secretary Anwar Sadat
To the left, a man in a suit and tie is standing at a podium in front of the Egyptian flag. To the right, a crowd of people watch, most of whom are men in suits. Some of the men are holding a camera.
Nasser being sworn in for a second term as Egypt's president, 25 March 1965
Three important men walking in a hall, the first and the third are in military garb, the second is in a suit and tie. Behind them are three other men
Nasser (center), King Hussein of Jordan (left) and Egyptian Army Chief of Staff Abdel Hakim Amer (right) at the Supreme Command of the Armed Forces headquarters in Cairo before signing a mutual defense pact , 30 May 1967
Khartoum Arab Summit, 1967
Some of the attending heads of state at the Arab League Summit in Khartoum following the Six-Day War. From left to right: Faisal of Saudi Arabia, Nasser, Abdullah al-Sallal of Yemen, Sabah Al-Salim Al-Sabah of Kuwait and Abd al-Rahman Arif of Iraq, 2 September 1967
A crowd of people, many waving. One person is holding up a portrait of a man
Egyptian demonstrators protesting Nasser's resignation, 1967
A video clip of Nasser's resignation speech
A man wearing suit peering out across a body of water with binoculars from an opening in dirt mound. Behind him are three men in military uniform
Nasser observing the Suez front with Egyptian officers during the 1968 War of Attrition . General Commander Mohamed Fawzi is directly behind Nasser, and to their left is Chief of Staff Abdel Moneim Riad , November 1968
Three important seated men conferring. The first man from the left is wearing a checkered headdress, sunglasses and jodhpurs, the second man is wearing a suit and tie, and the third is wearing military uniform. Standing behind them are suited men.
Nasser brokering a ceasefire between Yasser Arafat of the PLO (left) and King Hussein of Jordan (right) at the emergency Arab League summit in Cairo on 27 September 1970, one day before Nasser's death
Throngs of people marching in a thoroughfare that is adjacent to a body of water
Nasser's funeral procession attended by five million mourners in Cairo, 1 October 1970
The front side of a mosque with only one minaret containing a clock.
Gamal Abdel Nasser Mosque in Cairo, the site of his burial
Two men conferring with each other, both are wearing suits and the man on the left is also wearing sunglasses. Three men are standing around them, with one holding a number of objects in his hand
Nasser presenting prominent and blind writer Taha Hussein (standing in front of Nasser) with a national honors prize for literature, 1959
A man on his knees looking up to a man sitting and holding his hand and wearing sun glasses, has his right hand on his shoulder and is talking to him. In the background there are men in military uniform all looking on the kneeling man.
Nasser speaking to a homeless Egyptian man and offering him a job, after the man was found sleeping below the stage where Nasser was seated, 1959
A man wearing a suit and tie with his upper body jutting out, waving his hand to crowds of people, many dressed in traditional clothing and holding posters of the man or three-striped, two-star flags
Nasser waving to crowds in Mansoura , 1960
Two men in suits seated next to each other with their arms resting on a table
Anwar Sadat (left) and Nasser in the National Assembly, 1964. Sadat succeeded Nasser as president in 1970 and significantly departed from Nasser's policies throughout his rule.
Three men walking side by side. The man in the middle is wearing a suit, while the two to his side are wearing military uniforms and hats. There are a few other men in uniform walking behind them
Jaafar Nimeiry of Sudan (left), Nasser, and Muammar Gaddafi of Libya (right) at the Tripoli Airport , 1969. Nimeiry and Gaddafi were influenced by Nasser's pan-Arabist ideas and the latter sought to succeed him as "leader of the Arabs".
A group of related people posing outdoors. From left to right, there are three women dressed in shirts and long skirts, three boys dressed in suits and ties and a man in a suit and tie
Nasser and his family in Manshiyat al-Bakri, 1963. From left to right, his daughter Mona, his wife Tahia Kazem , daughter Hoda, son Abdel Hakim, son Khaled , son Abdel Hamid, and Nasser.
Nasser practices photography at his home in Cairo, 1969
Nasser with his wife Tahia in his home in Cairo in 1969
Coat of arms of Egypt
Coat of arms of Egypt
French mandate
French mandate
First Syrian Republic
First Syrian Republic
Second Syrian Republic
Second Syrian Republic
United Arab Republic
United Arab Republic
Second Syrian Republic
Second Syrian Republic
Ba'athist Syria
Ba'athist Syria
Transitional period
Transitional period