Anwar Sadat
Third president of Egypt; led 1973 war and peace with Israel.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
Muhammad Anwar es-Sadat (25 December 1918 – 6 October 1981) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the third president of Egypt from 1970 until his assassination in 1981. A former member of the Free Officers movement, he changed Egypt's trajectory by departing from Nasserism, reinstituting a multi-party system, and launching the Infitah economic policy. He led Egypt in the October War of 1973 and later negotiated the Camp David Accords and the Egypt–Israel peace treaty.
- born
- 25 December 1918, Mit Abu El Kom, Monufia Governorate, Sultanate of Egypt
- died
- 6 October 1981, Cairo, Egypt
- field
- Politics, military
- nationality
- Egyptian
- known_for
- Third president of Egypt, October War of 1973, Camp David Accords, Egypt–Israel peace treaty
Lore & Background
Anwar Sadat was born into a poor family in Mit Abu El Kom and graduated from the Royal Military Academy in Cairo in 1938. He served in the Signal Corps and was posted to Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, where he met Gamal Abdel Nasser and helped form the Free Officers, a group committed to overthrowing British rule. During World War II, Sadat collaborated with Nazi Germany as part of Operation Salam and was imprisoned for much of the war. He was also active in the Muslim Brotherhood, the Young Egypt Party, the Iron Guard of Egypt, and the Free Officers, participating in the 1952 revolution that overthrew King Farouk I.
Reader's Guide
Sadat's presidency marked a sharp break from Nasserism. He launched the Corrective Revolution in 1971 to consolidate power, purging Nasserists and expelling Soviet military personnel. His leadership in the October War of 1973 regained part of the Sinai Peninsula and made him a hero in Egypt and the wider Arab world. However, his subsequent negotiations with Israel, culminating in the Camp David Accords and the Egypt–Israel peace treaty, led to Egypt's suspension from the Arab League from 1979 to 1989. The treaty was rejected by the Muslim Brotherhood and the left, and was a primary factor in his assassination on 6 October 1981 during a parade in Cairo.
Did You Know?
- Sadat collaborated with Nazi Germany during World War II as part of Operation Salam.
- He was imprisoned for much of World War II after plotting a coup with German agents.
- Sadat gave the first statement of the 1952 revolution over the radio to the Egyptian people.
- His brother Atef Sadat was a pilot killed in action during the Yom Kippur War in 1973.
Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)
"Sadat, Anwar (November 20, 1977). Address by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat to the Knesset. Jerusalem. Retrieved on October 9, 2018." — Anwar Sadat "Sadat, Anwar (November 20, 1977). Address by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat to the Knesset. Jerusalem. Retrieved on October 9, 2018." — Anwar Sadat "Sadat, Anwar (November 20, 1977). Address by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat to the Knesset. Jerusalem. Retrieved on October 9, 2018." — Anwar Sadat "I am convinced that we owe it to this generation and the generations to come, not to leave a stone unturned in our pursuit of peace." — Anwar Sadat
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