THE FREE OFFICERS’ MOVEMENT -Nasser quickly rose within the army and had been promoted to captain by 1942, when he became involved in what would become the Free Officers’ Movement.

-The FOM arose out of frustration with the failure of the King and the government of Egypt to stand up to the British. -Although its members who were army officers, wanted the King to be more assertive, they were also careful to remain royal (the population was mostly pro-monarchist). -The Muslim Brotherhood was also vocal in their opposition to the British, although they supported the King, too. -The ideology of the FOM was fairly moderate or “naïve”: 1. The liquidation of colonialism and the Egyptian traitors who supported it 2.The end of domination of power by wealth 3. The liquidation of feudalism 4. The establishment of social equality 5. The building up of a powerful army 6. The establishment of free elections and a healthy democratic atmosphere

THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD -The Muslim Brotherhood - also called Muslim Brethren or The Society of the Muslim Brothers is an Islamic organization with a political approach to Islam. -It was founded in Egypt in 1928 by cleric Hassan al-Banna after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. -Though many claim the organization decries violence, the Brotherhood is often viewed as the root source of Islamic terrorism. -According to founder al-Banna, “It is the nature of Islam to dominate, not to be dominated, to impose its law on all nations and to extend its power to the entire planet.” -The organization's motto: “Allah is our objective. The Prophet is our leader. Qur'an is our law. Jihad is our way. Dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope.”

-Jihad is a religious duty of Muslims. -In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". -Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God. -Jihad is an important religious duty for Muslims. -There are two commonly accepted meanings of jihad: an inner spiritual struggle and an outer physical struggle. -The "greater jihad" is the inner struggle by a believer to fulfill his religious duties.

POST-WAR EGYPT SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CONDITIONS -Egypt had suffered badly in the economic depression during the 30s and most of its population lived at just above the poverty level. -In an attempt to escape the poverty of the countryside, peasants would go to the cities, where they lived in sprawling slums. -Living conditions were poor and lack of housing led to overcrowding. -Workers’ rights were almost non-existent and trade unions were either controlled by the state or banned. -The gap between the rich and the poor was enormous. -WWII brought some prosperity to Egypt but when it was over, the economy faltered, unemployment increased and there was increasing discontent with the government.

POLITICAL CONDITIONS -Demands for complete independence were voiced again. -The prime minister called for a re-negotiation of the Treaty of 1936 with the total withdrawal of the British troops. -There was also a call for unification with Sudan. -The British did not respond enthusiastically to these proposals. -Popular demonstrations broke out and in 1946, at the Abbas Bridge in Cairo, 170 casualties resulted from a clash with police.

POST-WAR PALESTINE -The 1948 Palestine war refers to the war that occurred in the former British Mandate for Palestine between the United Nations vote on the partition plan on November 30, 1947, and the official end of the first Arab-Israeli war on July 20, Historians divide the war into two phases: -The 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine (sometimes called an "intercommunal war") in which the Jewish and Arab communities of Palestine, supported by the Arab Liberation Army, clashed, while the region was still fully under British rule. -The 1948 Arab–Israeli War after May 15, 1948, marking the end of the British Mandate and the birth of Israel, in which Transjordan, Egypt, Syria and Iraq intervened and sent expeditionary forces that fought the Israeli army.

-In Israel, the war is known as War of Independence or War of Liberation, because it saw the birth of the State of Israel ARAB-ISRAELI WAR -It was fought between the State of Israel and a military coalition of Arab states and Palestinian Arab forces. -This war was the second stage of the 1948 Palestine war. -Following World War II, on 14 May 1948, the British Mandate of Palestine came to an end. The surrounding Arab nations were also emerging from mandatory rule. -Transjordan, under Abdullah I, gained independence from Britain in 1946 and was called Jordan in 1949, but it remained under heavy British influence. -Egypt, while nominally independent, signed the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of 1936 that included provisions by which Britain would maintain a garrison of troops on the Suez Canal.

-From 1945 on, Egypt attempted to renegotiate the terms of this treaty. -Lebanon became an independent state in 1943, but French troops would not withdraw until 1946, the same year that Syria won its independence from France. -In 1945, at British prompting, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Transjordan, and Yemen formed the Arab League to coordinate policy between the Arab states. -For Nasser, this first state of war was a formative experience. -The King, it seemed, cared little for the lives of the soldiers, who were ill-equipped and badly led by high-ranking officers. -In 1949, Egypt retreated from a humiliating war. -According to Nasser, the outcome of the war had been decided not on the field of battle but in the corridors of Washington, London and Paris.

THE COUP OF The British troops continued in Egypt which led to the abrogation of the treaty by the Prime Minister in Britain proposed to replace the treaty with a Middle East Defense Organization (MEDO) (Egypt would be a founding member). -Egypt rejected because it saw the intention of the occupation of the canal not by one power but by four (USA, Britain, France and Turkey). -A policy of non-cooperation with the British followed which led to the Black Saturday. -British tanks attacked headquarters of auxiliary police suspected of supporting guerilla fighters. -3 British soldiers, 41 auxiliary policemen were killed, 71 wounded. -Public outrage caused 17 Europeans, 50 Egyptians were killed and 700 buildings were attacked or looted.

WHY WAS THE COUP SUCCESSFUL? -Black Saturday showed that there was general discontent among the Egyptian, the King and the government were not confident about using the army to suppress popular demonstration. -The Muslim Brotherhood and the Wafdists agreed not to oppose the coup. -Britain and USA did not oppose the coup and agreed to the removal of King Farouk. -The FOM had the support of General Mohammad Naguib who was well-known and had the support of the population. -The king, seen as corrupt and decadent, did not have the support of the people. -The population welcomed a government they hoped would finally removed the British occupation, improve social and economic conditions and restore national pride.