Biography Of Gamal Abdel Nasser

Table of Contents

EARLY LIFE

Nasser was born on 15 January 1918 in Bakos, Alexandria, Egypt. Nasser’s father was Abdel Nasser Hussein and his mother was Fahima Nasser. Nasser’s father was a postal worker.
Nasser attended a primary school for the children of railway employees until 1924, when he was sent to live with his paternal uncle in Cairo, and to attend the Nahhasin elementary school.
In 1928, Nasser went to Alexandria to live with his maternal grandfather and attend the city’s Attarin elementary school.He left in 1929 for a private boarding school in Helwan.It was in Alexandria that Nasser became involved in political activism.

EARLY LIFE

After witnessing clashes between protesters and police in Manshia Square, he joined the demonstration without being aware of its purpose.
Nasser was arrested and detained for a night before his father bailed him out. Nasser joined the paramilitary wing of the group, known as the Green Shirts, for a brief period in 1934.
When his father was transferred to Cairo in 1933, Nasser joined him and attended al-Nahda al-Masria school.He took up acting in school plays for a brief period and wrote articles for the school’s paper.

THE RISING

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.
Nasser was greatly influenced by Egyptian nationalism. In 1937, Nasser applied to the Royal Military Academy for army officer training. After graduating from the academy in July 1938, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the infantry.
In 1941, Nasser was posted to Khartoum, Sudan, which was part of Egypt at the time. Nasser returned to Egypt in September 1942.

THE RISING

Nasser’s first battlefield experience was in Palestine during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. After the war, Nasser returned to his role as an instructor at the Royal Military Academy.
He sent emissaries to forge an alliance with the Muslim Brotherhood in October 1948, but soon concluded that the religious agenda of the Brotherhood was not compatible with his nationalism.
From then on, Nasser prevented the Brotherhood’s influence over his cadres’ activities without severing ties with the organization.

JULY REVOLUTION

After 1949, the Nasser group adopted the name “Association of Free Officers” and advocated “little else but freedom and the restoration of their country’s dignity”.
In the 1950 parliamentary elections, the Wafd Party of el-Nahhas gained a victory. Nasser felt that the Free Officers were not ready to move against the government and, for nearly two years, he did little beyond officer recruitment and underground news bulletins.
On 25 January 1952, a confrontation between British forces and police at Ismailia caused 40 Egyptian policemen to die, provoking riots in Cairo the next day which left 76 people dead.

JULY REVOLUTION

The Free Officers’ intention was not to install themselves in government, but to re-establish a parliamentary democracy.
The revolution they had long sought was launched on 22 July 1952 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.
Under pressure from the Americans, Nasser had agreed to exile the deposed king with an honorary ceremony.

JULY REVOLUTION

On 18 June 1953, the monarchy was abolished and the Republic of Egypt declared, with Naguib as its first president.
The Free Officers then governed as the Revolutionary Command Council (RCC) with Naguib as chairman and Nasser as vice-chairman.
On 7 September. Naguib assumed the additional role of prime minister, and Nasser that of deputy prime minister. In January 1953, Nasser overcame opposition from Naguib and banned all political parties, creating a one-party system.

PRESIDENT

On 25 February 1954, Naguib announced his resignation after the RCC held an official meeting.On 26 February, Nasser accepted the resignation, put Naguib under house arrest,and the RCC proclaimed Nasser as both RCC chairman and prime minister.
Between April and June, hundreds of Naguib’s supporters in the military were either arrested or dismissed.
At the Bandung Conference in Indonesia in late April 1955, Nasser was treated as the leading representative of the Arab countries and was one of the most popular figures at the summit.

PRESIDENT

In January 1956, the new Constitution of Egypt was drafted, entailing the establishment of a single-party system under the National Union (NU).
A 350-member National Assembly was established,elections for which were held in July 1957. The constitution granted women’s suffrage, prohibited gender-based discrimination, and entailed special protection for women in the workplace.
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

NASSERISM

On 26 July 1956, Nasser 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.
By 1957, pan-Arabism had become the dominant ideology in the Arab world, and the average Arab citizen considered Nasser his undisputed leader.
By the end of 1957, Nasser nationalized all remaining British and French assets in Egypt, including the tobacco, cement, pharmaceutical, and phosphate industries

NASSERISM

When efforts to offer tax incentives and attract outside investments yielded no tangible results, he nationalized more companies and made them a part of his economic development organization.
He stopped short of total government control: two-thirds of the economy was still in private hands.This effort achieved a measure of success, with increased agricultural production and investment in industrialization.
Nasser initiated the Helwan steelworks, which subsequently became Egypt’s largest enterprise, providing the country with product and tens of thousands of jobs.Nasser also decided to cooperate with the Soviet Union in the construction of the Aswan Dam to replace the withdrawal of US funds.

NASSERISM

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.
Nasser introduced the National Charter in 1962 and a new constitution. 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.
During the presidential referendum in Egypt, Nasser was re-elected to a second term as UAR president and took his oath on 25 March 1965.

LATER YEARS

Nasser appointed himself the additional roles of prime minister and supreme commander of the armed forces on 19 June 1967 after 7 years war.
On 30 March, Nasser proclaimed a manifesto stipulating the restoration of civil liberties, greater parliamentary independence from the executive, major structural changes to the ASU, and a campaign to rid the government of corrupt elements.
Nasser appointed Sadat and Hussein el-Shafei as his vice presidents in December 1969. Meanwhile, in January 1968, Nasser commenced the War of Attrition to reclaim territory captured by Israel, ordering attacks against Israeli positions east of the then-blockaded Suez Canal

DEATH

In June 1970, Nasser accepted the US-sponsored Rogers Plan, which called for an end to hostilities and an Israeli withdrawal from Egyptian territory.
Following Nasser’s acceptance, Israel agreed to a ceasefire.The offensive elevated risks of a regional war and prompted Nasser to hold an emergency Arab League summit on 27 September in Cairo,where he forged a ceasefire.
On 28 September 1970, Nasser suffered a heart attack. He was immediately transported to his house, where his physicians tended to him. Nasser died several hours later, around 6 p.m