The Era of Nasser Gamal Abd al-Nasser was president of Egypt from 1956 to 1970. During his presidency he dealt with two major events, the Suez crisis of 1956 and the 1967 war. Nasser's triumph in the Suez Crisis in contrast to his grave loss in 1967 can be explained by evaluating Egypt's stability before and after each event and the public's reaction during periods of stability and instability. To understand Egypt's stability during Nasser's presidency, it is important to take into account the policies of Nasser's government and what the Egyptian people expected of him. Nasser would eventually become a prominent figure and hold immense power within the Arab world. To Nasser's surprise, being a leader came with great responsibilities and high expectations. King Farouk of the Old Regime ruled Egypt from 1936 to 1952, when the Free Officers movement overthrew him. Among the many problems King Farouk faced, he continued to fail to gain Egypt's independence from Britain. This not only increased the resentment that the Egyptian people felt towards Britain, but also increased the growing anger that the Egyptian people felt towards the Egyptian ruling class. Farouk had already demonstrated his weakness towards the imperial powers in the 4 February Incident when on 4 February 1942 the British ambassador Sir Miles Lampson arranged a meeting with King Farouk to discuss the issue of the Wafd Party's involvement in the Egyptian government. Lampson ordered British tanks and troops to surround King Farouk in the Abdin palace where the meeting was taking place. The British then gave Farouk the choice of allowing the Wafd to participate in the government or abdicate the mandate. Needless to say, Farouk accepted the first option and appointed a Wafdist booth... middle of paper... h, Nasser had renewed dependence on a foreign power, accepted the existence of Israel, and his social reforms did not last . All the high expectations the Egyptians had for Nasser after the Suez crisis were gone. Overall, Nasser's tenure as president was characterized by inspiration, activism, and encouragement. Upon his death, however, Nasser left Egypt in disarray, despair, and in need of a new hero. Works Cited Bickerton, Ian and Carla Klausner. A history of the Arab-Israeli conflict Sixth edition. New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc., 2010.Cleveland, William and Martin Bunton. A History of the Modern Middle East, Fourth Edition. Boulder: Westview Press, 2009.Kramer, Gudrun. A history of Palestine. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2008. Laqueur, Walter, and Barry Rubin. The Arab-Israeli reader. New York: Penguin Books, 2008.