Father of the authoritarian regime: Nasser

Egypt is known as the "Mother of the World". It has hosted many civilizations in its 7000-year history. Egypt has a very important place in the Arab world with its population, history, its role in the modernization of the Arab world, and its influence on the development of Arab nationalism. Because of all these features, it is at the heart of the Arab world and its cultural center. Egypt has a historical identity. French Revolution encouraged people to create new national states. After Napoleon, British influence increased in Egypt. Nationalist movements started with "Egypt is for Egyptians". They rejected all of the mandate regimes. They wanted neither the Ottomans nor England. After the war, Waft Party resisted at Paris Conference for independence, their agenda was about creating a new and independent state. However, reality turned into British dominance. Britain left Egypt in 1922, giving limited independence. Britain was active in the region to protect its interests.

Egypt was conquered by the Ottomans in 1517 but was ruled semi-autonomously by the Mamluks. Egypt, which won the Napoleonic invasion in 1798 with the help of Britain, began to be ruled by Mehmet Ali Pasha in 1805. Pasha is considered the founder of modern Egypt. After the French occupation, it increased its power in the region. The Sultans gave various things to Pasha to preserve the status quo. Kavalalı declared himself the first khedive of Egypt and established a dynasty that would last until 1952, formed a modern army, established a nationalist ideology, and incorporated the surrounding lands into Egypt. The autonomy of the Egyptian Khedive was officially recognized by the Ottoman state in 1867. From this date until 1914, it remained legally a part of the Ottoman Empire. The Khedive of Egypt, which came under British control in 1882, ended in 1914. Egypt, which declared its independence from Britain unilaterally in 1922, experienced many problems during its reign until 1953. Egyptians wanted to create a national state. This was a new soul, the ideological trend in the Middle East. What happened in Europe and the Balkans was happening here for the first time.

    In 1928, Hasan al-Banna led the establishment of the Muslim Brotherhood (both political and social organization). It was an anti-imperialist organization that wanted an Islamic administration and Sharia, opposed to Western influence in the administration and society, and was also very effective and active in the social sphere. The Arab League operation also led to an increase in nationalistic feelings among Arab countries. The emergence of Israel in 1948 was a big tram for everyone. New recruits in the army were completely against colonization. They also used the establishment of Israel to their advantage to mobilize people and legitimize them. In 1949, Israel defeated the Arabs and expanded its border. The perfect time was 1952 but they needed a chief to legitimate the movement. A group of nationalist officers led by General Muhammed Najib (shadow leader) staged a coup d'etat on King Farouk and overthrown him. Soldiers called Free Officers put Suad, Faruk's son, on the throne. They declared a republic in 1953. Mohammed Najib became the first President of Egypt. By supporting the coup, the Muslim Brotherhood aimed to get rid of the British-influenced administration and find a place in the political arena. Najib did not want to lose his power next year. Nasser's agenda was to mobilize the people and his charisma was growing and Najib was uncomfortable with this situation. Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser became the President of Egypt in 1956. He was selected 99% and it started a new tradition for the Middle East. To justify himself to both the Arabs and the international system Nasser tried to consolidate his own power because he entered politics at a very early age. Nasser paid little attention to this support of the Muslim Brotherhood and declared a "war" against them. The case can be explained in two ways. This is a revolution because the monarchy was overthrown, instead, a republic was established and a new economic/political system was established. It received support from both grassroots and political movements. But at the same time, the fact that the change is made by the soldiers (not strictly within the framework of a chain of command) means that this change is also a decisive blow. It is also referred to as the Free Officers Coup in the literature.

During the Cold War, the world was shaped around the USSR and the USA, and a race began in the political, military, ideological, and economic fields. Both states were trying to expand their spheres of influence. While the Westerners were worried about the spread of communism, the Soviets were afraid of being surrounded by the imperialist front. People who wanted to regain their independence made anti-European propaganda. India, Pakistan, Indonesia, and colonies became independent. These countries were added to third-world countries. Along with Tito and Nehru, Nasser was among the leaders of the "non-aligned" movement. Since these new states aimed at economic development by staying out of both blocks, they could create a pressure-balanced force with a third organization. Nasser, who had the opportunity to show himself at Bandung Conference, realized that he could use Arab Nasser had policies of domination in both the Nile and the Red Sea. After the UK and USA gave up financing the Aswan Dam project, he decided to nationalize the Suez Canal to provide the necessary funding. The nationalization of Suez, which was ruled by the French, and the Aswan dam to be built on the Nile were important as they would provide legitimacy to the new administration and increase its charisma. During the Suez Crisis, which started with the joint operation of Israel, France, and Britain in 1956, although Israel occupied a part of the Sinai Peninsula and the Egyptian Air Force received heavy damage, it failed the foreign intervention skillfully. After this incident, which increased his prestige in the Arab world, he turned to a more radical line. Nasser was sovereign to control the canal. Since the USA and the USSR wanted to protect the status quo, Abdul Nasser was supported by them. This is a turning point in modern Middle Eastern history because Nasser won the crisis politically. His reputation grew rapidly throughout the region. After that, France realized that it was not supported by the USA in foreign policy, that the UK needed USA support, and that it lost its power in the region. Britain could not resist this nationalization because it had bad memories of the nationalization policy in Iran. USA proved that its hegemony and USSR wouldn't allow a new colonial expansionism. He wanted to bring electricity to his country, and when he was rejected by America, he turned to Russia.USSR started to dominate the Egyptian system. Nasser was free, but the Soviets were reorganizing both the system and politics. Although Nasser was on the side of the USSR in this process, he maintained the balance for maximizing the interest of his country. In addition to the bad relations with the USA, organizations such as the Muslim Brotherhood were also put under pressure and excluded. Many Muslim Brotherhood members were exiled. He proved that he is a great independent figure in the region and he was a hero of Arab nationalism. He gathered the Arabs under one flag. He supported Palestine and believed that he would destroy Israel in the future. He pioneered the establishment of the United Arab Republic after a group of politicians and soldiers in Syria wanted to unite with Egypt. He became the head of this newly formed state in 1958. This union collapsed in 1961. Nasser strengthened his army. He also created a new ideology; Nasserism, national socialism. He added Arab nationalism and culture to the socialist economic culture. Religion is influential in Arab nationalism with Pan-Arabism.

He also used cultural things for example the arts and language. Radios were everywhere and Egyptian broadcasts were followed by all Arabs. Newspapers and books were also useful. Umm Gulsüm the diva of Arabs was a charismatic singer. She had a great influence over the Arabs. She was also a nationalist and supported Naser. She was able to broadcast her own message at her concerts and was trying to motivate people. The artist was the key factor in Nasser's rapprochement with all Arabs. She played a functional role to legitimize Nasser. He was implementing new development strategies. He was trying to increase the area to be cultivated by making an agricultural revolution and giving land to the poor. He also invited many engineers from the Eastern bloc to his country to industrialize the country. He tried to increase literacy. He promised the young to employ them in the state system. Although he directed people to positive sciences, people preferred social sciences. This situation disrupted the budget balance in the country because although there were many civil servants, the production was low. The black market turned into reality, corruption spread very fast in Egypt.

He intended to open war on Israel in 1967, everyone thought they would beat Israel, but Israeli intelligence realized that war was coming. Although Nasser's army was strong, its air force was destroyed by Israel before the war began. Jordan didn't show enough performance because they didn't have. Essed was the chef of the army and he was too late to order a war. His strategic decision helped Israel succeed. Israel occupied the Golan Heights. The war took 6 days and brought another great trauma for Arabs. Nasser lost his charisma. At the end of the war, due to this loss, Nasser resigned. The Army didn't accept this resignation. Although Nasser returned to his post, he was not as active as before. He realized some members of the Muslim Brotherhood and he gave some free area for the opposition. The behavior of the leaders of other Arab countries has also changed. After 3 years, Nasser the father of Arab nationalism died.