Memories of a revolution

One of the original members of the Free Officers movement, which ousted Egypt's King Farouk in the revolution of 1952, Khaled Mohi El Din here records his impressions of - and involvement in - one of the most dramatic events in Egypt's modern history. He describes the activities and formation of the Free Officers from the early days, their philosophy and influences, their nationalism and desire for reform, and the pressures and obstacles they encountered as they plotted and planned against the Palace, the British, and internal rivals. Mohi El Din then narrates the events of the revolution itself, providing a rare eyewitness account of the workings of Gamal 'Abd al-Nasser's inner circle and the sequence of events leading up to July 23, 1952. Reflecting on the feelings of simultaneous triumph and uncertainty that followed, he discusses the decisions and deliberations of the new Revolutionary Command Council during its protracted struggle for legitimacy and power. His memories of the angry arguments and bitter rivalries among members of the RCC over the holding of elections, the role of Egypt's first president, Muhammad Nagib, and the future of Egypt's fragile revolutionary government make fascinating reading. . A liberal and outspoken member of the Council and a firm believer in parliamentary democracy, Mohi El Din recounts the political maneuvering and the private and public dilemmas of the revolution's leadership. He recalls his personal and painful struggle to uphold democratic ideals in the face of a tendency toward military dictatorship, and shares his impressions of Nasser and the other actors in the revolution, including Anwar al-Sadat and Muhammad Nagib, both during the revolution and in the subsequent period of internal division that led eventually to Mohi El Din's exile from Egypt in 1954.