| |
| 1954 |
| |
| The government organized political purges of provincial and local governments and the press. In Jan. 1955, the Bar Association was also purged. | 1 |
| |
| Jan. 14 |
| |
| Official suppression of the MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD, including the arrest of 78 leading figures. In November, the government foiled a plot hatched by Brotherhood sympathizers in the army. Afterward, the remnants of the organization went underground. | 2 |
| |
| April 15 |
| |
| A decree deprived all members of government cabinets of their political rights for ten years, from Feb. 1942 to July 1952. | 3 |
| |
| April 17 |
| |
| An internal power struggle in the early part of 1954 ended with the appointment of Nasser as prime minister. Naguib stayed on as president, though without any effective power, until his dismissal and arrest in Nov. 1954. | 4 |
| Nasser (1918–70) became the most pivotal political figure in 20th-century Egyptian history. During his political career, he was closely identified with three causes: the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, the pan-Arab political movement of the 1950s and 1960s, and the policy of nonalignment among Third World countries. Within Egypt, he was a highly charismatic figure who enjoyed immense popularity. His appeal was further heightened by the populist socialism that became the domestic agenda of his regime. He achieved international celebrity for his leadership in the nonaligned movement following the Bandung Conference (1955) and the Suez War (1956), and for his outspoken pan-Arabism, an ideology that advocated the unification of the Arab world into one state. His extravagant rhetoric and pan-Arab ambitions led him into a disastrous war with Israel in June 1967. Though pan-Arabism suffered an irreparable setback, Nasser managed to fight off challengers and retain power until his death in Sept. 1970. | 5 |
| |
| Oct. 19 |
| |
| Anglo-Egyptian Agreement, by which British troops were to withdraw from the canal zone in 20 months. The last British troops left on June 13, 1955. | 6 |
| |
| Oct. 26 |
| |
| Failed attempt by a member of the Muslim Brotherhood to assassinate Nasser in Alexandria. | 7 |
| |
| |
