Thinkers and political figures
Portrait: Stevan Kragujević, via Wikimedia Commons (opens in a new tab) · Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0
Gamal Abdel Nasser
- Country
- Egypt
- Era
- 1918–1970
- Tradition
- Arab socialism, pan-Arabism
Officer who overthrew the Egyptian monarchy, nationalised the Suez Canal and survived the invasion that followed to become the dominant figure of Arab politics for a generation.
01
Documented positions
Documented positions come from the sources listed. Similarity is this project’s inference from those positions, and is a much weaker claim.
- Nationalised the Suez Canal Company in 1956, precipitating invasion by Britain, France and Israel
- Carried out land reform, capping holdings and redistributing land to peasant families
- Nationalised banks, insurance and major industry, and built the Aswan High Dam with Soviet assistance
- Introduced free education through university and guaranteed public employment for graduates
- Founded the non-aligned movement with Nehru and Tito, refusing alignment with either Cold War bloc
- Formed the United Arab Republic with Syria in 1958 as a first step towards Arab unity
- Banned opposition parties, ruled through a single party, and imprisoned and executed Muslim Brotherhood members
02
Where it sits on each dimension
Wealth and inequality
16
RedistributionMarket outcomes
Evidence: Well documented
The state in the economy
16
Active stateLimited state
Evidence: Well documented
Personal liberty
12
Collective orderIndividual freedom
Evidence: Well documented
Tradition and change
62
ContinuityReform
Evidence: Documented
Nation and the world
88
InternationalistNationalist
Evidence: Well documented
Religion and the state
30
Secular stateReligion in public life
Evidence: Documented
Power and its limits
8
Concentrated authorityChecks and pluralism
Evidence: Well documented
Crime and punishment
20
PunishmentRehabilitation
Evidence: Documented
Dimensions left unscored, for want of evidence: Environment and growth
Sources
- Gamal Abdel Nasser, The Philosophy of the Revolution · 1954
- James Jankowski, Nasser’s Egypt, Arab Nationalism, and the United Arab Republic · Lynne Rienner · 2002
Last verified: