Nasser silenced opposition through a combination of different types of strategic efforts. In order to ensure that he faced as little opposition as possible, he not only repressed individuals and other independent groups, but he also imposed “the social contract” in an authoritarian-populist manner. According to this weeks readings, Nasser’s Egypt saw little to no outright opposition between 1954 and 1967 – an impressive amount of time to hold such a strong governmental grip on the people. The readings describe Nasser’s government as one that banned all opposition groups and also imposed sate control over groups that had formerly been open to the public. His regime also provided goods to the public in exchange for their political support.
Most crucially, though, Nasser’s government catered to the youth of his country. He enforced social changes to education by placing it under state control so that he could maintain control over the students through propaganda– the groups of citizens most likely to form opposition groups. His ability to seemingly reason with and understand the younger generation also placed him in a favorable position with the youth. He eased many young people by providing them with free education and guaranteed job placements.
This ability for the government to placate the student generations of countries seems to be a major reason that Islamist groups have been so popular at the polls. These Islamist groups often promise youth just what they need – something different. Islamist groups tend to depart from the previous government, giving the citizens of its country a fresh look at government. They are able to receive people’s votes because they recognize that people want the opposite of the regimes they have just escaped.
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