President β Prime Minister β March , April β,β Deputy prime minister β Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein [ a ] 15 January β 28 September was an Egyptian military officer and politician who served as the second president of Egypt from until his death in Nasser led the Egyptian revolution of and introduced far-reaching land reforms the following year.
Following a assassination attempt on his life by a Muslim Brotherhood member, he cracked down on the organization, put President Mohamed Naguib under house arrest and assumed executive office. He was formally elected president in June Nasser's popularity in Egypt and the Arab world skyrocketed after his nationalization of the Suez Canal Company and his political victory in the subsequent Suez Crisis , known in Egypt as the Tripartite Aggression.
Calls for pan-Arab unity under his leadership increased, culminating with the formation of the United Arab Republic with Syria from to In , Nasser began a series of major socialist measures and modernization reforms in Egypt. Despite setbacks to his pan-Arabist cause, by Nasser's supporters gained power in several Arab countries, but he became embroiled in the North Yemen Civil War , and eventually the much larger Arab Cold War.
He began his second presidential term in March after his political opponents were banned from running. Following Egypt's defeat by Israel in the Six-Day War of , Nasser resigned, but he returned to office after popular demonstrations called for his reinstatement. By , Nasser had appointed himself prime minister, launched the War of Attrition to regain the Israeli-occupied Sinai Peninsula , begun a process of depoliticizing the military, and issued a set of political liberalization reforms.
After the conclusion of the Arab League summit , Nasser suffered a heart attack and died. His funeral in Cairo drew five to six million mourners, and prompted an outpouring of grief across the Arab world.
