Presentation Transcript

1. (Relatively Modern) Egyptian History 1800s: Independent State (under the Ottoman Empire) Pasha (Khedive) Muhammad Ali 1850s: deLesseps & French build Suez Canal Forced Labor Opened 1869 1875: British buy controlling stake in canal from Ismail ($4 mill pounds) 1882: British Occupation 1888: Canal zone = neutral, under British protection 1914 (to end of WWI): Protectorate of the British
2. (Relatively Modern) Egyptian History 1919: Revolution Against British Occupation Wafd Party Nationalist, liberal, independence party 20s & 30s 1922 UK recognizes independence Why? 1923: Egyptian Constitution Developed by the Wafd 1936-1952: King Farouk I Tool of the British 1952: Egyptian Revolution / Military Coup Nasser The Constituent Assembly of 1923 was composed of only 30 members
3. The opening session of the 1924 parliament, headed by the King Article 3 of the 1923 constitution declared all Egyptians equal with the same political and civil rights. It also stressed that there should be no discrimination on the basis of race, language or religion Khedive Ismail's letter to Sherif Pasha, the prime minister, on the Shura Council regulations parliament convening in 1913 source: Magles Al-Shaab Al-Masry (The Egyptian People's Assembly), Bibliotheca Alexandrina, 2008
4. The Young Nasser Arab-Israeli War of 1948 Skilled tactician & strategist Promotion to instructor at Royal Military Academy 1949: Founded “Free Officers” movement 1952  military coup
5. “Free Officers” Movement Goal: Establish a democratic government by force Create a MODERN, Orderly, Viable state New regime led by Free Officers organizational skills, military discipline and authority Members of new government represented the ordinary people and not just the privileged people claimed to represent people  no other parties were needed Nasser originated from rural poor, symbolized the new Egypt, spoke their language and understood their plight “The Egyptian masses were to weak to start a revolutionary action to improve their lot, so we your brothers started it for you, but you are the revolution” (Nasser Speech) Officers became instant bureaucrats and cabinet ministers
6. Egypt  1952 Nasser: “The embodiment of what the Arab world wanted to be: assertive, independent and engaged in the construction of a new society freed from the imperial past and oriented towards a bright Arab future” (William Cleveland) King Farouk’s government was replaced with the Revolutionary Command Council (RCC) King sent into exile 1923 Constitution = withdrawn RCC obtained the right to rule Under new regime Nasser became Vice President and Naghib was President 1954  Nasser seizes power Naghib accused of being a tool of the communists & Muslim Brotherhood under house arrest (18 yrs – released by Sadat in ‘72)
7. 6 principles that grew out of the "Egyptian people's revolutionary will": 1. destruction of imperialism and its stooges among Egyptian traitors 2. ending of feudalism 3. ending monopoly and the domination of capital over the Government 4. establishment of social justice 5. building of a powerful national army 6. establishment of a sound democratic system
8. Goal: Modernize Egypt Topics to address: Poverty Ignorance “National oblivion” Neglect of Egypt’s infrastructure No sense of national identity or pride in Egypt 1956: New Constitution 1 Party State Arab Socialist Union representing people of Egypt Disillusionment with liberal government Elections did not take place… Redistribute Wealth What does that mean?
9. Installation at the Egyptian-American Joint Committee for Education, December 1955 IBM in Egypt IBM won its first contract in Egypt in 1953, and opened its first office in 1954 IBM's Cairo office Graduates of the IBM EAM school in August 1956
10. Islamic Modernization It’s definitely Modernization It’s definitely Socialism If this were anywhere other than post-colonial Egypt, would we be calling it Westernization?
11. Domestic Policies Centralize power within the presidency Aka Authoritarianism Democracy leaves the door open for bourgeois capitalist take over Not a theocracy Islam as state religion, not as state government And Non-Aligned with Cold War Power Players So not democratic or communist Political: Government structure, laws Single party state what happens to other groups? Economic: Policies, prices, wages, Arab socialism/Nasserism Social: Rights Education, arts Women, children Minorities
12. Repress the Opposition (SPS) Communist Party and the Muslim Brotherhood were severely repressed 1954: Attempted assassination of Nasser More than 4,000 MB activists arrested 6 MB leaders executed 1966: 1,000 Brothers are arrested 365 tried and the top leaders executed, including SayyidQutb Some argue that “When Nasser sent Qutb to the gallows in 1966, it sparked the birth of the jihadist movement” (CNN Opinion) Muslim Brotherhood Goal: State founded on Sharia law Islam dictates P-E-S direction of a state
13. Nasserism Arab nationalist political ideology + Arab Socialism 1950s & 1960s Focus on ending Western influence NAM
14. Domestic Policy  SocietyArab Socialism  Nasserism Social services provided Education reform Compulsory primary education Food and Shelter Food and clothing subsides Rent control & low cost housing Health care Increased funding of the health care system and the Ministry of Public Health Improve working conditions Minimum Wage Ban child employment under age 12
15. Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan president, to Al--Jazeera in 2006: Someone talked to me about his pessimism regarding the future of Arab nationalism. I told him I was optimistic, because the ideas of Nasser are still alive. Nasser was one of the greatest people of Arab history, to say the least, a Nasserist, ever since I was a young soldier.
16. From Modern Moderate to Authoritarian Appealing to the west Scary as all get up Arab-Israeli Relations  1956: Supports Jordan’s anti-British moves Diplomatic recognition of Communist China PRC since 1949 No US recognition until ‘70s PM Anthony Eden’s vendetta  Suez Crisis 1956 Educated, Modern, Moderate Land distribution program Economic development Aswan Dam World Bank Loan
17. Aswan Dam = Cold War Hot Spot Egypt sought foreign aid to build Aswan Dam Nile River U S & GB declined to help Egypt = political and military ties to USSR USSR rushes aid to Egypt Wedge drawn between Egypt and the West
18. Nasser Triumphant 1956 Suez Crisis Brits & French = disgraced US (Ike) have to step into Mid East USSR = crush Hungarian uprising as signal to the world, emerge as viable alternative in Mid East Israel = Military might & US support Nasser = Champion of the Arab World Oil can be used as a weapon of diplomacy (foreshadowing)
19. Domestic Policies  The Economy Nationalization of Suez (1956) Late 1957: Nationalization of remaining French & British assets in Egypt Aswan Dam Hydroelectricity Water control 1964: 1st stage of construction completed 1970: High Dam project completed 1952 Agrarian Reform Law Minimum wage Rental rates & lease durations Cooperatives 5 yr plan Heavy industrialization Continued under Sadat Soviet Investment (Aswan Dam) Cold War Tug of War US investment after 6 day war Eisenhower Doctrine
20. Non-Aligned Movement 1955: Bandung Conference 1961: NAM Founders: Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, & Yugoslavia Goals: National independence, sovereignty Territorial integrity Security of non-aligned countries in their struggle against  imperialism, colonialism, racism, foreign aggression, occupation, domination
21. United Arab Republic(Foreign meets Domestic policy) Founded in 1958 Union between Egypt and Syria President Gamal Abdul Nasser with Baath Party founders Michel Aflaq and Salah al-Bitar in 1958 / Aflaq (left) and Bitar were prime advocates of the Syrian-Egyptian Union and dissolved their party at will for the sake of the United Arab Republic (UAR)
22. Arab-Israeli Wars: A Brief History May 14, 1948: State of Israel declares independence Israeli War of Independence/ "al-Nakba" (The Disaster) (1948-1949) Invaded by 6 Arab nations: Egypt, Syria, Transjordan (later Jordan), Lebanon, Iraq and Saudi Arabia 1949 Armistice Agreements New borders of Israel = 78% of Mandatory Palestine 50% more than originally anticipated Gaza Strip = occupied by Egypt West Bank = occupied by Jordan
23. Six Day War June 5-10, 1967 Between Israel and an alliance of Egypt, Syria, and Jordan Egyptian military posturing Preemptive Israeli air strike Egypt closed Strait of Tiran to all Israeli ships and ships carrying supplies for Israel (again) Legal grounds to go to war under international law
24. Israeli Forces The Israeli army had a total strength, including reservists, of 264,000, though this number could not be sustained, as the reservists were vital to civilian life. James Reston, writing in The New York Times on May 23, 1967, noted "In discipline, training, morale, equipment and general competence his [Nasser's] army and the other Arab forces, without the direct assistance of the Soviet Union, are no match for the Israelis.... Even with 50,000 troops and the best of his generals and air force in Yemen, he has not been able to work his way in that small and primitive country, and even his effort to help the Congo rebels was a flop."
25. Six Day War  Israel Triumphant Arab armies = devastated Israel gained: Sinai Peninsula from Egypt West Bank from Jordan Golan Heights from Syria 1967:UN Resolution 242 Passed by UNSC Called for: Return of the territory seized by Israel Recognition of Israel by the Arab states Reaffirmation of the principle of free navigation Future peace and stability in the region.
26. 1956: Nasser Coup July 1956: Nationalization January 1957: US Adopts Eisenhower Doctrine Ex. US response to Suez Crisis, affirmation of renewed in region and acknowledgment of strategic location, oil, and Cold War significance Late 1957: Nationalization of remaining European assets March 1958: National Assembly closed Name: ________________ Key Events and Impacts in Modern Egyptian History  Nasser and the 1950s Directions: write the significance/impacts for each event 1950s: Free Officers Movement June 1956 Constitution October 1956-March 1957: Suez Crisis July 1957: National Assembly elections February 1958: UAR Declared (1958-1971) 1958: 5 Year Plan
27. January 1964: Arab League summit in Cairo 1964: Aswan Dam – first stage of construction completed 1966: Executed SayyedQutb, leader of the Muslim Brotherhood November 1967: Accept of UN Resolution 242 July 1970: High Dam completed October 1970: Anwar Sadat assumes Presidency (assassinated by fundamentalist army officers in 1981) October: 1973: Yom Kippur War Key Events and Impacts in Modern Egyptian History  From Nasser to Sadat 1961: Arab Socialism (Oct. 1961: confiscated property from “reactionary capitalists”) 1964: President of Non-Aligned Movement, 2nd NAM conference held in Cairo March 1965: Re-elected President (6 yr. term) May 1967: Six Day War January 1968: War of Attrition with Israel (1967-1970) 28 September 1970: Death of Nasser 1971: Collapse of the UAR
28. June 1956 New Constitution -Islam -President (6 yrs) -Universal suffrage -National Assembly March 1958 National Assembly closed -UAR declared July 1956 Suez Canal Nationalized Wary of more democratic measures benefit of the bourgeois October 1956 – March 1957 Suez Crisis July 1957 National Assembly Elections -Women voted -Poor underrepresented 1950s Free Officers Movement & Coup  1956 Nasser Coup RawyaAttiya, in military garb, canvassing the support that would make her Egypt's first female parliamentarian (1957)
29. The man at the tap
30. Jankowski, James P. Nasser's Egypt, Arab Nationalism, and the United Arab Republic. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner, 2001. Print
31. Robert Stephens Nasser (1971) Although afraid of creating a military dictatorship, Nasser and the Free Officers banned opposition parties, student groups, and trade unions, in hopes of creating a mass movement of the people behind the Liberation Rally – but Nasser was dismayed to find the masses did not follow the army’s charge, but hung back as on-lookers. Anthony Nutting from Nasser (1972) But at the outset, Nasser’s aims and ambitions were strictly limited to the eviction of the British. Far from being directed against the throne, his initial object was, so he subsequently told me, to try and put some stuffing into the king and by creating a military opposition to British imperialism within the army, to strength Farouk’s resistance to further encroachments on Egypt’s sovereignty. Neither Nasser nor his conspirators had any love for the king or his palace clique. Peter Mansfield, A History of the Middle East (1991) The years 1956-1959 marked the high tide of Nasserism as he seemed to sweep all before him. His appeal to the Arabs – especially the younger generation, who formed the majority – was overwhelming. They saw him as a modern Saladin who would unite them in order to drive out the Zionists, the crusaders of the 20th century. The danger for Nasser was that he was rising expectations which neither he nor Egypt could fulfill. Said Aburish, Nasser: The Last Arab (2004) There is no escaping the conclusion that Nasser represented an odd type of dictator. He manifested a need to be loved. . . which most other dictators do not have. His dictatorship was a mixture of populism and a need to be accepted as a man of principle.
32. Anne Alexander’s Nasser (2005) By the 1952 coup, Nasser’s claim that parliament democracy would return seemed highly unlikely and Nasser himself claimed “in a year and half we have been able to wipe out corruption. If the right to vote were restored, the same landowners would be elected – the feudal interest. We don’t want the capitalists and the wealthy back in power. If we open the government to them now, the revolution might just as well be forgotten . . .” Despite widespread poverty and illiteracy, Egyptian agriculture was actually highly capitalized, mechanized and well integrated into the world economy. But the Officers’ campaign struck a social and emotional chord with millions. Martin Meredith, The State of Africa (2006) Yet whatever disasters befell Egypt, Nasser never lost his popularity with the masses. When after the 1967 defeat , he announced his resignation, popular protests propelled him back into office. His reputation as the man who stripped the old ruling class of their power, nationalized their wealth, booted out foreigners, restored to Egypt a sense of dignity and self-respect and led the country towards national regeneration – all of this counted for far more than the setbacks. Eric Hobsbawm in Revolutionaries (2007) Although illegal in the use of force, the military takeover was a genuinely innovating military regime of the type that appear where the necessity of social revolution is evident, where several of the objective conditions of it are present, but also where the social bases or institutions of civilian life are too feeble to carry it out. The armed forces, being in some cases, the only available force with the capacity to take and carry out decisions, may have to take the place of civilian forces, even to the point of turning their officers into administrators.