History Reveals…

The Egyptian Revolution of 1952 also known as the July 23 Revolution , began with a military coup d'état that took place on July 23 , 1952 by a group of young army officers who named themselves "The Free Officers Movement ". The revolution was initially aimed at overthrowing King Farouk I . However, the movement had more political ambitions and soon moved to abolish the constitutional monarchy and establish a republic . The success of the revolution inspired numerous Arab and African countries to undergo a similar experience to remove what they believed to be corrupt regimes .

On Wednesday morning, 23 July 1952 , a military coup occurred in Egypt , carried out by The "Free Officers" and led by General Muhammad Naguib , but the real power behind the military coup was Gamal Abdel Nasser.

At 7:30 a.m., they heard a broadcast station issue the first communiqué of the revolution in the name of Gen. Naguib to the Egyptian people that stated the justification for the revolution or the Blessed Movement . The voice everyone heard reading the message belonged to Free Officer and future president of Egypt , Anwar El Sadat:

King Farouk sought the intervention of the United States , but to no avail. By the 25th, the army had occupied Alexandria , where the king was in residence at the Montaza Palace . Now plainly terrified, Farouk abandoned Montaza, and moved to Ras Al-Teen Palace on the waterfront. Naguib ordered the captain of Farouk's yacht, "al-Mahrusa," not to sail without orders from the army. Debate broke between the Free Officers concerning the fate of the deposed king. While some (including Gen. Naguib and Nasser) viewed the best solution as to send him to exile, others argued the urge to trial him and even execute him for the "crimes he committed to the Egyptian people". Finally, the order for Farouk to abdicate in favour of his son, Crown Prince Ahmed Fouad, and a Regency Council is appointed and depart into exile finally came on Saturday, July 26 , 1952 and at 6 o'clock that evening, the king set sail for Italy with a protection from the Egyptian army. On July 28, 1952, Muhammad Naguib became the first President of Egypt, which marked the beginning of modern Egyptian governance.