The post-revolution Egyptian Land Reform was an effort to change land ownership practices in Egypt following the 1952 Revolution launched by Gamal Abdel Nasser and the Free Officers Movement. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. The Egyptian Revolution of 1952 (ثورة 23 يوليو 1952 also known as the July 23 Revolution, began with a military Coup d'état that took place on Gamal Abdel Nasser (جمال عبد الناصر Gamāl ‘Abd an-Nāṣir; - January 15 1918 September 28 1970) was the second President In Egypt, the clandestine revolutionary Free Officers Movement (Arabic حركة الضباط الأحرار was composed of young junior army officers committed to unseating
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Problems prior to 1952
Prior to the 1952 coup that installed Naguib as President, less than six percent of Egypt's population owned more than 65% of the land in Egypt. Muhammad Naguib (محمد نجيب) (born 20 February, 1901 &ndash 29 August, 1984) was the first President of Egypt, serving This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. These major owners had almost autocratic control over the land they owned and charged high rents which averaged 75% of the income generated by the rented land. These high rents coupled with the high interest rates charged by banks plunged many small farmers and peasants into debt. Interest is a fee paid on borrowed capital Assets lent include Money, Shares, Consumer goods through Hire purchase, major assets A farmer is a person who raises living organisms for food or raw materials A peasant is an agricultural worker who subsists by working a small plot of ground Debt is that which is owed usually referencing Assets owed but the term can cover other obligations Furthermore, peasants who worked as laborers on farms also suffered, receiving average wages of only eight to fifteen piastres a day. A peasant is an agricultural worker who subsists by working a small plot of ground The piastre or piaster was a unit of currency It was originally equal to one silver Dollar or Peso, served as the major unit of currency of French The combination of these circumstances led historian Anouar Abdel Malek to call the pre-reform Egyptian peasantry "an exploited mass surrounded by hunger, disease and death". See also History An historian is an individual who studies and writes about History, and is regarded as an Authority on it [1] Another historian, Robert Stephens has compared the state of Egyptian peasants before land reform to that of French peasants before the French Revolution. See also History An historian is an individual who studies and writes about History, and is regarded as an Authority on it The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an [2]
Law Number 178
On September 11, 1952, Law Number 178 began the process of land reform in Egypt. Land reforms (also Agrarian reform, though that can have a broader meaning is an often- controversial alteration in the societal arrangements whereby government The law had numerous provisions that attempted to remedy the Egyptian land problems:
- Land owners were prohibited to possess more than 200 feddans of land. A feddan (فدّان faddān) is a unit of Area. It is used in Egypt, Sudan, and Syria. However, fathers with more than 2 children were allowed to own 300 feddans.
- A limit on the rental rate for land was set at seven times the land tax value of the plot of land.
- All land leases were given a minimum duration of three years.
- The government established cooperatives for farmers holding less than five feddans. A farmer is a person who raises living organisms for food or raw materials The members of these cooperatives worked together to obtain supplies such as fertilizers, pesticides, and seeds as well as cooperating to transport their products to market. Fertilizers ( also spelt fertiliser are chemical compounds given to Plants to promote growth they are usually applied either through the soil for uptake by plant A pesticide is a substance or mixture of substances used to kill a pest. A seed (in some plants referred to as a kernel) is a small embryonic Plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat usually with some stored
- A minimum wage for agricultural workers was set at 18 piastres per day. Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture The piastre or piaster was a unit of currency It was originally equal to one silver Dollar or Peso, served as the major unit of currency of French
Additionally, the law provided for the resdistribution of any land that owners held over the limits it established:
- Each affected owner would receive compensation for his excess land in government bonds worth a total of ten times the rental value of the land. A government bond is a bond issued by a national government denominated in the country's own Currency. These bonds would pay three percent interest and mature in thirty years. Interest is a fee paid on borrowed capital Assets lent include Money, Shares, Consumer goods through Hire purchase, major assets
- All land bought by the government would be sold to peasants though no person could obtain more than five feddans from the government. Peasants who bought land would pay the government the cost of the land and a 15% surcharge over a period of thirty years.
Law 178 initially met opposition from Prime Minister Ali Maher Pasha who supported a limit of 500 feddans for land ownership. Ali Mahir Pasha (1882 - 1960 (علي ماهر باشا was an Egyptian Political figure. However, the Revolutionary Command Council demonstrated its power by forcing him to resign, replacing him with Muhammad Naguib and passing the law. Muhammad Naguib (محمد نجيب) (born 20 February, 1901 &ndash 29 August, 1984) was the first President of Egypt, serving
Modifications to Land Reform
In 1958, three provisions of the land reform law were revised:
- The interest on the bonds the government used to repay owners of seized land was lowered to 1. 5%.
- People who purchased land from the government were given forty years (in place of thirty) to complete repayment.
- The government surcharge to be paid by purchasers was lowered to 10%.
In 1961, the government again revised the land reform program by lowering the land ownership maximum to one hundred feddans.
Results
Initially, land reform essentially abolished the political influence of major land owners. However, land reform only resulted in the redistribution of about 15% of Egypt's land under cultivation, and by the early 1980s, the effects of land reform in Egypt drew to a halt as the population of Egypt moved away from agriculture. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture The Egyptian land reform laws were greatly curtailed under Anwar Sadat and eventually abolished.
See also
References
- Abdel Malek, Anouar (1968). Land reforms (also Agrarian reform, though that can have a broader meaning is an often- controversial alteration in the societal arrangements whereby government Arab Socialism (الاشتراكية العربية al-ishtirākīya al-‘arabīya) is a political ideology based on an amalgamation of Pan-Arabism and Agrarian reform can refer either narrowly to government-initiated or government-backed redistribution of Agricultural land (see Land reform) or can refer more broadly Egypt: Military Society. New York: Random House. LCCN 68-14511.
- Stephens, Robert (1971). Nasser: A Political Biography. New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 671-21224-9.
- "Egypt: The Society and Its Environment" (1990). Retrieved 31 March 2005.
Notes
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