Nasser's Blessed Movement - by Joel Gordon (Paperback)

About the Book

This essential book explores the early years of military rule following the Free Officers' coup of 1952. Enriched by interviews with actors in and observers of the events, Nasser's Blessed Movement shows how the officers' belief in a quick reformation by force was transformed into a vital, long-term process that changed the face of Egypt.
Joel Gordon analyzes the goals, programs, successes, and failures of the young regime, providing the most comprehensive account of the Egyptian revolution to date.

Book Synopsis

This essential book explores the early years of military rule following the Free Officers' coup of 1952. Enriched by interviews with actors in and observers of the events, Nasser's Blessed Movement shows how the officers' belief in a quick reformation by force was transformed into a vital, long-term process that changed the face of Egypt.
Under Gamal Abdel Nasser, the military regime launched an ambitious program of political, social, and economic reform. Egypt became a leader in Arab and non-aligned politics, as well as a model for political mobilization and national development throughout the Third World. Although Nasser exerted considerable personal influence over the course of events, his rise as a national and regional hero in the mid-1950s was preceded by a period in which he and his colleagues groped for direction, and in which many Egyptians disliked-even feared-them. Joel Gordon analyzes the goals, programs, successes, and failures of the young regime, providing the most comprehensive account of the Egyptian revolution to date.
This edition includes a new Introduction that looks back at the post-1952 period from a post-2011 perspective.

Review Quotes

"Perceptive and extremely well-researched. . . . Gordon skillfully unravels the complex maneuvering between the military and civilians during the first two years [of military rule]." -- Peter Mansfield, Times Literary Supplement

"Elegantly written . . . a subtle and effective view of the period . . . a new perspective that takes the military success much less for granted." -- Robert L. Tignor, Middle East Journal

"Well-researched and dispassionate. . . . It is good to be reminded, through Gordon's detailed study of this period, how provisional, extempore, and contingent the works of politics and history are." -- Charles Tripp, Times Higher Education Supplement

"Will likely become the standard work on the early years of military rule in Egypt . . . a carefully researched and original view of the period." -- Selma Botman, American Historical Review

"Joel Gordon's pathbreaking and insightful analysis of the 1952 Revolution proves to be even more relevant in light of Egypt's current struggles. A classic that should be required reading for anyone interested in understanding revolutionary politics in Egypt, past or present." -- Laura Bier, author of Revolutionary Womanhood: Feminism, Modernity, and the State in Nasser's Egypt

"A model of scholarly integrity and stylistic elegance, this has long stood as the classic account of Egypt's revolutionary moment in the 1950s. No other book tells the story of Egypt's transition from the rule of the pashas to that of the soldiers as well. Within the context of recent challenges to the authoritarian order in the Arab world that Nasser did so much to inspire, the book's reissue is timely and welcome." -- John Calvert, author of Sayyid Qutb and the Origins of Radical Islam

About the Author

Joel Gordon is professor of history and director of the King Fahd Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies at the University of Arkansas.