Egyptian political body formed in the summer of 1952.
The Free Officers movement formed the RCC following its overthrow of King Farouk (July 1952) and establishment of a military junta. Led by Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser, the members of the RCC included Colonel Anwar al-Sadat, Major Abd al-Hakim Amir, Major Salah Salam, Major Khalid Muhyi al-Din, and other high-ranking officers. General Muhammad Naguib, an older and widely respected officer, was brought in as prime minister and, in June 1953, president of the newly declared Republic of Egypt. The RCC faced a series of challenges in consolidating power, that from the Muslim Brotherhood probably the most significant. A power struggle between Nasser and Naguib led to Naguib's ouster in November 1955 and was an important step in Nasser's rise to power. The RCC was officially dissolved in 1956.
Bibliography
Harris, Christina. Nationalism and Revolution in Egypt: The Role of the Muslim Brotherhood. The Hague: Mouton, 1964.
Vatikiotis, P. J. The History of Modern Egypt: From Muhammad Ali to Mubarak, 4th edition. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1991.
— MATTHEW S. GORDON
