History of the Arab World: After World War II

1954: NASSER got the power, created a government and abolished all the other political parties: he needed to have a united government to emancipate the country ➔ 1956: he freed the Suez Canal: it was important because in this way Egypt could take the money for the passage of the ships in the Canal and Nasser was able to create important structures for the development of a modern state (e.g. an industry).
Problems:
- there was an industry, but the people who worked there didn’t have enough money to buy the products ➔ protests ➔ repression.
- Egypt got money enough to engage war against Israel.
Apparently Nasser was alone against the British and the French, but indeed he was helped by the U.S., that wanted to obtain a certain role in the Middle East.

1945: independence of LEBANON.
Birth of the Arab League ➔ idea: it is possible to have a common policy, based on a common interest.

1947: PAKISTAN independent from India.

1948: birth of the State of ISRAEL. Two states had to be created, but:
- Israeli people were already working on it;
- Palestinian people were mostly poor people and they were still under British mandate until the creation of Israel.
➔ from one side: existence of the Arab League; from the other: it is not able to do something because it doesn’t have enough power.

1st Arab-Israeli war.

Maghreb: FLN in Algeria.

1955: movement of the NON ALIGNED (guided by Nasser), but it didn’t last much time ➔ Baghdad agreement: effect of a trend aiming at creating independent strong states in the Middle East from the Soviet Union and the U.S.

1956: independence of Tunisia, Morocco and Sudan.

Nationalization of the Suez Canal.

2nd Arab-Israeli war.

1950s-1960s: general economic growth in North Africa, supported by the idea according to which the countries of this area could have an independent policy from Soviet Union and U.S. (non aligned).

1958: coup d’état ➔ REPUBLIC in Iraq

1958: united republic: Egypt + Syria (but it didn’t work).

1959: Yasser Arafat creates al-Fatah.

1961: independent Kuwait from Britain.

1962: independent Algeria.

1963: coup d’état of the ba’th in Syria and Iraq, but it was  successful only in Syria.

1964: foundation of the OLP.

1966: Nasser’s repression of Muslim Brothers.

1967: Arabs’ defeat against Israel (SIX DAYS WAR). Nasser wanted to leave power after the defeat, but the other military leaders opposed this decision because no one could have taken his place. Nasser died in 1970 and Sadat succeeded him: he knew that the Communist system could not work and therefore tried to introduce a new opening that would help the young people and help economic growth.

1968: second ba’thist coup d’état in Iraq.

1969: GADAFI established the republic in Libya (before there was a monarchy).

SADAT

In his youth he was close to the Muslim Brotherhood;
he introduced the liberalization of economic policy in Egypt (infitah = “opening”) ➔ Port Suez: area for free trade without taxes, introducing wealth within the country and giving work to people.

1970s: birth of the foreign policy of SAUDI ARABIA ➔ it became a “dream” for the emigrants.