Modern Egypt

Modern Egypt

It all began when French was looking for the British in …

Baron Lejeune Louis-François

Control of the trade routes was important for ease of access to the places that mattered

Egypt of Muhammad Ali

• Understanding Muhammad Ali in the Ottoman Context:– 1798-1801: French

occupation– 1805: An ambitious Albanian

governor for a significant province.

– 1807: Mahmud II became the Ottoman Sultan.

– 1811: Muhammad Ali ordered the killing of hundreds of Mamluks

– 1826: The Auspicious incident

Egypt of Muhammad Ali• A new modern army

composed of peasants • Cotton and sugar

production– Impact on landholding patterns

• Educational reforms• Tax reforms• Infrastructural reforms• Subordination of the ‘ulama

and the Sufi orders• Dynastic rule• A new ruling/landed elite• Autonomy from the Ottoman

Empire

The Suez Canal 1858-1869

• 1856: Ferdinand de Lesseps, a French diplomat, obtained a concession from Said Pasha of Egypt to establish the Suez Canal Company

• “Joint venture” between France and Egypt (22%)– Egyptian forced labor + French

engineers and capital = France as the major share holder.

• Difficult working conditions and tens of thousands of deaths

• British concerns…?

• 1869: Canal completed• 99 years of Compagnie

Universelle du Canal Maritime de Suez

• New face of Egypt: Port Said, Ismailiya, the Royal Opera House

• Egypt’s mounting foreign debt and bankruptcy

• Ottoman parallels• 1875: Britain acquired

44% of the shares• Anglo-French Debt

administration

The Suez Canal 1858-1869

Ferdinand de LessepsCover of La Lune 29 September 1867

The Suez Canal

Egypt - British Colonial Rule

• The Urabi revolt:– From 94,000 troops in 1874, 36,000 troops in 1879 – July 1880: the Law of Liquidation: 50 percent of total

revenues. – 1881: Colonel Ahmed Urabi established a

parliamentary government with the backing of the new Egyptian elites

– 1882: British takeover

• Nature of opposition under the British rule• Al-azhar• Jamal al-Din al-Afghani

Egypt - Wafd• Woodrow Wilson’s

“Fourteen Points” and the League of Nations

• Sa’d Zaghlul:– Egypt should be able to

represent itself as a self-determined nation at the Paris Conference of 1919

– The original intention of the article of “self-determination”

• Popular support for the Wafd

• 1922-1952: Three legs of the table– The British– The monarchy– The party Sa’d

Zaghlul

Egypt – Nasser King Faruq vs. Mustafa

al-Nahhas (Wafd):– Elections of 1950– October 1951:

Abrogation of the 1936 Anglo-Egyptian treaty

– January 1952: Black Saturday Riots in Cairo

– Al-Nahhas resigns– July 1952: The

Egyptian Revolution– Faruq abdicates for

Fuad II

King Faruq

Fuad II

Egypt – Nasser Free Officers– Revolution of 1952 and

RCC: Muhammad Naguib, Jamal Abd al-Nasser

– 1952: First land reform (1 % owned 70 %). 200-feddans rule

– 1953: Abolition of the constitution.

– Ban on political parties– Liberation Rally – Saw al-Arab– 1954: Suppression of the

Muslim Brotherhood, 78 leading figures arrested

Nasser and Naguib

Egypt – Nasser Nasser

– 1954: Muslim Brotherhood and the decline of Naguib

– Anglo-Egyptian Agreement, British troops were to withdraw from the canal zone in 20 months.

– 1955: Dismantling of the Islamic courts

– Bandung Conference– Czechoslovak arms agreement– 1956: new constitution– Nasser became the first

president in June and was invested with broad powers

Egypt – Nasser

Nasser– July 1956: US and GB

withdrew support for Aswan Dam

– Nasser nationalized the Canal

– October: Suez War GB, France and Israel vs. Egypt

– November: UN cease-fire– Nationalization of all

British and French companies and confiscation of British, French and Jewish property

Egypt – Nasser Nasser’s left turn

– 1958: Abolition of foreign schools

– 1959: A new labor code min. wage and max. working hours per day.

– 1960: Aswan Dam project begins with Soviet assistance

– Nationalization of banks– First Arab national TV– 1961: 100-feddan rule– Modern curriculum at al-

Azhar – Suppression of the Sufi

orders – 1st NAM summit in

Yugoslavia– 1962: Arab Socialist Union

Egypt – Nasser Nasser’s

international ventures– 1958: UAR– 1958:

Federation of Arab Republics

– Jordan and Iraq’s Arab Federation

– USSR support

– 1861: UAR dissolved

Nasser’s defeat– 1861: Dissolution of UAR– 1966: Execution of Qutb– 1967: Six-days war– Promises to resign– 1970: dies of a heart attack

Egypt – Nasser

Six Day War:  Was the Six Day War A Miracle?

Encounters with the Unexplained TV Series

DVD: 60 minutesProducer:  Total Living Network & Grizzly

Adams ProductionsHosted by:  Jerry OrbachDescription: Dr. Price contributes to this

in-depth investigation of miraculous events that made an Israeli victory possible in the 1967 Six-Day War. Stories abound of the appearance of mysterious troops and sophisticated weaponry that aided the Israelis in their victory. Was the outcome of this conflict foretold by biblical writings thousands of years prior to the actual event? Was the Israeli victory a miracle? Listen to the amazing eyewitness accounts given by Six Day War veterans and decide for yourself.

Anwar Sadat– 1970: Death of Nasser– 1972: expulsion of the 18,000

Soviet advisors– 1973: (Yom Kippur) War with

Israel– 1974: infitah, the “open-door”

economic policy– 1975: Gradual abandonment of

the one-party system– 1977: Gave a speech at the

Knesset:I have chosen to come to you with an

open heart and an open mind. I have chosen to give this great impetus to all international efforts exerted for peace. I have chosen to present to you, in your own home, the realities, devoid of any scheme or whim. Not to maneuver, or win a round, but for us to win together, the most dangerous of rounds embattled in modern history, the battle of permanent peace based on justice.

Egypt – Sadat

• For the sake of our peoples and for the sake of the civilization made by man, we have to defend man everywhere against rule by the force of arms so that we may endow the rule of humanity with all the power of the values and principles that further the sublime position of mankind.

• Allow me to address my call from this rostrum to the people of Israel. I pledge myself with true and sincere words to every man, woman and child in Israel. I tell them, from the Egyptian people who bless this sacred mission of peace, I convey to you the message of peace of the Egyptian people, who do not harbor fanaticism and whose sons, Moslems, Christians and Jews, live together in a state of cordiality, love and tolerance.

• This is Egypt, whose people have entrusted me with their sacred message. A message of security, safety and peace to every man, woman and child in Israel. I say, encourage your leadership to struggle for peace. Let all endeavors be channeled towards building a huge stronghold for peace instead of building destructive rockets.

• Anwar Sadat delivered his speech to the Knesset on 20 November 1977. He told the Israeli parliament: "We really and truly welcome you to live among us in peace and security."

• Talks started in Israel in November and eventually led to the Camp David agreement in March 1979.

• President Sadat's overtures to Israel made him popular in the West - he and Menachim Begin were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1978.

• But he was isolated and snubbed in the Arab world.

• In October 1981 he was assassinated by soldiers at a military parade in Cairo.

Egypt – Sadat

• Failing economy• Suppression of the

religious groups and alternate political groups

• Recent Events

Egypt – Mubarak