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{{Short description|Republic in Northern Africa, 1953–1958}}
{{Infobox country
| demonym = [[Egyptians|{{!}}Egyptian]]
| p1 = Kingdom of Egypt
| conventional_long_namenative_name = {{native name|ar|جمهورية مصر}}<br />{{nowrap|{{small|{{transliteration|ar|Al-Jumhuriat Al-MisreyyaMisr}}|italics=yes}}}}
| conventional_long_name = Republic of Egypt
| common_name = Egypt
| image_map = {{Switcher|[[File:Egypt 1953(orthographic projection).svg|frameless]]|Egypt before 1956|[[File:EGY orthographic.svg|upright=1.15|frameless]]|Egypt after 1956|default=1}}
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| era = [[Arab Cold War]]
| flag_type = [[Flag of Egypt|Flag]]<br><nowiki> (1953–1958)</nowiki>
| image_flag image_flag2 = Flag of Egypt (1922–19521953–1958).svg
| image_coat = Coat of arms of Egypt (1953–1958).svg
| largest_city = Capital
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| religion = [[Islam]]
| stat_year1 = 1953
| today = {{Flag|[[Egypt}}]]<br>{{flag|Palestine}}<br> ([[Gaza Strip]])<br>{{flag|[[Sudan}}]]<br> ([[Republic of the Sudan (1956–1969)#Politics of independence|Until 1956]])<br>{{flag|[[South Sudan}}]]<br> ([[Republic of the Sudan (1956–1969)#Politics of independence|Until 1956]])
| year_start = 1953
| year_end = 1958
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| HDI =
| HDI_year =
| native_name = {{lang|ar|جمهورية مصر البرلمانية}} (1956)
| leader2 = [[Gamal Abdel Nasser]]
| date_start = 18 June
| event1 = [[Egyptian Revolution of 1952]]
| event_end = [[United Arab Republic| {{!}} Formation of the United Arab Republic]]
| event_start = [[Declaration of the Republic {{!}} Declaration of the Republic of Egypt]]
| government_type = [[Unitary state|Unitary]] [[semi-presidential]] [[republic]] under a [[Nasserism|Nasserist]] [[military dictatorship]]<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Abdel-Malek |first=A. |date=1964-03-19 |title=Nasserism And Socialism |url=https://socialistregister.com/index.php/srv/article/view/5927 |journal=Socialist Register |language=en |volume=1 |issn=0081-0606}}</ref>
| year_leader1 = 1953–1954
| leader1 = [[Mohamed Naguib]]
| government_type = [[Unitary Egyptian Military state{{!}}Unitary]] [[Dominant-party system{{!}}dominant-party Military]] Republic
| year_leader2 = 1954–1958
| leader2 = [[Gamal Abdel Nasser]]
| title_leader = [[President of Egypt|President]]
| representative1 = [[Mohamed Naguib]]
| year_representative1 = 1953–1954
| representative2 = [[Gamal Abdel Nasser]]
| year_representative2 = 1954
| representative3 = [[Mohamed Naguib]]
| year_representative3 = 1954
| representative4 = [[Gamal Abdel Nasser]]
| year_representative4 = 1954–1958
| title_representative = [[Prime Minister of Egypt|Prime Minister]]
| symbol_type = [[Coat of arms of Egypt|Coat of arms]]<br><nowiki> (1953–1958)</nowiki>
| date_end = 22 February
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| date_event2 = 29 October 1956 – 7 November 1956
| area_sq_mi = 390,121
| national_anthem = [[Salam Affandina|NashidSalam Al-HuriyaAffandina]] [[File:Former national anthem of Egypt, 1914-1958.ogg|center]]
| s2 = Republic of the Sudan (1956–1969){{!}}'''1956'''<br> Republic of Sudan
| flag_s2 = Flag of Sudan (1956–1970).svg
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| image_map_caption = {{legend|#336432|'''Republic of Egypt'''}}{{legend|#54a754|[[Anglo-Egyptian Sudan]] ([[condominium (international law)|Condominium]])}}
}}
The '''Republic of Egypt (1953–1958)''', was a state forgedcreated in 1953 under the rule of [[Mohamed Naguib|Mohammed Naguib]] following the [[Egyptian revolution of 1952]] in which the [[Kingdom of Egypt]]'s [[Muhammad Ali dynasty]] came to an end. It was superseded in 1958 with the creation of the [[United Arab Republic]].
The territory of the state compromised modern day [[Egypt]] as well as the [[Gaza Strip]], governed by the [[All-Palestine Protectorate]]. The territory also included modern day [[Sudan]] and [[South Sudan]] until 1956 when the [[Anglo-Egyptian Sudan|Anglo-Egyptian Sudan Condominium]] was abolished, granting the [[Republic of the Sudan (1956–1969)|Republic of The Sudan]] independence.
The '''Republic of Egypt (1953–1958)''', was a state forged in 1953 under the rule of [[Mohamed Naguib|Mohammed Naguib]] following the [[Egyptian revolution of 1952]] in which the [[Kingdom of Egypt]]'s [[Muhammad Ali dynasty]] came to an end.
The territory of the state compromised modern day [[Egypt]] as well as the [[Gaza Strip]], governed by the [[All-Palestine Protectorate]]. The territory also included modern day [[Sudan]] and [[South Sudan]] until 1956 when the [[Anglo-Egyptian Sudan|Anglo-Egyptian Sudan Condominium]] was abolished, granting the [[Republic of the Sudan (1956–1969)|Republic of The Sudan]] independence.
 
== The Revolution ==
{{main|Egyptian revolution of 1952}}
=== The Free Officers ===
The Arab Republic of Egypt was created following the [[Egyptian revolution of 1952]] led by the [[Free Officers Movement (Egypt)|Free Officers]], a group of [[Free Officers Movement (Egypt)|Army Officers]] who wanted to overthrow [[Farouk of Egypt|King Farouk]] and abolish the [[Muhammad Ali dynasty]] in [[Kingdom of Egypt|Egypt]] which was led by [[Mohamed Naguib]] and [[Gamal Abdel Nasser]].<ref>{{citationCite web |last=Mansour |first=Thaer needed|date=2022-07-22 December|title=Egypt's 20231952 revolution: Seven decades of military rule |url=https://www.newarab.com/analysis/egypts-1952-revolution-seven-decades-military-rule |access-date=2024-01-28 |website=newarab |language=en}}</ref>
=== The Free Officers ===
The Arab Republic of Egypt was created following the [[Egyptian revolution of 1952]] led by the [[Free Officers Movement (Egypt)|Free Officers]], a group of [[Free Officers Movement (Egypt)|Army Officers]] who wanted to overthrow [[Farouk of Egypt|King Farouk]] and abolish the [[Muhammad Ali dynasty]] in [[Kingdom of Egypt|Egypt]] which was led by [[Mohamed Naguib]] and [[Gamal Abdel Nasser]].{{citation needed|date= December 2023}}
The Free Officers's goals were to Abolish the [[Kingdom of Egypt]], to establish a republic, end the [[History of Egypt under the British|British Occupation of Egypt]] including the [[Suez Canal]], and to secure the independence of [[Republic of the Sudan (1956–1969)|Sudan]] from the British, who governed it as [[Anglo-Egyptian Sudan]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Lahav|first=Pnina|author-link=Pnina Lahav|title=The Suez Crisis of 1956 and its Aftermath: A Comparative Study of Constitutions, Use of Force, Diplomacy and International Relations|url=https://scholarship.law.bu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1199&context=faculty_scholarship|journal=Boston University Law Review}}</ref> The revolutionary government adopted a staunchly [[Nationalism|nationalist]], [[Anti-imperialism|anti-imperialist]] agenda, which came to be expressed chiefly through [[Arab nationalism]], and international [[Non-Aligned Movement|non-alignment]].
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The revolution was faced with immediate threats from Western imperial powers, particularly the United Kingdom, which had occupied [[Sultanate of Egypt|Egypt]] since 1882, and France, both of whom were wary of rising nationalist sentiment in territories under their control throughout Africa and the [[Arab world]]. The ongoing [[Arab–Israeli conflict|State of War with Israel]] also posed a serious challenge, as the [[Free Officers Movement (Egypt)|Free Officers]] increased [[Kingdom of Egypt|Egypt]]'s already strong support of the [[Palestinians]]. These two issues conflated four years after the revolution when Egypt was invaded by [[British Empire|Britain]], France, and Israel in the [[Suez Crisis]] of 1956. Despite enormous military losses,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Mart|first=Michelle|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=siDi1WTHjOUC&pg=PA159|title=Eye on Israel: How America Came to View the Jewish State as an Ally|date=2006-02-09|publisher=SUNY Press|isbn=978-0-7914-6687-2|language=en}}</ref> the war was seen as a political victory for [[Republic of Egypt (1953-1958)|Egypt]], especially as it left the [[Suez Canal]] in uncontested Egyptian control for the first time since 1875, erasing what was seen as a mark of national humiliation. This strengthened the appeal of the revolution in other [[Arab world|Arab]] and African countries.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Egypt - Revolution, Republic, Nile {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Egypt/The-revolution-and-the-Republic |access-date=2023-12-14 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>
 
=== The Coup ===
While the [[Free Officers Movement (Egypt)|Free Officers]] planned to overthrow the monarchy on 2–3 August, they decided to make their move earlier after their official leader, [[Mohamed Naguib|Muhammad Naguib]], gained knowledge, leaked from the Egyptian cabinet on 19 July, that [[Farouk of Egypt|King Farouk]] acquired a list of the dissenting officers and was set to arrest them. The officers thus decided to launch a preemptive strike and after finalizing their plans in meeting at the home of [[Khaled Mohieddin]], they began their coup on the night of 22 July. Mohieddin stayed in his home and [[Anwar Sadat]] went to the cinema.<ref>Alexander, 2005, p. 41.</ref>[[File:Nasser_and_Naguib,_1954.jpg|alt=Two smiling men in military uniform seated in an open-top automobile. The first man on the left is pointing his hand in a gesture. Behind the automobile are men in uniform walking away from the vehicle|thumb|Nasser (right) and [[Mohamed Naguib]] (left) during celebrations marking the second anniversary of the 1952 revolution, July 1954|left]]Meanwhile, the chairman of the Free Officers, [[Gamal Abdel Nasser]], contacted the [[Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt|Muslim Brotherhood]] and the [[Communism|Communist]] [[Democratic Movement for National Liberation]] to assure their support. On the morning of 23 July, he and [[Abdel Hakim Amer]] left [[Khaled Mohieddin|Mohieddin]]'s home in civilian clothes and drove around [[Cairo]] in Nasser's automobile to collect men to arrest key royalist commanders before they reached their barracks and gain control over their soldiers. As they approached the el-Qoba Bridge, an artillery unit led by [[Youssef Seddik (revolutionary)|Youssef Seddik]] met with them before he led his battalion to take control the Military General Headquarters to arrest the royalist army chief of staff, [[Hussein Sirri Amer]] and all the other commanders who were present in the building. At 6:00&nbsp;am the Free Officers [[Air force]] units began patrolling [[Cairo]]'s skies.<ref>Alexander, p. 42.</ref>
By the 25th of July, the army had occupied [[Alexandria]], where the [[Farouk of Egypt|King]] was in residence at the [[Montaza Palace]]. Terrified, Farouk abandoned [[Montaza Palace|Montaza]] and fled to [[Ras El Tin Palace|Ras Al-Teen Palace]] on the waterfront. [[Mohamed Naguib|Naguib]] ordered the captain of [[Farouk of Egypt|Farouk]]'s [[yacht]], ''[[El Mahrousa|al-Mahrusa]]'', not to sail without orders from the [[Egyptian Army|army]].{{citation needed|date= December 2023}}
Debate broke out among the [[Free Officers Movement (Egypt)|Free Officers]] concerning the fate of the deposed [[Farouk of Egypt|King]]. While some (including [[Mohamed Naguib|Gen. Naguib]] and [[Gamal Abdel Nasser|Nasser]]) thought that the best course of action was to send him into exile, others argued that he should be put on trial or executed. Finally, the order came for [[Farouk of Egypt|Farouk]] to abdicate in favour of his son, [[Crown prince]] [[Fuad II of Egypt|Ahmed Fuad]] – who was acceded to the throne as [[Fuad II of Egypt|King Fuad II]]<ref name="Goss">Hilton Proctor Goss and Charles Marion Thomas. ''American Foreign Policy in Growth and Action'', 3rd ed. Documentary Research Division, Research Studies Institute, Air University, 1959. p. 273.</ref> – and a three-man Regency Council was appointed. The [[Farouk of Egypt|former king]]'s departure into exile came on Saturday, 26 July 1952 and at 6 o'clock that evening he set sail for Italy with protection from the [[Egyptian Army]]. On 28 July 1953, [[Mohamed Naguib|Muhammad Naguib]] became the first [[List of presidents of Egypt|President of Egypt]], which marked the beginning of modern [[List of heads of state of Egypt|Egyptian Governance]].<ref>{{Cite webnews |last=theguardian |first=The Egyptian Republic |title=The Egyptian Republic |newspaper=The Guardian |date=20 June 1953 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/1953/jun/20/fromthearchive}}</ref>
== History ==
[[File:Flag of Egypt (1922–1952).svg|thumbnail|right|The Co-Official Flag of The [[Arab Republic of Egypt (1953–1958)|Arab Republic of Egypt]]]]
=== Naguib presidency (1953–1954) ===
 
== History ==
=== Naguib presidency (1953–1954) ===
[[File:Muhammad Naguib praying with sons 1952.jpg|alt=Mohamed Naguib praying with sons|left|thumb|[[Mohamed Naguib]] praying with sons]]Following the [[Egyptian revolution of 1952|1952 Revolution]] by the [[Free Officers Movement (Egypt)|Free Officers Movement]], the rule of [[Kingdom of Egypt|Egypt]] passed to [[Egyptian Armed Forces|Military]] hands and all political parties were banned. On 18 June 1953, the [[Egyptian Republic (1953-1958)|Egyptian Republic of Egypt]] was [[Declaration of the Republic|declared]], with [[Mohamed Naguib|General Muhammad Naguib]] as the first [[President of Egypt|president]] of the [[Egyptian Republic (1953-1958)|Republic]], serving in that capacity for a little under one and a half years until he was placed under [[house arrest]] by [[Gamal Abdel Nasser]] after a brief power struggle.<ref>{{Cite web |last=britannica |first=britannica.com |title=The revolution and the Republic |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Egypt/The-revolution-and-the-Republic}}</ref>
{{main|Mohamed Naguib|Egyptian revolution of 1952}}
[[File:Muhammad Naguib praying with sons 1952.jpg|alt=Mohamed Naguib praying with sons|left|thumb|[[Mohamed Naguib]] praying with sons]]Following the [[Egyptian revolution of 1952|1952 Revolution]] by the [[Free Officers Movement (Egypt)|Free Officers Movement]], the rule of [[Kingdom of Egypt|Egypt]] passed to [[Egyptian Armed Forces|Military]] hands and all political parties were banned. On 18 June 1953, the [[Egyptian Republic (1953-1958)|Egyptian Republic of Egypt]] was [[Declaration of the Republic|declared]], with [[Mohamed Naguib|General Muhammad Naguib]] as the first [[President of Egypt|president]] of the [[Egyptian Republic (1953-1958)|Republic]], serving in that capacity for a little under one and a half years until he was placed under [[house arrest]] by [[Gamal Abdel Nasser]] after a brief power struggle.<ref>{{Cite web |last=britannica |first=britannica.com |title=The revolution and the Republic |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Egypt/The-revolution-and-the-Republic}}</ref>
 
[[File:Naguib and Nasser.jpg|alt=Naguib and Nasser|thumb|[[Mohamed Naguib|Naguib]] and [[Gamal Abdel Nasser|Nasser]]]]
 
=== Nasser presidency (1954–1958) ===
 
[[File:Flag of Egypt (1922–1952).svg|thumbnail|right|The Coco-Officialofficial Flagflag of The [[Arab Republic of Egypt (1953–1958)|Arabthe Republic of Egypt]]]]
 
[[Mohamed Naguib|Naguib]] was forced to resign in 1954 by [[Gamal Abdel Nasser]] – a [[Pan-Arabism|Pan-Arabist]] and the main architect of the [[Free Officers Movement (Egypt)|1952 movement]] – and was later put under [[house arrest]]. After [[Mohamed Naguib|Naguib]]'s resignation, the position of [[President of Egypt|President]] was vacant until the [[1956 Egyptian referendum|election]] of [[Gamal Abdel Nasser]] in [[1956 Egyptian referendum|1956]].
{{main|Gamal Abdel Nasser}}
[[File:Land_distribution_ceremony_in_Minya.jpg|left|thumb|Nasser handing documents to an Egyptian ''[[Fellahin|fellah]]'' in a land distribution ceremony in [[Minya, Egypt|Minya]], 1954]]
After the three-year transition period ended with [[Gamal Abdel Nasser|Nasser]]'s official assumption of power, his domestic and independent foreign policies increasingly collided with the regional interests of the UK and France. The latter condemned his strong support for [[Algerian War|Algerian independence]], and the UK's [[Anthony Eden|Eden government]] was agitated by [[Gamal Abdel Nasser|Nasser]]'s campaign against the [[Baghdad Pact]].<ref name="Dekmejian45">{{Harvnb|Dekmejian|1971|p=45}}</ref> In addition, [[Gamal Abdel Nasser|Nasser]]'s adherence to neutralism regarding the [[Cold War]], [[List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies|recognition]] of [[History of the People's Republic of China (1949–1976)|Communist China]], and [[Egyptian–Czechoslovak arms deal|arms deal with the Eastern bloc]] alienated the United States. On 19 July 1956, the US and UK abruptly withdrew their offer to finance construction of the [[Aswan Dam]],<ref name="Dekmejian45" /> citing concerns that Egypt's economy would be overwhelmed by the project.<ref>{{Harvnb|James|2008|p=149}}</ref>
 
In October 1954, [[Egyptian Republic (1953-1958)|Egypt]] and the [[British Empire]] agreed to abolish the [[Anglo-Egyptian Sudan|Anglo-Egyptian Condominium Agreement]] of 1899 and grant [[Anglo-Egyptian Sudan|Sudan]] independence to become the [[Republic of the Sudan (1956–1969)|Republic of The Sudan]]; the agreement came into force on 1 January 1956.
 
[[Gamal Abdel Nasser|Nasser]] assumed power as president in June 1956. [[British Armed Forces|British forces]] completed their withdrawal from the occupied [[Suez Canal]] Zone on 13 June 1956. On 26 July 1956, [[Gamal Abdel Nasser|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.<ref name="Goldschmidt162">{{Harvnb|Goldschmidt|2008|p=162}}</ref> In the speech, he denounced [[British Empire|British imperialism]] in Egypt and British control over the [[Suez Canal Company|company]]'s profits, and upheld that the [[Egyptians]] had a right to sovereignty over the waterway, especially since "120,000 Egyptians had died building it".<ref name="Goldschmidt162" /> He [[Nationalization|nationalised]] the Suez Canal onthe 26same Julyday 1956of the speech; his hostile approach towards Israel and economic nationalism prompted the beginning of the [[Suez Crisis|Second Arab-Israeli War]] ([[Suez Crisis]]), in which Israel (with support from France and the United Kingdom) occupied the [[Sinai Peninsula]] and the [[Suez Canal|Canal]]. The war came to an end because of US and [[Soviet Union|USSR]] diplomatic intervention,<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Ellis|first=Sylvia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MYs-8OMk_H0C&pg=PA212|title=Historical Dictionary of Anglo-American Relations|date=2009-04-13|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-6297-5|language=en}}</ref> and the status quo was restored. The motion was technically in breach of the international agreement he had signed with the UK on 19 October 1954,<ref name="Jankowski68">{{Harvnb|Jankowski|2001|p=68}}</ref> although he ensured that all existing stockholders would be paid off.<ref name="BBC: 1956: Egypt Seizes Suez Canal">{{cite news|date=26 July 1956|title=1956: Egypt Seizes Suez Canal|work=[[BBC News]]|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/26/newsid_2701000/2701603.stm|access-date=4 March 2007}}</ref>
On 26 July 1956, [[Gamal Abdel Nasser|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.<ref name="Goldschmidt162">{{Harvnb|Goldschmidt|2008|p=162}}</ref> In the speech, he denounced [[British Empire|British imperialism]] in Egypt and British control over the [[Suez Canal Company|company]]'s profits, and upheld that the [[Egyptians]] had a right to sovereignty over the waterway, especially since "120,000 Egyptians had died building it".<ref name="Goldschmidt162" /> The motion was technically in breach of the international agreement he had signed with the UK on 19 October 1954,<ref name="Jankowski68">{{Harvnb|Jankowski|2001|p=68}}</ref> although he ensured that all existing stockholders would be paid off.<ref name="BBC: 1956: Egypt Seizes Suez Canal">{{cite news|date=26 July 1956|title=1956: Egypt Seizes Suez Canal|work=[[BBC News]]|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/26/newsid_2701000/2701603.stm|access-date=4 March 2007}}</ref>
[[File:Nasser_voting_constitutional_referendum.jpg|alt=A man wearing a suit inserting a piece of paper into a box. He is being photographed by cameramen|thumb|Nasser submitting his vote for the referendum of the proposed constitution, 23 June 1956]]
[[File:Suez nationalization.ogv|thumb|thumbtime=2:16|[[Movietone News]]reels reporting [[Gamal Abdel Nasser|Nasser]]'s nationalization of the [[Suez Canal]] and both domestic and Western reactions|left]]
The nationalization announcement was greeted very emotionally by the audience and, throughout the [[Arab world]], thousands entered the streets shouting slogans of support.<ref name="Aburish108">{{Harvnb|Aburish|2004|p=108}}</ref> US ambassador [[Henry A. Byroade]] stated, "I cannot overemphasize [the] popularity of the Canal Company nationalization within Egypt, even among Nasser's enemies."<ref name="Jankowski68" /> Egyptian political scientist Mahmoud Hamad wrote that, prior to 1956, Nasser had consolidated control over Egypt's military and civilian bureaucracies, but it was only after the canal's nationalization that he gained near-total popular legitimacy and firmly established himself as the "charismatic leader" and "spokesman for the masses not only in Egypt, but all over the Third World".<ref>{{Harvnb|Hamad|2008|p=96}}</ref> According to Aburish, this was Nasser's largest pan-Arab triumph at the time and "soon his pictures were to be found in the tents of [[Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen|Yemen]], the souks of [[Marrakesh]], and the posh villas of [[Second Syrian Republic|Syria]]".<ref name="Aburish108" /> The official reason given for the nationalization was that funds from the canal would be used for the construction of the [[Aswan Dam|dam]] in [[Aswan]].<ref name="Jankowski68" /> That same day, Egypt closed the canal to [[Israel]]i [[Freight transport|shipping]].<ref name="BBC: 1956: Egypt Seizes Suez Canal" />[[File:Nasser_and_RCC_members_welcomed_by_Alexandria,_1954.jpg|alt=A man standing in an open-top vehicle and waving to a crowd of people surrounding the vehicle. There are several men seated in the vehicle and in another trailing vehicle, all dressed in military uniform|right|thumb|Nasser greeted by crowds in Alexandria one day after his announcement of the British withdrawal and the assassination attempt against him, 27 October 1954.]]The nationalisation surprised Britain and its [[British Commonwealth|Commonwealth]]. There had been no discussion of the canal at the [[Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference]] in London in late June and early July. Egypt's action, however, threatened British economic and military interests in the region. Prime Minister Eden was under immense domestic pressure from Conservative MPs who drew direct comparisons between the events of 1956 and those of the [[Munich Agreement]] in 1938. Since the U.S. government did not support the British protests, the British government decided in favour of military intervention against Egypt to avoid the complete collapse of British prestige in the region.{{citation needed|date= December 2023}}
 
Eden was hosting a dinner for [[List of kings of Iraq|King]] [[Faisal II of Iraq|Faisal II]] of [[Kingdom of Iraq|Iraq]] and his Prime Minister, [[Nuri al-Said]], when he learned the canal had been nationalised. They both unequivocally advised Eden to "hit Nasser hard, hit him soon, and hit him by yourself" – a stance shared by the vast majority of the British people in subsequent weeks. "There is a lot of humbug about Suez," [[Guy Millard]], one of Eden's private secretaries, later recorded. "People forget that the policy at the time was extremely popular." Opposition leader [[Hugh Gaitskell]] was also at the dinner. He immediately agreed that military action might be inevitable, but warned Eden would have to keep the Americans closely informed. After a session of the House of Commons expressed anger against the Egyptian action on 27 July, Eden justifiably believed that Parliament would support him; Gaitskell spoke for his party when he called the nationalisation a "high-handed and totally unjustifiable step". When Eden made a ministerial broadcast on the nationalisation, Labour declined its right to reply.<ref>{{Cite web |last=majalla |first=This day in history: The birth of the Egyptian Republic |title=This day in history: The birth of the Egyptian Republic |url=https://en.majalla.com/node/293796/documents-memoirs/day-history-birth-egyptian-republic}}</ref>
[[Gamal Abdel Nasser|Nasser]] assumed [[Power (social and political)|Power]] as president in June 1956. [[British Armed Forces|British forces]] completed their withdrawal from the occupied [[Suez Canal]] Zone on 13 June 1956. He [[Nationalization|nationalised]] the [[Suez Canal]] on 26 July 1956; his hostile approach towards Israel and economic nationalism prompted the beginning of the [[Suez Crisis|Second Arab-Israeli War]] ([[Suez Crisis]]), in which Israel (with support from France and the United Kingdom) occupied the [[Sinai Peninsula]] and the [[Suez Canal|Canal]]. The [[Suez Crisis|war]] came to an end because of US and [[Soviet Union|USSR]] diplomatic intervention<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Ellis|first=Sylvia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MYs-8OMk_H0C&pg=PA212|title=Historical Dictionary of Anglo-American Relations|date=2009-04-13|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-6297-5|language=en}}</ref> and the ''status quo'' was restored.<ref>{{Cite web |last=موقع الجمهورية المصرية |first=عام |title=Gamal Abdel Nasser |url=https://www.presidency.eg/en/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%A6%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%A9/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%A4%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%82%D9%88%D9%86/%D8%AC%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%B5%D8%B1/}}</ref>
 
[[Gamal Abdel Nasser|Nasser]] assumed [[Power (social and political)|Powerpower]] as president in June 1956. [[British Armed Forces|British forces]] completed their withdrawal from the occupied [[Suez Canal]] Zone on 13 June 1956. He [[Nationalization|nationalised]] the [[Suez Canal]] on 26 July 1956; his hostile approach towards Israel and economic nationalism prompted the beginning of the [[Suez Crisis|Second Arab-Israeli War]] ([[Suez Crisis]]), in which Israel (with support from France and the United Kingdom) occupied the [[Sinai Peninsula]] and the [[Suez Canal|Canal]]. The [[Suez Crisis|war]] came to an end because of US and [[Soviet Union|USSR]] diplomatic intervention<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Ellis|first=Sylvia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MYs-8OMk_H0C&pg=PA212|title=Historical Dictionary of Anglo-American Relations|date=2009-04-13|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-6297-5|language=en}}</ref> and the ''status quo'' was restored.<ref>{{Cite web |last=موقع الجمهورية المصرية |first=عام |title=Gamal Abdel Nasser |url=https://www.presidency.eg/en/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%A6%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%A9/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%A4%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%82%D9%88%D9%86/%D8%AC%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%B5%D8%B1/}}</ref>
=== Suez Crisis (1956) ===
 
=== Suez Crisis (1956) ===
{{main|Suez Crisis}}
 
On 29 October, Israel invaded the [[Egypt]]ian [[Sinai Peninsula|Sinai]]. [[British Empire|Britain]] and France issued a joint ultimatum to cease fire, which was ignored. On 5 November, [[British Empire|Britain]] and France landed paratroopers along the [[Suez Canal]]. While the [[Egyptian Armed Forces|Egyptian forces]] were defeated, they had blocked the [[Suez Canal|Canal]] to all shipping. It later became clear that Israel, France and [[British Empire|Britain]] had conspired to plan out the invasion. The three allies had attained a number of their military objectives, but the [[Suez Canal|Canal]] was useless. Heavy political pressure from the United States and the [[Soviet Union|USSR]] led to a withdrawal. U.S. President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] had strongly warned [[British Empire|Britain]] not to invade; he threatened serious damage to the British financial system by selling the [[Federal government of the United States|US government]]'s [[Pound sterling]] bonds. Historians conclude the [[Suez Crisis|Crisis]] "signified the end of [[British Empire|Great Britain]]'s role as one of the world's major powers".<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Peden|first=G. C.|date=December 2012|title=SUEZ AND BRITAIN'S DECLINE AS A WORLD POWER*|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/historical-journal/article/abs/suez-and-britains-decline-as-a-world-power/8C2895C3991DA5FA44E67E96BF180287|journal=The Historical Journal|language=en|volume=55|issue=4|pages=1073–1096|doi=10.1017/S0018246X12000246|s2cid=162845802 |issn=0018-246X}}</ref>
 
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[[File:M4A4-Sherman-latrun-2.jpg|alt=Israeli M4A4 Shermans were also used in the Sinai campaign.|thumb|Israeli M4A4 Shermans were also used in the Sinai campaign.]]
Operation Kadesh received its name from ancient [[Kadesh (Israel)|Kadesh]], located in the northern [[Sinai Peninsula|Sinai]] and mentioned several times in the Hebrew [[Pentateuch]]. Israeli military planning for this operation in the Sinai hinged on four main military objectives; [[Sharm el-Sheikh]], [[Arish]], [[Abu Uwayulah]] ([[Abu Ageila]]), and the [[Gaza Strip]]. The Egyptian blockade of the [[Tiran Straits]] was based at [[Sharm el-Sheikh]] and, by capturing the town, Israel would have access to the Red Sea for the first time since 1953, which would allow it to restore the trade benefits of secure passage to the Indian Ocean.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-11-14 |title=Suez Crisis {{!}} Definition, Summary, Location, History, Dates, Significance, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/event/Suez-Crisis |access-date=2023-12-14 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>
 
The [[Gaza Strip]] was chosen as another military objective because Israel wished to remove the training grounds for [[Fedayeen]] groups, and because Israel recognised that Egypt could use the territory as a staging ground for attacks against the advancing Israeli troops. Israel advocated rapid advances, for which a potential Egyptian [[Flanking manoeuvre|flanking attack]] would present even more of a risk. [[Arish]] and [[Abu Uwayulah]] were important hubs for soldiers, equipment, and centres of command and control of the Egyptian Army in the Sinai.
 
Capturing them would deal a deathblow to the Egyptian's strategic operation in the entire Peninsula. The capture of these four objectives were hoped to be the means by which the entire Egyptian Army would rout and fall back into Egypt proper, which British and French forces would then be able to push up against an Israeli advance, and crush in a decisive encounter. On 24 October, Dayan ordered a partial mobilisation. When this led to a state of confusion, Dayan ordered full mobilisation, and chose to take the risk that he might alert the Egyptians. As part of an effort to maintain surprise, Dayan ordered Israeli troops that were to go to the Sinai to be ostentatiously concentrated near the border with Jordan first, which was intended to fool the Egyptians into thinking that it was Jordan that the main Israeli blow was to fall on.
 
On 28 October, [[Operation Tarnegol]] was effected, during which an Israeli [[Gloster Meteor]] NF.13 intercepted and destroyed an Egyptian [[Ilyushin Il-14]] carrying Egyptian officers en route from Syria to Egypt, killing 16 Egyptian officers and journalists and two crewmen. The Ilyushin was believed to be carrying Field Marshal Abdel Hakim Amer and the Egyptian General Staff; however this was not the case.
 
The conflict began on 29 October 1956. At about 3:00&nbsp;pm, Israeli Air Force Mustangs launched a series of attacks on Egyptian positions all over the Sinai. Because Israeli intelligence expected [[Jordan]] to enter the war on Egypt's side, Israeli soldiers were stationed along the Israeli-Jordanian frontier. The [[Israel Border Police]] militarised the Israel-Jordan border, including the [[Green Line (Israel)|Green Line]] with the [[West Bank]], during the first few hours of the war. [[Arab citizens of Israel|Israeli-Arab]] villages along the Jordanian border were placed under curfew. This resulted in the killings of 48 civilians in the Arab village of [[Kafr Qasim]] in an event known as the [[Kafr Qasim massacre]]. The border policemen involved in the killings were later tried and imprisoned, with an Israeli court finding that the order to shoot civilians was "blatantly illegal". This event had major effects on Israeli law relating to the ethics in war and more subtle effects on the legal status of [[Arab citizens of Israel]], who at the time were regarded as a [[fifth column]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=What Was The Suez Crisis? |url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/what-was-the-suez-crisis |access-date=2023-12-14 |website=Imperial War Museums |language=en}}</ref>
 
It later became clear that Israel, France and [[British Empire|Britain]] had conspired to plan out the invasion. The three allies had attained a number of their military objectives, but the [[Suez Canal|Canal]] was useless. Heavy political pressure from the United States and the [[Soviet Union|USSR]] led to a withdrawal. U.S. President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] had strongly warned [[British Empire|Britain]] not to invade; he threatened serious damage to the British financial system by selling the [[Federal government of the United States|US government]]'s [[Pound sterling]] bonds. Historians conclude the [[Suez Crisis|Crisis]] "signified the end of [[British Empire|Great Britain]]'s role as one of the world's major powers".<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Peden|first=G. C.|date=December 2012|title=SUEZ AND BRITAIN'S DECLINE AS A WORLD POWER*|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/historical-journal/article/abs/suez-and-britains-decline-as-a-world-power/8C2895C3991DA5FA44E67E96BF180287|journal=The Historical Journal|language=en|volume=55|issue=4|pages=1073–1096|doi=10.1017/S0018246X12000246|s2cid=162845802 |issn=0018-246X}}</ref>
 
=== The formation of the United Arab Republic (1958) ===
{{main|Gamal Abdel Nasser}}
[[File:Nasser_announcing_UAR.flac|right|thumb|Nasser's announcement of the United Arab Republic, 23 February 1958]]
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[[File:1958-02-03_Egypt,_Syria_Merge_In_New_Arab_Republic.webm|right|thumb|Newsreel clip about [[Gamal Abdel Nasser|Nasser]] and [[Shukri al-Quwatli|Quwatli]]'s establishment of [[United Arab Republic]]]]
On a surprise visit to [[Damascus]] to celebrate the union on 24 February, [[Gamal Abdel Nasser|Nasser]] was welcomed by crowds in the hundreds of thousands.<ref name="Dawisha202-3">{{Harvnb|Dawisha|2009|pp=202–203}}</ref> Crown Prince [[Muhammad al-Badr|Imam Badr]] of [[Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen|North Yemen]] was dispatched to [[Damascus]] with proposals to include his country in the new republic. [[Gamal Abdel Nasser|Nasser]] agreed to establish a loose federal union with [[Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen|Yemen]]—the [[United Arab States]]—in place of total integration.<ref name="Aburish158">{{Harvnb|Aburish|2004|p=158}}</ref> While [[Gamal Abdel Nasser|Nasser]] was in [[Second Syrian Republic|Syria]], [[Saud of Saudi Arabia|King Saud]] planned to have him assassinated on his return flight to [[Cairo]].<ref name="Dawisha190">{{Harvnb|Dawisha|2009|p=190}}</ref> On 4 March, [[Gamal Abdel Nasser|Nasser]] addressed the masses in [[Damascus]] and waved before them the [[Saudi Arabia|Saudi]] check given to Syrian security chief and, unbeknownst to the [[Saudis]], ardent [[Gamal Abdel Nasser|Nasser]] supporter [[Abdel Hamid al-Sarraj|Abdel Hamid Sarraj]] to shoot down [[Gamal Abdel Nasser|Nasser]]'s plane.<ref name="Aburish160-1">{{Harvnb|Aburish|2004|pp=160–161}}</ref> As a consequence of Saud's plot, he was forced by senior members of the Saudi royal family to informally cede most of his powers to his brother, [[Faisal of Saudi Arabia|King Faisal]], a major Nasser opponent who advocated [[Pan-Islamism|pan-Islamic unity]] over [[pan-Arabism]].<ref name="Aburish161-2">{{Harvnb|Aburish|2004|pp=161–162}}</ref>
 
A day after announcing the attempt on his life, [[Gamal Abdel Nasser|Nasser]] established a new provisional constitution proclaiming a 600-member National Assembly (400 from Egypt and 200 from Syria) and the dissolution of all political parties.<ref name="Aburish161-2" /> Nasser gave each of the provinces two vice-presidents: Boghdadi and [[Abdel Hakim Amer|Amer]] in Egypt, and [[Sabri al-Asali]] and [[Akram al-Hawrani]] in Syria.<ref name="Aburish161-2" /> Nasser then left for Moscow to meet with [[Nikita Khrushchev]]. At the meeting, Khrushchev pressed Nasser to lift the ban on the Communist Party, but Nasser refused, stating it was an internal matter which was not a subject of discussion with outside powers. Khrushchev was reportedly taken aback and denied he had meant to interfere in the UAR's affairs. The matter was settled as both leaders sought to prevent a rift between their two countries.<ref>{{Harvnb|Aburish|2004|p=163}}</ref>
In 1958, [[Arab Republic of Egypt (1953–1958)|Egypt]] and [[Second Syrian Republic|Syria]] formed a sovereign union known as the [[United Arab Republic]], ending the [[Arab Republic of Egypt (1953–1958)|Arab Republic of Egypt]].<ref name=feb1>{{cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/clip/96294492/egypt-syria-union-aims-at-arab-unity/|title=Egypt, Syria Union Aim at Arab Unity|work=The San Francisco Examiner|date=February 2, 1958|agency=Associated Press|access-date=February 24, 2022|archive-date=January 4, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104130338/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/96294492/egypt-syria-union-aims-at-arab-unity/|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
In 1958, [[Arab Republic of Egypt (1953–1958)|Egypt]] and [[Second Syrian Republic|Syria]] formed a sovereign union known as the [[United Arab Republic]], ending the [[Arab Republic of Egypt (1953–1958)|Arab Republic of Egypt]].<ref name=feb1>{{cite news|url=https://newspapers.com/clip/96294492/egypt-syria-union-aims-at-arab-unity/|title=Egypt, Syria Union Aim at Arab Unity|work=The San Francisco Examiner|date=February 2, 1958|agency=Associated Press|access-date=February 24, 2022|archive-date=January 4, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104130338/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/96294492/egypt-syria-union-aims-at-arab-unity/|url-status=live}}</ref>
== References ==
 
== References ==
{{reflist}}
==Sources==
* {{Citation|last=Aburish |first=Said K. |author-link=Said Aburish |title=Nasser, the Last Arab |year=2004 |publisher=[[St. Martin's Press]] |location=New York City |isbn=978-0-312-28683-5 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780312286835 }}
*{{Citation |last=Dawisha |first=Adeed |title=Arab Nationalism in the Twentieth Century: From Triumph to Despair |publisher=[[Princeton University Press]]|location=Princeton |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-691-10273-3}}
*{{Citation |last=Dekmejian |first=Richard Hrair |author-link=Richard Dekmejian |title=Egypt Under Nasir: A Study in Political Dynamics|location=Albany |publisher=[[State University of New York Press]] |year=1971 |isbn=978-0-87395-080-0}}
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*{{Citation |last=Jankowski |first=James P. |title=Nasser's Egypt, Arab Nationalism, and the United Arab Republic |publisher=[[Lynne Rienner Publishers]]|location=Boulder |year=2001 |isbn=1-58826-034-8}}
*{{Citation |last=Podeh |first=Elie |title=The Decline of Arab Unity: The Rise and Fall of the United Arabic Republic |publisher=Sussex Academic Press|location=Portland |year=1999 |isbn=1-902210-20-4}}
 
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