Reddit reviews Journalism Education in Countries with Limited Media Freedom (Mass Communication and Journalism)

Just before Nasser's coup, 90% of Egyptian women were illiterate. (Source p. 123). Egypt's total literacy rate in 1920 was 13%. In 1952 it was 25%. It exploded in Nasser's period due to his education reforms, making public education free and accessible to all. He increased education spending by 400%, and there was an average of 2 new schools being opened every 3 days. Source



Tarek Osman of Georgetown university states that by the end of the 1940s, 5% of the population held 65% of the assets, and 3% of the population held 80% of the land. By transferring the land successfully, Nasser completely ended the feudal peasant society. Osman states that during Nasser's rule, the cultivable land grew by a third, mainly due to the dam, something that has never happened before or since. Before the revolution, heavy industry made up 14% of the Egyptian economy. After Nasser it was 35%. Osman cites an average rate of 9% GDP growth over a 10-year period of Nasser's rule. 

There was a land reform bill in 1945 that failed because Farouk was vehemently opposed to any reforms. In fact, he lost the support of US President Harry Truman for 2 reasons: his inability to end British colonialism, and his stubborn refusal to make any reforms even when the Americans pushed him to alleviate rural poverty. (See here p.35)

Tarek Youssef analyzes agricultural output from the late 1800s to 1945. He provides tables full of statistics that you can check yourself. He states: "whether we look at agriculture or aggregate output, one arrives at the long held conjecture that the level of income per capita in Egypt experienced little or no improvement in the first half of the 20th century."


Britain had over 100,000 soldiers stationed in Egypt before Nasser released the Sudan. There were internal discussions in the foreign office about creating an Egyptian army to police British-controlled territories in Arabia and Sudan.

After Nasser nationalized the Suez Britain literally invaded Egypt to retain control of it, and was forced to retreat only by American pressure. The British foreign minister Anthony Eden proposed assassinating Nasser with poison or an exploding shaver.

David Lascelles, the Consul-General of Egypt was a racist lunatic. In declassified internal memos he wrote that Egyptians are "an essentially cowardly and underbred race which we have had to sit on in the past" See The British Empire In the Middle East,  by W.M Roger Louis p. 141. Lascelles wrote that in 1947. He also wrote in internal memos that the Arab League is a 'frankenstein' and Britain must break up the Arab League to stop the danger of Arab countries uniting, writing: "divide et impera is still a good maxim." p.140 of same book. Lascelles also asked in an internal Foreign Office memo in 1947 if they could kill Abdulrahman Azzam, the Egyptian head of the Arab League. Britain was involved throughout the 'independence' period behind the scenes, and this culminated in the 1942 Abdeen Palace Incident where the British 'ambassador' took a bunch of soldiers and tanks, rocked up to Farouk's palace, and instructed him to put Wafd into power or abdicate. He buckled, of course.

So no. Egypt was a shit serf country before the revolution, and it would've remained a shit serf country without it. And if it hadn't have happened chances are that you would be an illiterate farmer.