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2nd
July 1962
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| Establishment
of the Arab Socialist Union (ASU) |
The
draft charter for national action published in May
1962 proclaimed that Egypt was to embark on a course
based on the principles of scientific socialism. Egypt
was the vanguard of the revolution in Arab world,
the objectives of which were freedom, unity and socialism.
To
put into operation a large number of socialist measures,
the charter decreed the setting of a third mass organisation
- the Arab Socialist Union (ASU). It was much more
organised than the Liberation Rally and the National
Union and had a visible ideology, yet its development
was hindered by the presence of army officers and
the lack of trained officials.
The
base of the ASU was school units, factories, villages
and city districts. Above these were groups of several
units, which in turn were combined at the governmental
level. At the top were the National Congress, the
General Central Committee and the real power, the
Supreme Executive Committee, which included some of
the regime's leading personalities with Gamal Abdel-Nasser
as chairman.
Soon after the establishment of the ASU, Egypt faced
the 1967 setback. The short period between the establishment
of the ASU and the defeat of 1967 showed that the
socialist system was not strong enough to oppose the
Israelis and that Nasser's personal system was strong
enough to overcome a catastrophic defeat. The system
survived despite strong criticism until Nasser's death. |
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23rd
July 1952
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July
Revolution
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The
July Revolution was a peaceful movement that was executed
by a group of army officers to dethrone the king and
proclaim Egypt a republic. On the night of 22 July,
significant government buildings were seized. The
next morning, armoured cars encircled the military
area at Abbasiya, tanks took up position at strategic
points, Anwar Sadat and assistants took over the radio
station, and some 12 generals were arrested. The army
and the city passed into the hands of the revolutionists
with hardly a shot fired.
The
coup was announced in the name of the army on behalf
of the whole nation and not of a specific party. The
first announcement after the revolution contained
no precise announcements of goals and plans other
than "cleansing the nation of tyrants and to
reform the constitutional life of the country."
The
Revolutionary Command Council was soon established.
The regime's first declared objective was the expulsion
of the British and to start negotiations for the evacuation
of the Suez Canal zone. The direction of domestic
policy was established by the agrarian reform law
of September, by which no one was permitted to hold
more than 200 feddans (one feddan is approximately
equal to one acre) of land.
The
regime also set out to eliminate possible opposition,
from the Wafd and the Ikhwan. In January 1953, all
parties were dissolved and a mass organisation, the
Liberation Rally, was launched in an attempt to fill
the vacuum between the people and the regime. The
monarchy was soon abolished and the Republic of Egypt
established. Mohammed Naguib became president and
other officers took over key ministries. Direct military
rule was established with the civilian and parliamentary
government dismantled.
The
six prime goals of the revolution were: the eradication
of imperialism; abolishment of feudalism; eradication
of monopolisation; establishment of social justice;
the building of a strong national army; and establishment
of sound democratic rule.
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26th
July 1956
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Nationalisation
of the Suez Canal
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US
Secretary of State John Foster Dulles' withdrawal
of the US offer to assist in the construction of
the Aswan High Dam provided Gamal Abdel-Nasser with
a convenient excuse for deferring the political
reconstruction of Egypt. In retaliation, Nasser
announced the nationalisation of the Suez Canal
Company.
For
Nasser, it was a moment of glory that rallied unprecedented
popular support. He was a hero in the eyes of the
nation. The West responded harshly, but the new
unity of Egypt was demonstrated during the tripartite
aggression against it from Britain, France and Israel.
The Suez Canal cities resisted and while bombs landed
near Cairo, the city's life continued as usual.
It was wrongly believed that Egyptian resistance
would collapse and that Nasser's government would
tumble after the first aerial bombardment. Yet Egypt
was stronger than the attack and came out more powerful,
with full control over the canal.
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26th
July 1962
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Free
Education for All Decree
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After
Egypt's partial independence in 1922, Egyptian education
policy passed through different stages. In 1925,
in compliance with the declaration on human rights,
which stipulates that everyone has the right to
learn and that education should be free and compulsory
at least in its elementary stages, elementary education
in Egypt became compulsory. During the same year,
a law was passed to combat illiteracy by means of
a programme that was to have been completed within
10 years. Yet it fell short of the mark as it required
extensive building of schools and other facilities.
In
1953, legislation was set to organise education
policy. Primary education was decreed free in May
1953 and this was followed by the provision of free
secondary education. A comprehensive law was issued
in July 1962 decreeing all education free. This
came in compliance with the socialist philosophy
adopted in Egypt at that time which considered education
a valuable investment for manpower.
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29th
July 1937
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Farouq
Appointed King
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When
King Fouad died on 28 April 1936, authority was transferred
to his son Farouq, who ascended to the throne on 6
May 1936. By 29 July 1937, the Regency Council period
came to an end and the new king assumed full constitutional
powers.
The
15-year period of Farouq's reign witnessed a lot of
crucial events in Egyptian history, including the
convention of the Montreux Treaty, according to which
the capitulation system was abolished; the abolishment
of the 1936 Treaty; and the establishment of the University
of Alexandria.
On
26 July 1952, Farouq was asked by the Revolutionary
Command Council to abdicate the throne and leave the
country. The king left for Italy with his family,
where he remained till his death on 18 March 1965
in Rome.
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