Gamal Abdel Nesser's Speech in 1956 - Essay Example

Gamal Abdel Nesser's Speech in 1956 The British dominance of Egypt intensified in the early 1880's due to the strategic position of the North African nation. Egypt provided a link to Asia through the Suez Canal and Britain wanted to maintain that route because of its trade benefits. Ideally, Britain at the time wanted a trade link that would connect the Mediterranean sea and the red sea in order to facilitate the marketing of its product. Principally, Egypt got its independence in 1922 but Britian maintained its dominance of the nation through certain channels some of which were deemed unofficial.

Economic and social dominance of the British over Egypt prompted a revolution in 1952 with King Farouk 1 being dismissed. Gamal Abdel Nasser took the reigns of power with the first step being the nationalization of the Suez canal (Nasser 1956). The British imperialists condemned such a move, noting they were significant stakeholders. Such tendencies prompted Nasser to present a speech condemning western powers for was deemed as internal interference. The presentation of the speech by Gamal Abdel Nesser was in reaction to perceived meddling by foreign powers like France and Britain in the affairs of Egypt.

The Suez Canal was at the point of controversy and Nesser was presenting his speech to the Arab nation in condemning imperialistic tendencies (Nasser 1956). The idea of controlling the Suez Canal by the Britain was seen as extreme aggression and Nesser wanted to prepare the Egyptians to defend and protect the national resources that were critical for the well-being of Egypt. Ideally, the speech was to enlighten the Egyptians of their rights and freedoms in so far as their interest was concerned (Nasser 1956).

Work CitedNasser, Gamal Abdel. Speech on the Suez Canal, Egypt 1956. U.S. Department of State, The Suez Canal Problem, 26 July - 22 September 1956, Publication No. 6392. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1956), 345-51.