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United Arab Republic

Coordinates:30°02′N31°13′E/ 30.033°N 31.217°E/30.033; 31.217
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This article is about the union of Egypt and Syria. For the confederation between the United Arab Republic and the Kingdom of Yemen, seeUnited Arab States.For the union of Libya, Egypt and Syria, seeFederation of Arab Republics.For the union of Tunisia and Libya, seeArab Islamic Republic.
For other uses, seeUnited Arab Republic (disambiguation).
"UAR" redirects here. For other uses, seeUAR (disambiguation).

United Arab Republic
الجمهورية العربية المتحدة(Arabic)
al-Jumhūriyya al-ʿArabiyya al-Muttaḥida
1958[1]–1971
Anthem:والله زمان يا سلاحي
Walla Zaman Ya Selahy
"It has been a long time, oh my weapon!"
United Arab Republic from 1958 to 1961 (remained without Syria until 1971 when it was dissolved)
Status
Capital
and largest city
Cairo
Official languagesArabic
Common languages
Religion
Islam
Christianity
Judaism
Demonym(s)Arabian
GovernmentFederalNasseristone-partyArab socialistrepublic
President
• 1958–1970
Gamal Abdel Nasser
• 1970–1971
Anwar Sadat
Vice President
• 1958–1971
List
Prime Minister
• 1958–1962 (first)
Gamal Abdel Nasser
• 1970–1971 (last)
Mahmoud Fawzi
LegislatureNational Assembly
Historical eraArab Cold War
22 February 1958[1]
1959
28 September 1961
10 June 1967
11 September 1971
Area
• Total
1,195,000 km2(461,000 sq mi)
Currency
Time zoneUTC+2(EET)
• Summer (DST)
UTC+3(EEST)
Calling code+20
Preceded by		 Succeeded by
Republic of Egypt
Syrian Republic
1961
Syrian Arab Republic
1967
Israeli Military Occupation
1971
Arab Republic of Egypt
Today part of

TheUnited Arab Republic(UAR;Arabic:الجمهورية العربية المتحدة,romanized:al-Jumhūriyya al-ʿArabiyya al-Muttaḥida) was a sovereign state in theMiddle Eastfrom 1958 until 1961. It was initially apolitical unionbetweenEgypt(including thegovernance of Gaza) andSyriafrom 1958 until Syria seceded from the union following the1961 Syrian coup d'état.Egypt continued to be known officially as the United Arab Republic until September 1971 when it was formally dissolved byAnwar Sadat.[2]

The republic was led byGamal Abdel Nasseras theEgyptian president.The UAR was a member of theUnited Arab States,a looseconfederationwith theMutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen,which was dissolved in 1961.

History[edit]

Origins[edit]

Main articles:History of Egypt,History of Syria,andHistory of the Gaza Strip
Universal Newsreelabout the founding of the Republic

The United Arab Republic was established on 1 February 1958[3]as the first step towards a largerpan-Arabstate, originally being proposed to Egyptian PresidentGamal Abdel Nasserby a group of political and military leaders inSyria.

Pan-Arab sentimenttraditionally was very strong in Syria, and Nasser was a popular heroic figure throughout the Arab world following theSuez Crisisof 1956. There was thus considerable popular support in Syria for union withNasser's Egypt.TheArab Socialist Ba'ath Partywas the leading advocate of such a union.[4]

In mid-1957, Western powers began to worry that Syria was close to a Communist takeover; it had a highly organizedCommunist Partyand the newly appointedarmy's chief of staff,Afif al-Bizri,was a Communist sympathizer. This caused theSyrian Crisis of 1957after which Syrians intensified their efforts to unite with Egypt.[5]Nasser told a Syrian delegation, includingPresidentShukri al-QuwatliandPrime MinisterKhaled al-Azem,that they needed to rid their government of Communists, but the delegation countered and warned him that only total union with Egypt would end the "Communist threat".[5]According toAbdel Latif Boghdadi,Nasser initially resisted a total union with Syria, favoring instead afederalunion. However, Nasser was "more afraid of a Communist takeover" and agreed on a total merger.[5]The increasing strength of the Syrian Communist Party, under the leadership ofKhalid Bakdash,worried theSyrian Ba'ath Party,which was suffering from an internal crisis from which prominent members were anxious to find an escape.[5]Syria had a democratic government since the overthrow ofAdib al-Shishakli's military government in 1954, and popular pressure for Arab unity was reflected in thecomposition of parliament.[5]

Nasser shaking hands with al-Bizri

On 11 January 1958, al-Bizri led a Syrian delegation composed of military officers to Cairo, and personally encouraged Syrian-Egyptian unity. Nasser opted for a quick merger. Only Syrian advocates of unity, includingSalah al-Din BitarandAkram El-Houranihad prior knowledge of this delegation; Quwatli and Azem were notified a day later and considered it tantamount to a "military coup".[6][7]

Nasser's final terms for the union were decisive and non-negotiable: "a plebiscite, the dissolution of parties, and the withdrawal of the army from politics". While the plebiscite seemed reasonable to most Syrian elites, the latter two conditions were extremely worrisome. They believed it would destroy political life in Syria.[8]Despite these concerns, the Syrian officials knew it was too late to turn back. The members of the elite in Syria viewed the merger with Egypt as the lesser of two evils. They believed that Nasser's terms were unfair, but given the intense pressure that their government was undergoing, they believed that they had no other choice.[citation needed]

A plebiscite was held on 21 February 1958, with Egyptians and Syrians voting in favor of the merger.[9]The result was announced on 22 February[10]and Nasser was declared the new president of the United Arab Republic.[1]

Egyptian and Syrian leaders signed the protocols, although Azem did so reluctantly.[11]Nasser became the republic's president and very soon carried out a crackdown against the Syrian Communists and opponents of the union. This included dismissing Bizri and Azem from their posts.[6][12]

Nasser signing unity pact withSyrianpresidentShukri al-Quwatli,forming the United Arab Republic, February 1, 1958

Early history[edit]

Advocates of the union believed that Nasser would use theBa'ath Partyfor ruling Syria. Unfortunately for the Ba'athists, it was never Nasser's intention to share an equal measure of power. Nasser established a new provisional constitution proclaiming a 600-member National Assembly with 400 members from Egypt and 200 from Syria, and the disbanding of all political parties, including the Ba'ath. Nasser gave each of the provinces two vice-presidents, assigning Boghdadi andAbdel Hakim Amerto Egypt andSabri al-AssaliandAkram El-Hourani– a leader of the Ba'ath – to Syria. The newprovisional constitution of 1958was adopted.[13]

Though Nasser allowed former Ba'ath Party members to hold prominent political positions, they never reached positions as high in the government as did the Egyptian officials. During the winter and the spring of 1959–60, Nasser slowly squeezed prominent Syrians out of positions of influence. In the Syrian Ministry of Industry, for example, seven of the top thirteen positions were filled by Egyptians. In the General Petroleum Authority, four of the top six officials were Egyptian. In the fall of 1958, Nasser formed a tripartite committee, consisting ofZakaria Mohieddine,al-Hawrani, and Bitar to oversee the affairs in Syria. By moving the latter two, both Ba'athists, to Cairo, he neutralized important political figures who had their own ideas about how Syria should be run within the UAR.[4]

In Syria, opposition to union with Egypt mounted.Syrian Armyofficers resented being subordinate to Egyptian officers, and SyrianBedouintribes received money fromSaudi Arabiato prevent them from becoming loyal to Nasser. Also, Egyptian-style land reform was resented for damaging Syrianagriculture,the Communists began to gain influence, and the intellectuals of the Ba'ath Party who supported the union rejected theone-party system.Mustafa al-Barudi, the Syrian Minister of Propaganda, stated that 'the smallest member of the (Egyptian) retinue thought that he had inherited our country. [Egyptians] spread "like octopuses" everywhere.'[14]Nasser was not able to address problems in Syria completely, because they were new to him, and instead of appointing Syrians to run Syria, he assigned this position to Amer andAbdel Hamid Sarraj(a Syrian army official and Nasser sympathizer).[15]

In Egypt, the situation was more positive, with a GNP growth of 4.5 per cent and a rapid growth of industry. In 1960, Nasser nationalized the Egyptian press, reducing it to his personal mouthpiece.[16]

Foreign relations[edit]

Middle East in 1958: United Arab Republic (red),United Arab States(red and light-red),Arab Federation(green),British Kuwait(grass green), otherBritish protectoratesinSouthandEast Arabia(light green)

The union was interpreted by the other nations of the world as a major threat toJordan.Syria was seen as a source of instigation and shelter for Jordanian plotters againstKing Hussein.Egypt's own status as a state unfriendly to Western aggression in the region (and thus to the close relationship between the British, in particular, and the Jordanian and Iraqi monarchies) added to the pressure. Hussein responded by proposing toFaisal II of IraqaJordanian-Iraqi unionto counter the UAR; such a union formed on 14 February 1958 as theArab Federation.Jordan and Iraq agreed to establish a unified military command with a unified military budget, 80 per cent of which was to be provided by Iraq and the remaining 20 per cent by Jordan. Troops from both countries were exchanged in the arrangement.

In nearbyLebanon,PresidentCamille Chamoun,an opponent of Nasser, viewed the creation of the UAR with worry. Pro-Nasser factions in the country were mostly Muslims andDruze,while theChristian Maronitepopulation generally supported Chamoun. These two sides began clashing, culminating in acivil warby May 1958. The former favoured merging with the UAR, while the latter feared the new country as a satellite ofCommunism.Although Nasser did not covet Lebanon, seeing it as a special case,[17]he felt obliged to back his supporters through givingAbdel Hamid Sarrajthe task of sending them money and light arms, and training officers.[18]

On 14 July 1958, Iraqi army officers staged amilitary coupand overthrew theKingdom of Iraq– which had just previously united with Jordan to form the rivalArab Federation.Nasser declared his recognition of the new government and stated that "any attack on Iraq was tantamount to an attack on the UAR". The next day American marines and British special forces landed in Lebanon and in Jordan, respectively, to prevent the two countries from opening up to pro-Nasser forces. To Nasser, the revolution in Iraq opened the road for Arab nationalism.[19]Although most members of theIraqi Revolutionary Command Council(RCC) favoured joining Iraq with the UAR, the new prime ministerAbdel Karim Qasimdisagreed.Said K. Aburishstates reasons for this could have included Nasser's refusal to cooperate with and encourage the Iraqi Free Officers a year before the coup – or Qasim viewed Nasser as a threat to his supremacy as leader of Iraq.[20]

Later in July, the American government convinced Chamoun not to seek a second term. This allowed the election ofFuad Chehabas Lebanon's new president. Nasser and Chehab met at the Lebanese–Syrian border and Nasser explained to Chehab that he never wanted unity with Lebanon, but only that the country not be used as a base against the UAR. This meeting resulted in the end of the crisis in Lebanon, with Nasser ceasing to supply his partisans and America setting a deadline for retreating from the area.[21]

After theoverthrowof itsHashemitemonarchyin 1958, Iraq became the Arab state most supportive of the UAR. Iraq sought to join the union; however, in 1959 Qasim cancelled the unity talks. After Qasim'soverthrow in 1963the union idea resurrected with the proposal of Egypt, Iraq, and Syria reforming the UAR. A new flag was proposed, with three stars symbolizing the three states constituting the proposed union. However, the plan for a tri-partite union never materialised. Iraq continued to use the three-star flag and later adopted it as the nationalflag.This three-star flag remained Iraq's national flag (with some modifications) until 2007.

Flag[edit]

Main article:Flag of Egypt

The UAR adopted a flag based on theArab Liberation Flagof theEgyptian Revolution of 1952,but with two stars to represent the two parts of the UAR. From 1980 this has been the officialflag of Syria.In 1963,Iraqadopted aflagthat was similar but with three stars, representing the hope that Iraq would join the UAR. The current flags ofEgypt,SudanandYemenare also based on the1952 Arab Liberation Flagof horizontal red, white and black bands.

Nationalization[edit]

Nasser addressing the masses inDamascus,1960

In June 1960, Nasser tried to establish economic reforms that would bring the Syrian economy more in line with the strong Egyptian public sector. However, these changes did little to help either economy. Rather than shift growth toward the private sector, Nasser embarked on an unprecedented wave of nationalizations in bothSyriaandEgypt.These began in July 1961, without consulting top Syrian economic officials.[22]The entire cotton trade was taken over by the government, as well as all import-export firms. Nasser announced thenationalizationof banks, insurance companies, and all heavy industry, July 23, 1961. Nasser also extended hissocial justiceprinciples. The land limit was reduced from 200 to 100feddans.Interest rates for farmers were dramatically reduced to the point of elimination in some cases. A ninety percent tax was instituted on all income above £E10,000. Workers and employees were allowed representatives on management boards. They were also given the right to a twenty-five percent share in the profit of their firm. The average workday was also cut from eight hours to seven without a reduction in pay.[23]

Culture[edit]

Upon accepting the 1960 Best Supporting Actor award given toHugh Griffithfor his "wonderfully humorous, human, and sympathetic characterization of an Arab sheik" inBen-Hur(1959), directorWilliam Wylerexpressed regret that the people of the United Arab Republic would not be permitted to see Griffith's performance.[24]

Dissolution[edit]

Main article:1961 Syrian coup d'état
Nasser and Sarraj in Latakia, 1959

Instead of a federation of two Arab peoples, as many Syrians had imagined, the UAR turned into a state completely dominated by Egyptians. Syrian political life was also diminished, as Nasser demanded all political parties in Syria to be dismantled. In the process, the strongly centralized Egyptian state imposed Nasser's socialistic political and economic system on weaker Syria, creating a backlash from the Syrian business and army circles, which resulted in the Syrian coup of September 28, 1961, and the end of the UAR. According to Elie Podeh, "... this unity scheme was successful in consolidating the shaky Syrian identity. In fact, once the Syrians lost their independence they suddenly realized that they did indeed possess a different identity than the Egyptians."[25][page needed]

Despite the economic difficulties, what truly produced the demise of the UAR was Nasser's inability to find a suitable political system for the new regime. Given hissocialistagenda in Egypt, theBa'athshould have been his natural ally, but Nasser was hesitant to share power. Though Amer allowed some liberalization of the economy in order to appease Syrian businessmen, his decision to rig the elections of theNational Union(the single party which replaced the Ba'ath), with the help of ColonelAbdul Hamid Sarraj(a Syrian army official and Nasser sympathizer), antagonized Ba'athist leaders. The Ba'ath Party won only five percent of the seats on the higher committees, while the more traditional conservative parties won a significant majority.[26]Sarraj was appointed the head of the National Union in Syria, and by the spring of 1960 had replaced Amer as the chair of the Syrian Executive Council. Under Sarraj Syria was ruled by a repressive security force designed to suppress all opposition to the regime.

The immense increases in public sector control were accompanied by a push forcentralization.In August 1961 Nasser abolished regional governments in favour of one central authority, which operated fromDamascusFebruary through May and fromCairofor the rest of the year. As a part of this centralization, Sarraj was relocated to Cairo, where he found himself with little real power. September 15, 1961, Sarraj returned to Syria, and after meeting with Nasser and Amer resigned from all his posts on September 26.[27]

Without any close allies to watch over Syria, Nasser was unaware of the growing unrest of the military. On September 28 a group of officers staged a coup and declared Syria's independence from the UAR. Though the coup leaders were willing to renegotiate a union under terms they felt would put Syria on an equal footing with Egypt, Nasser refused such a compromise. He initially considered sending troops to overthrow the new regime, but chose not to once he was informed that the last of his allies in Syria had been defeated.[28]In speeches that followed the coup, Nasser declared he would never give up his goal of an ultimate Arab union. However, he would never again achieve such a tangible victory toward this goal.

After Syria's withdrawal[edit]

Main articles:Six-Day WarandWar of Attrition
Nasser in 1966

After Syria's withdrawal from the union in 1961, Egypt retained its "United Arab Republic" name until 1971.

In the early 1960s, Nasser sent anexpeditionary armyto Yemen to support the anti-monarchist forces in theNorth Yemen Civil War.

From 5 to 10 June in 1967,IsraelinvadedGaza,theWest Bank,theGolan Heights,and theSinai Peninsuladuring theSix-Day War.Egypt recovered partial sovereignty over the Sinai Peninsula in 1978, but only after agreeing to recognize Israel. Anwar Sadat, who reversed many of the socialist reforms enacted under Nassar, extended diplomatic recognition to Tel Aviv despite Israel’s ongoing occupation of lands illegally seized in 1967. Israel maintained a violent occupation of some territories and created illegal settlements. After 1994, thePalestinian Authority,created by theOslo Accords,established a degree of Palestinian civil administration in Gaza.[29][30]Israel retreated from Gaza in 2005 was not followed by resumption of control by Egypt. Since 2007,Gazahas been administrated by the Palestinian nationalist partyHamas.[31]

Geography[edit]

Main articles:Geography of EgyptandGeography of Syria
United Arab Republic
Egypt
Syria
Gaza

If it existed today, the United Arab Republic would be the25th largest nationon the planet (Egypt is 30th and Syria is 88th). It was comparable in size toSouth Africa,and twice the size ofFrance.Following the dissolution of theAll-Palestine Government,the United Arab Republic further exerted control over Gaza, until1967.

See also[edit]

Further reading[edit]

References[edit]

Footnotes[edit]

  1. ^ab"Cairo Wild as Nasser Takes Post".Fort Lauderdale News.23 February 1958.Archivedfrom the original on 4 January 2023.Retrieved24 February2022.
  2. ^Newton, Michael Dawn (2014).Famous assassinations in world history: an encyclopedia.Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO.ISBN978-1-61069-285-4.
  3. ^"Egypt, Syria Union Aim at Arab Unity".The San Francisco Examiner.Associated Press. 2 February 1958.Archivedfrom the original on 4 January 2023.Retrieved24 February2022.
  4. ^abJames P. Jankowski (2002).Nasser's Egypt, Arab Nationalism, and the United Arab Republic.Lynne Rienner Publishers.ISBN9781588260345.Archivedfrom the original on 10 October 2017.Retrieved19 August2016.
  5. ^abcde"United Arab Republic (U.A.R.)".Encyclopædia Britannica.Archivedfrom the original on 14 August 2012.Retrieved24 August2012.
  6. ^abAburish 2004,pp. 150–151
  7. ^Podeh 1999,pp. 43
  8. ^Palmer 1966,pp. 53
  9. ^"Nasser to Head Egypt-Syria Union".The Nottingham Evening Post.22 February 1958.Archivedfrom the original on 4 January 2023.Retrieved24 February2022.
  10. ^"Nearly All Voters in Egypt Approve Arab Republic".The Pantagraph.Bloomington, Illinois. 22 February 1958.Archivedfrom the original on 4 January 2023.Retrieved24 February2022.
  11. ^Podeh 1999,pp. 49
  12. ^Podeh 1999,pp. 44–45
  13. ^Aburish 2004,pp. 162–163
  14. ^Tsourapas, Gerasimos (2016)."Nasser's Educators and Agitators across al-Watan al-'Arabi: Tracing the Foreign Policy Importance of Egyptian Regional Migration, 1952–1967"(PDF).British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies.43(3): 324–341.doi:10.1080/13530194.2015.1102708.S2CID159943632.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 20 November 2016.
  15. ^Aburish 2004,p. 185
  16. ^Aburish 2004,pp. 189–191
  17. ^Aburish 2004,p. 164
  18. ^Aburish 2004,p. 166
  19. ^Aburish 2004,pp. 169–170
  20. ^Aburish 2004,p. 172
  21. ^Aburish 2004,p. 173
  22. ^Stephens 1971,p. 338
  23. ^Stephens 1971,pp. 329–30
  24. ^"Hugh Griffith Wins Supporting Actor: 1960 Oscars".Oscars.Retrieved22 January2024.
  25. ^Podeh 1999.
  26. ^Stephens 1971,p. 337
  27. ^Stephens 1971,pp. 338–339
  28. ^Stephens 1971,p. 340
  29. ^Department Of State. The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affairs (13 December 2007)."The Oslo Accords, 1993".2001-2009.state.gov.Retrieved28 August2023.
  30. ^"Israeli settlements: Where, when, and why they're built".Christian Science Monitor.ISSN0882-7729.Retrieved28 August2023.
  31. ^"Hamas: The Palestinian militant group that rules Gaza".BBC News.9 May 2011.Retrieved28 August2023.

Bibliography[edit]

External links[edit]

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