Egyptians take to the streets by the…
September 1970 CE
In spite of the doubts that many Egyptians may feel about the path on which Nasser has taken Egypt, the sense of loss is overwhelming, and there is great uncertainty about the future.
It will be argued that Nasser's rule had not been a great success; that there are almost as many landless peasants in 1970 as when the Free Officers took over in 1952 because it had been the wealthier peasants who had profited and still control the villages; that the army had done no better in 1967 after fifteen years of the revolution than it had done in 1948 or 1956; that nationalization has caused inefficiency and corruption; and, finally, that repression is so pervasive that Egyptians are less free than they had been in the past.