Military seizes power in Egypt
In Egypt the Society of Free Officers seizes control of the government in a military coup detat staged by Colonel Gamal Abdal Nassers Free Officers.King Farouk whose rule had been criticized for its corruption and failures in the first Arab-Israeli war was forced to abdicate and relinquish power to General Muhammad Naguib the figurehead leader of the coup.The revolutionaries redistributed land tried politicians for corruption and in 1953 abolished the monarchy.In 1954 Nasser emerged from behind the scenes removed Naguib from power and proclaimed himself prime minister of Egypt.
For the next two years Nasser ruled as an effective and popular leader and promulgated a new constitution that made Egypt a socialist Arab state consciously nonaligned with the prevalent communist and democratic-capitalist systems of the Cold War world.In 1956 he was elected unopposed to the new office of president.He died still in office in 1970 from a heart attack.
Nasser was a consistently popular and influential leader during his many years in power.
