Nasser, Suez and Arab Nationalism

Born in a village on the river Nile in 1918, Gamal Abdul Nasser came from a modest background (his father was a postal worker) but was able to gain admission to the Egyptian Military Academy. Like millions of other Arabs, in Egypt and elsewhere, he was devastated by defeat at the hands of the Israelis in 1949. This defeat was to be the catalyst for the overthrow of the monarchy in Egypt and the growth of Arab nationalism.

Many Egyptians, especially in the army, blamed their government and, in particular, King Farouk for their country’s weakness and their defeat by the Israelis. Some of the younger army officers accused the authorities of supplying them with poor equipment and incompetent commanders. A group of these young officers, Nasser among them, secretly plotted to overthrow the government. They took their time, building up support within the army while avoiding being uncovered or captured by the security police. In July 1952, they struck, taking over key government buildings and announcing the success of the revolution over the radio.