Re-evaluating Egyptian history: A critical re-examination of rural development policy, 1940–2000

Abstract

The common view of Egyptian history holds that prior to the 1952 revolution, Egypt was in a period of stagnation. This stagnation was partly the result of the mismanagement of the country by the heirs of Muhammad Ali, partly the result of the stultifying policies during the years of British occupation, partly the result of the upheavals of two world wars and an international economic crisis, and largely the result of inept leadership of the country by the reigning monarchs, the greed of the land-owning pasha class, and the pettiness of party politics. According to this view, the 1952 revolution and its leaders ushered in a new era in Egyptian history, an era characterized, at least in its early days, by a renunciation of the mistakes of the past. These new, enlightened policies included abolition of titles of nobility, the end of the monarchy, orderly rule by military officers, an end to the last vestiges of British occupation, the establishment of an independent foreign policy, fraternal aid to Egypt's Arab brothers, and a genuine concern by the new government for the plight of the fellahin (peasants), evinced most strikingly by its policy of land reform. The Egyptian government itself did its best to foster this view of the revolution and what had preceded it, through government publications within the country, encouragement of favourable international press coverage, and sponsorship of scholarly research designed to highlight the benefits of the new regime. After President Gamal Abdel Nasser's death in 1970 and the assumption of power by Anwar Sadat, the government initially appeared to indicate that it would continue in Nasser's footsteps, despite mounting economic problems, growing dissatisfaction internally, and the defeat in the 1967 war. However, Sadat gradually turned away from Nasser's legacy, working to re-establish ties with Western nations that had been strained or severed during the era of his predecessor. He renounced Nasser's socialistic policies, favouring his own idea of infitah, or opening of the economy. Although Egypt went to war with Israel under Sadat, it also made peace with Israel as a result of the famed Camp David Accords. Sadat's actions brought much praise externally, as Western media portrayed him as a responsible president and a great statesman. Although Sadat enjoyed less acclaim internally, in part because of Egypt's new peace with Israel but perhaps more importantly because of the regime's continuing repression of dissent, a new perspective on the Nasser years began to emerge, one that was significantly less flattering than the previous view. Rather than holding that Nasser was a great leader who brought the country out of despotism