GAMAL ABDEL NASSER
Politics
Born: January 15, 1918
Alexandria, Egypt
Died: September 28, 1970

"We have to go along a road covered with blood. We have no other alternative. For us it is a matter of life or death, a matter of living or existing. We have to be ready to face the challenges that await us."

Son of a post office clerk, Nasser was born in Alexandria, Egypt, on January 15, 1918, and grew up in a small village in the Nile delta of the British-ruled country. Later he lived in Cairo, where he took part in many anti-British demonstrations. He studied law before entering the Royal Military Academy. At age 20 he graduated as second lieutenant. While serving in the Sudan during the late 1940s, he and three other officers founded the secret Free Officers revolutionary organization. Their objective was the overthrow of the British regime and the Egyptian royal family.

Gamal Abdel Nasser was an Egyptian statesman and one of the most important leaders of modern Egypt and Arab history. In 1952, as a young army officer, Nasser was the dominant force in the Revolutionary Command Council. He led the overthrow of King Faruk, pushing Egypt into a social revolution. In 1954, Nasser took the office of prime minister and in 1956 became the nation's President until his sudden death in 1970. He guided the nation of Egypt to complete independence, giving his people a sense of dignity and pride.