Jackie Sun
History 193B
Professor Omnia El Shakry
May 23, 2017
The differing experiences of Algeria and Egypt in their process of decolonization offers the opportunity for rich historical analysis, particularly through the lens of Frantz Fanon’s theory of revolutionary decolonization. Fanon’s most important work, The Wretched of the Earth, specifically concerned the case of Algeria and the Algerian war, but that does not preclude examination of other countries. Although Aleria remains unique in that independence came as a result of a bloody and revolutionary war against a Western power, which seemingly aligns with Fanon’s theory of the role of violence in revolution, a deeper analysis yields a juxtaposition …show more content…
The Free Officers assembled, with the leadership of Muhammad Naguib and Gamal Nasser to force King Farouk out. As Fanon describes in the Algerian case, “There is no program; there are no speeches or resolutions, and no political trends,” the exact opposite happens in the Egyptian case. If Sa’d Zaghlul agitating for independence at the Paris Peace Conference marked the beginning of the rise of Egyptian nationalism, Egyptian decolonization started as an organized process. The Egyptian Revolution of 1952 began with a speech given by Anwar Sadat, a stark contrast to the guerilla attacks of the Algerian war.
Second, through numbers only, Algeria’s war of independence met Fanon’s conditions for revolution through violence rather than peaceful decolonization. Estimates put around 10,00 European casualties and 43,000 Muslim casualties between November 1954 to summer 1962. Many Muslims were forced through leave their homes, either due to the violence or the French’s effort resettle Muslims to isolate them from the F.L.N. forces.
In Egypt, no such displacement happened. The Egyptian Revolution of 1952 was defined as a bloodless coup, and the greatest amount of conflict happened years later between the RCC and Muslim Brotherhood, both vying for power. The earlier revolution in 1919 resulted in more than 800 Egyptian deaths and 1,400 wounded, though in …show more content…
He received strong support from the people, particularly in his pan-Arab, and non-alignment beliefs. He was able to win the hearts and minds of the people by rejecting the Baghdad Pact and nationalizing the Suez Canal. Nasser also understood the importance of putting the peasantry first. In his speech at Port-Said, he stated “the way has been paved for the realisation of our hopes to build the society we desire, the society in which prosperity and welfare reign supreme, the society in which class differences disappear”, as Fanon himself envisioned. Furthermore, Nasser framed the post-independence as a revolution, using very similar language to
History 193B
Professor Omnia El Shakry
May 23, 2017
The differing experiences of Algeria and Egypt in their process of decolonization offers the opportunity for rich historical analysis, particularly through the lens of Frantz Fanon’s theory of revolutionary decolonization. Fanon’s most important work, The Wretched of the Earth, specifically concerned the case of Algeria and the Algerian war, but that does not preclude examination of other countries. Although Aleria remains unique in that independence came as a result of a bloody and revolutionary war against a Western power, which seemingly aligns with Fanon’s theory of the role of violence in revolution, a deeper analysis yields a juxtaposition …show more content…
The Free Officers assembled, with the leadership of Muhammad Naguib and Gamal Nasser to force King Farouk out. As Fanon describes in the Algerian case, “There is no program; there are no speeches or resolutions, and no political trends,” the exact opposite happens in the Egyptian case. If Sa’d Zaghlul agitating for independence at the Paris Peace Conference marked the beginning of the rise of Egyptian nationalism, Egyptian decolonization started as an organized process. The Egyptian Revolution of 1952 began with a speech given by Anwar Sadat, a stark contrast to the guerilla attacks of the Algerian war.
Second, through numbers only, Algeria’s war of independence met Fanon’s conditions for revolution through violence rather than peaceful decolonization. Estimates put around 10,00 European casualties and 43,000 Muslim casualties between November 1954 to summer 1962. Many Muslims were forced through leave their homes, either due to the violence or the French’s effort resettle Muslims to isolate them from the F.L.N. forces.
In Egypt, no such displacement happened. The Egyptian Revolution of 1952 was defined as a bloodless coup, and the greatest amount of conflict happened years later between the RCC and Muslim Brotherhood, both vying for power. The earlier revolution in 1919 resulted in more than 800 Egyptian deaths and 1,400 wounded, though in …show more content…
He received strong support from the people, particularly in his pan-Arab, and non-alignment beliefs. He was able to win the hearts and minds of the people by rejecting the Baghdad Pact and nationalizing the Suez Canal. Nasser also understood the importance of putting the peasantry first. In his speech at Port-Said, he stated “the way has been paved for the realisation of our hopes to build the society we desire, the society in which prosperity and welfare reign supreme, the society in which class differences disappear”, as Fanon himself envisioned. Furthermore, Nasser framed the post-independence as a revolution, using very similar language to