Egypt’s Land Problem And The July Revolution Of 1952

For all countries in the process of modernization,the land problem is an important factor affecting the stability of domestic politics.In modern politics,the countryside has always played a key "pendulum" role.Especially in traditional agricultural countries such as Egypt,the role of rural land problem in political stability is particularly obvious.Egypt’s land system has evolved for more than a hundred years since Mohammed Ali ruled Egypt in 1805 and the revolution broke out in July1952.In the early days of Mohammed Ali’s rule of Egypt,in order to strengthen centralization,Mamluk forces,which had been entrenched in Egypt for hundreds of years,had been dealt a heavy blow,the tax system had been completely abolished,the direct control of land by the state had been restored,and a large amount of land had been distributed to small farmers for cultivation.However,in the later period of its rule,because of the continuous expansion and war,the military expenditure was huge,the heavy tax was increasing,the forced military service and the frequent corvee caused a large number of small farmers to leave the land,and the agricultural production was deeply hit.In an effort to seek support and increase agricultural revenues,a large number of grants to Ibadiye,Jafalik,and Uheda began,leading to the resumption of land privatization.After Ali,with the introduction of Saeed Act and compensation Act,private ownership of land continued to be recognized by the state in law.During this period,the continuous development of land privatization in Egypt,coupled with the aggression and plunder of Egypt by European powers,a large number of land fell into the hands of large landlords and foreigners,and the vast number of farmers lost their land and became tenants and farmers.As a result of the unrest in rural Egypt,desperate farmers often struggle with their rulers because of high land rent,heavy corvee and frequent military service.Although many people of insight realized the seriousness of Egypt’s land problem and proposed a series of reform plans before the July 1952 revolution,because the big landlord class controlled the parliament,the land reform bill was usually rejected once it was put forward.The incompatibility between Egypt’s parliament and land reform shows that under its existing political framework,the increasingly serious land problem can not be solved at all.This situation not only made the revolution necessary,but also enabled the revolutionaries to gather the masses who supported the land reform to change the existing political order.As a result,Nasser led the "Free Officers Organization" in line with the situation,launched the July 1952 revolution.In September of the same year,the Land Reform Law was quickly introduced to limit land occupation,redistribute land,stabilize tenancy relations and protect the interests of farmers.Egypt’s agricultural productivity has been unprecedented liberation,for the development of national industrialization laid a solid foundation,Egypt’s history opened a new page.