3 Nations on the Road to Modernization

Today’s Nation: Egypt

Egypt - The Basics

Slightly more than 3x size of N. Mexico77 million people –

– Most populous nation in the “MidEast”– 2nd most populous in Africa

Currency – Egyptian Pound (EGP) Internet country code

– .eg

History

Egyptian history dates back to about the 4th century

Conquered by the Arabs in the 7th c. Was part of the Ottoman empire from

about 1500 to about 1800British controlled from 1882 to 1922Monarchy until military/socialist

revolution brings Nasser to power in 1954

“Revolution” brings change in 2011-12

The Land

99% of the population lives on about 4% of the land– Near the Nile Valley

– About 40% are still farmers

Egypt controls both the Sinai Peninsula and the Suez Canal– Vital crossing points for travelers/traders

The People

Sunni Muslim (95%)– Some Orthodox and Roman Catholic

Christians

Ethnicity– Eastern Hamitic stock (Egyptians, Bedouins,

and Berbers) 99%

Primarily speak Arabic language

Cairo

Capital of Egypt– Considered the home of the Great Pyramids of

Giza

Population: over 16 million– About 12% of Egypt’s population

Cairo

Egypt Since Independence (1952)

Controlled by 3 leaders– Gamal Abdel Nasser– Anwar Sadat– Hosni Mubarak– **The military, and the first democratically

elected president for a short time

Each made a contribution to Egypt’s post-independence history…

Abdel Nasser(1954 – 1970)

President of Egypt after independence– Increased power of government by seizing industries– Took control of the Suez Canal back from Britain – Built the Aswan High Dam with funds from US and

USSR• Benefits (irrigation, control Nile, hydroelectric power• Costs (fertile soil no longer carried by Nile, reduced river life

and coastal erosion)

Goal was to expand agricultural output and end foreign dependence

Anwar Sadat(1970 – 1981)

– Nasser had trouble convincing foreign nations to invest in Egypt

• They were suspicious of his socialist policies, and feared they would lose money

Anwar Sadat was his successor**First to make peace with Israel– Had an “open-door” economic policy

• Welcomed foreign investment

– Assassinated in 1981 by Muslim extremists who opposed his ties with west and peace with Israel

Hosni Mubarak(1981-2011)

Egypt’s next president– Attempted to balance the needs of large population

with need to pay off foreign debt Cut social programs; Islamist groups (Muslim

Brotherhood) begin to help the poor; win support– Some Muslim extremists used terrorism to fight

Mubarak’s regime Foreign policy- supports peace with Israel but

remains close with Arab neighbors– Receives a great deal of aid from US during this time– Tough balancing act, since many of his people do not

like the US influence in Egyptian affairs

Modern Politics and Challenges

The Lotus Revolution 2011

A series of events in 2011 that swept Mubarak out of power after 30 years, and brought in both democracy and military rule. – Lotus is known as the

flower representing resurrection, life and the sun of ancient Egypt.

The country has been somewhat unstable since then, with elected leaders being overthrown/replaced, and military rule attempting to bring peace and order to the country

The Lotus Revolution (part of the “Arab Spring”)

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/revolution-in-cairo/

The Lotus Revolution (part of the “Arab Spring”)

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/foreign-affairs-defense/egypt-in-crisis/timeline-whats-happened-since-egypts-revolution/