The roots of the revolution can be traced back to widespread discontent with the monarchy, fuelled by economic instability and social inequalities. Egypt’s defeat in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War further discredited King Farouk and heightened nationalist sentiments among the Egyptian people. In response the revolutionary Free Officers movement, formed in the aftermath of this war, sought to restore national dignity.

Early on July 23 the Free Officers, led by Mohamed Naguib and Gamal Abdel Nasser, launched their coup. Key military installations and government buildings in Cairo were seized with minimal resistance and, by dawn, the revolutionaries had control of the capital. At around 7am the Free Officer and future president of Egypt, Anwar El-Sadat, took to the radio to announce the success of the coup and declare that the army had acted to end the corruption and misrule of the monarchy.

King Farouk, recognizing the futility of resistance, abdicated on July 26 and went into exile in Italy. Although he was succeeded by his 6-month old son, Fuad II, real political power now lay with the Revolutionary Command Council led by Naguib. The formal abolition of the monarchy the following year marked the end of the Muhammad Ali Dynasty, which had ruled Egypt for over a century.

The new regime implemented significant political and social changes including wide reaching land reforms, and Nasser soon emerged as the dominant leader. In 1954 he ousted Naguib and became the face of the Egyptian revolution, serving as President until his death in 1970.

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