Gamal Abdel Nasser

President of Egypt from 1956 to 1970

Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein[1] (15 January 1918 – 28 September 1970) was the second President of Egypt from 1956 until his death. Along with Mohamed Naguib, the first President, he led the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 which overthrew the monarchy of Egypt and Sudan, and brought in a new period of change in Egypt. This change made Egypt a more socialist and modern country. In 1954 the Muslim Brotherhood tried to kill Nasser and he arrested President Naquib. Nasser ruled the country, and became president in 1956. He promoted pan-Arab nationalism, including a union with Syria that did not last very long.

Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein
جمال عبد الناصر حسين
Head and shoulders of a man in his forties smiling. He has dark hair that is pulled back, a long forehead, thick eyebrows and a mustache. He is wearing a gray jacket and a white shirt with a tie.
Portrait of Gamal Abdel Nasser
2nd President of Egypt
1st President of the United Arab Republic (UAR)
In office
23 June 1956 – 28 September 1970
Vice PresidentAnwar Sadat(1969–1970)
Ali Sabri(1965–1968)
Zakaria Mohieddine(1961–1967)
Hussein el-Shafei(1961–1965)
Kamal el-Din Hussein(1961–1964)
Abdel Hakim Amer(1958–1965)
Abdel Latif Boghdadi (1958-1962)
Akram al-Hawrani(1958–1960)
Preceded byMohamed Naguib
Succeeded byAnwar Sadat
2nd Secretary General of Non-Aligned Movement
In office
5 October 1964 – 8 September 1970
Preceded byJosip Broz Tito
Succeeded byKenneth Kaunda
2nd Chairman of the Organization of African Unity
In office
17 July 1964 – 21 October 1965
Preceded byHaile Selassie
Succeeded byKwame Nkrumah
Prime Minister of United Arab Republic
In office
1 February 1958 – 29 September 1962
Succeeded byAli Sabri
Prime Minister of Egypt
In office
18 April 1954 – 1 February 1958
Preceded byMuhammad Naguib
Vice Chairman of the Egyptian Revolutionary Command Council (RCC)
In office
23 July 1952 – 23 June 1954
Personal details
Born(1918-01-15)15 January 1918
Alexandria, Egypt
Died28 September 1970(1970-09-28) (aged 52)
Cairo, Egypt
NationalityEgyptian
Political partyArab Socialist Union
Spouse(s)Tahia Kazem
ChildrenHoda Abdel Nasser
Mona Abdel Nasser
Khalid Abdel Nasser (deceased)
Abdel Hamid Abdel Nasser
Abdel Hakim Abdel Nasser
OccupationMilitary instructor
Military service
Branch/serviceEgyptian Army
Years of service1938–1952
RankColonel
Battles/wars1948 Arab-Israeli War

Nasser is seen as one of the most important political figures in modern Arab history and politics. Under his leadership, Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal and other industries, and became important in stopping imperialism in the Arab World and Africa. He was also important in starting the Non-Aligned Movement. Nasser's version of pan-Arabism, which is often called "Nasserism", was very popular in the Arab world during the 1950s and 1960s. Even after the Israeli victory over the Arab armies in the Six-Day War damaged the way the public saw him, many Arabs still view Nasser as a symbol of Arab dignity and freedom.

References change

  1. Arabic: جمال عبد الناصر حسين, Egyptian Arabic IPA: ɡæˈmæːl ʕæbdenˈnɑːsˤeɾ ħeˈseːn