The Extent Gamal Abdel Nassers Economic Policies - Essay Example

The Extent Gamal Abdel Nasser’s Economic Policies were successful? Table of Contents A.Plan of investigation 2 B. Summary of Evidence 2 C.Evaluation of sources 3 D.Analysis 4 E.Conclusion 7 F.Bibliography 8 A. Plan of investigation This paper attempts to assess the extent to which Nasser’s economic policies were successful in improving the lives of Egyptians. The discussion is centred mainly on the conditions that were prevalent before Nasser came to power and the effects that his economic reforms had on the population as well as the country. The economic reforms instituted by Nasser captured my attention mainly because it allowed me to see a different representation of this leader in a world where he is often depicted negatively. Therefore, I will look at the evidence provided concerning the reforms that Nasser made to the Egyptian economy and during the process will attempt to determine the motivations behind some of his actions so that a better picture of whether these reforms were successful can be developed. An analysis of the evidence in addition to a close reading of some other texts will help to bring about a verdict that will be used to decide if Nasser’s reforms were not only successful but also whether they had either a long term or short term impact. B. Summary of Evidence The evidence from readings show that the economic reforms that Nasser in Egypt helped the Egyptian economy to have some significant development which provided the necessary incentives for individuals to be brought out of poverty. It is essential to note that the reforms propagated by Nasser, while successful in the short-term, were not sustainable and it created a situation where in a decade and a half, Egypt was on the brink of economic collapse as swift urbanization led to significant reduction of arable land while there was an increase in rural-urban migration which reduced the manpower needed in the agricultural sector of the country. While this may have been the case, the evidence shows that among the most fundamental policies of the Nasser government was nationalisation and this was accelerated, especially after a new constitution was put in place making Egypt a one party state. Furthermore, the results of the Nasser government economic policies were neither good nor bad. This is because before the institution of economic reforms in Egypt by Gamal Abdel Nasser, the political neglect of Egyptians was so great that their problems were not even considered in official government policy, and this ensured that the area in which they lived had become an unattractive place for economic activities to take place. Moreover, Nasser recognised that Egypt was a nation that had huge potential for developing into one of the prominent countries in the Arab world, but this had to be accompanied by political goodwill in order to be made into a reality. The Nasser government aimed at improving the economy through encouraging well educated individuals to work within the public sector. The reforms made by this government were based on the belief that the government needed to be in control of all the major economic activities in Egypt. However, as has been seen above, despite Nasser’s reforms, the evidence shows that most of the economic reforms that he took were done merely as experiments and they were likely to not to have had a long-term impact. C. Evaluation of sources Nasser’s economic policy was based on the belief that the government needed to be in control of all the major economic activities in Egypt. To achieve this, his government came up with policies that ensured the lowering of direct taxes, especially on income, and the increase of indirect taxes. Nasser encouraged policies which would increase money not only on public spending, but also on social services since, according to Abdel Malek (1968, p.61), most Egyptians, especially the peasantry, lived in abject poverty and had no means to support themselves. Because of his increases on the government expenditure on tertiary learning, Egypt came to have more professionals in the public sector who were well qualified to handle their jobs. According to Abdel Malek (1968), despite the expression of doubt concerning his policies from some members of his party as well as close former associates, he remained adamant that his policies, especially those of land reform were the best for the people of Egypt and that he would not turn away from them. This expressed his will not to abandon his guiding principles because of his belief that what he was doing was right. His economic policies came under a lot of criticism from some movements such as the Muslim Brotherhood, and it is as a result of the socialist economic policies that the instituted in Egypt that there was an attempt on his life. One of the most fundamental policies of the Nasser government was nationalized and this was accelerated, especially after a new constitution was put in place making Egypt a one party state. According to Osman (2010, p.47), through the nationalisation programme, the government could finally control the costs of various goods and services for the Egyptian people. The creation of state owned industries for privatization ensured that there was a marked improvement in the performance of these industries. Both Abdel Malek and Osman agree that since most of the nationalised industries were monopolies, their privatization did not significantly affect their activities since there was no significant competition. While the nationalisation of privately owned industries benefited consumers in many ways, there were also some negative consequences, such as a decline of the private sector. D. Analysis One would suggest that the results of the economic policies of the Nasser government were neither good nor bad. The sector, which Nasser considered to be most important in the reform process was land and this was done in such a manner that individual ownership of land was limited because Nasser believed that not taking part in land reform would be disastrous to the government (Reid, 2002). The nationalisation of the economy was accompanied by the easing of the regulations on the financial sector to hearten the expansion of the economy and this was most beneficial to the middle class as well as the poor who had little or no opportunities over previous governments. Before the institution of economic reforms in Egypt by Gamal Abdel Nasser, the political neglect of the people of this country was so great that their problems were not even considered in official government policy, and this ensured that the area in which they lived had become an unattractive place for economic activities to take place (Tell, 2014). The negative stigma caused by the poverty of this country made it a less attractive place for professionals, such as doctors and teachers, to work. This had created a situation where the government of Egypt had lacked the most qualified professionals who would help to improve not only its health system but also the education of its children. The fact that people were discouraged from working in the most crucial areas of the Egyptian economy before Nasser came to power created a dilemma, because with low quality of education and health care that resulted, there also developed the problem of high unemployment rates coupled with low healthcare. This situation made the poverty even worse within the population, making a majority of Egyptians desperate indeed. Without some public and private investment in the neglected areas of the communication, better communication between the government and local governments, and more attention to the needs of the populations of these areas, the poverty rate in Egypt had continuously risen. The Nasser government, therefore, attempted to discover the causes of poverty in Egypt and understand them before it could make decisions on how to remedy them and bring the country into prosperity. Nasser recognised that Egypt was a nation that had huge potential for developing into one of the prominent countries in the Arab world, but this had to be accompanied by political goodwill in order to be made into a reality (Ryan, 2001). One of the main reasons Egypt’s development was held back were higher rates of poverty within the country which tended to discourage the people to improve their lot. The aridity of Egypt was also seen as a hindrance to its development and led to some individuals in this country seeking opportunities elsewhere. To recover from this, the Nasser government invested heavily in the development of new sources of water for the population to use and this was done through the construction of the Aswan High Dam. This water could also be used for irrigation, which would enable the state to put as much of its land under cultivation as possible, and this will ensure that the country was food sufficient. The Nasser government aimed at improving the economy through encouraging well educated individuals to work within the public sector (Utvik, 1995). Thus, it worked towards providing professionals with the incentives to occupy the vacant public positions within Egypt so that there could be an improvement in the service delivery to the population. When considering the level of education within the country, the government invested in ensuring that only the best teachers were employed in schools because they would encourage the students of Egypt to take their academics seriously enough to excel in them. The reasoning behind this must have been that with a good education, it would be easy for the various individuals to not only escape their poverty, but to also come back and help improve the lives of their fellow members of society. For example, teachers were provided with the necessary incentives, such as competitive salaries, for them to want to teach, and not only was this be done, but their positions came to be accorded enormous respect. The same treatment was also accorded to all those individuals who worked in other relevant fields within the public sector so that they could find the working environment within the Egypt attractive. One would argue that more well trained individuals ended up being attracted to working in the diverse professions that was provided in the nationalised economy of this country (Aoude, 1994). Moreover, the government of Egypt worked towards creating avenues for attracting potential investors, especially from within the growing middle class, with more investments would develop opportunities for more job openings, and this would in turn ensure that it led to a reduction in the unemployment levels. However, despite Nasser’s reforms, it should be noted that most of the economic reforms that he took were done merely as experiments and they were likely to not to have had a long-term impact (Fahmy, 2012). One of the ways through which Egypt could have been made more productive so that the standards of living could also improve would have been by studying other countries which had much success in turning their arid regions into productive zones. Among the best examples of these would have been the United States, which through ingenious irrigation systems had been able to convert the arid areas within it into productive farmlands. E. Conclusion Most of the economic problems in Egypt during the Nasser era were within the human means to solve as long as there had been a bit of dedication and support from the not only its government, but also from other Arab states that had a stake in a stable Egypt. Since among the main causes of poverty in this country was its geography, even more steps that the construction of the Aswan Dam should have been taken to ensure that the various geographical factors were overcome to make the state more productive. However, most of the people with the power to make a difference, especially the leading political figures, were either unwilling or unable to do so because they did not want to disturb the status quo. It is this attitude that President Nasser should have struggled to fight in order to be able to help the Egyptian people who were affected by poverty. This is because Nasser has the necessary power to bring about long-term reform and a little effort from him would have made a big difference for the better in the economic conditions of Egypt. F. Bibliography Abdel Malek, A., 1968. Egypt: Military Society. New York: Random House. Aoude, I.G. 1994, "From national bourgeois development to Infitah: Egypt 1952-1992", Arab Studies Quarterly, 16(1), pp. 1. Fahmy, H., 2012. "An Initial Perspective on "The Winter of Discontent": The Root Causes of the Egyptian Revolution", Social Research, 79(2), pp. 349-376,551. Osman, T., 2010. Egypt on the Brink. Boston: Yale University Press. Reid, D. M., 2002. Nasser's Egypt, Arab nationalism, and the United Arab Republic. International Journal of Middle East Studies, 34(4), 757-758. Ryan, C.R. 2001, "Political strategies and regime survival in Egypt", Journal of Third World Studies, 18(2), pp. 25-46. Tell, T., 2014, "State formation and underdevelopment in the Arab world", The Lancet, 383(9915), pp. 480-2. Utvik, B.O., 1995. "Filling the vacant throne of Nasser: The economic discourse of Egypt's Islamist opposition", Arab Studies Quarterly, 17(4), pp. 29. Read More