00:00Anwar Sadat was born on December 25, 1918, in Emaitia Balkam, a small town in Egypt,
00:07to a family of 13 children.
00:10His early life was marked by the influence of several key figures who shaped his political
00:14views and ambitions.
00:16These included Zahran, a man who was executed by the British for participating in a riot,
00:21and Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey, who Sadat admired for his role in
00:25throwing off the shackles of colonialism.
00:29Sadat also admired Mohandas Gandhi, who preached the power of non-violence in combating injustice,
00:34and Adolf Hitler, whom he viewed as a potential rival to British control.
00:40Sadat's education was limited to a grade school level, but he was sent to a military
00:44school in 1936 as part of a deal between the British and the Waft Party.
00:49At the academy, he learned traditional subjects like math and science, as well as battle analysis.
00:56Sadat even studied the Battle of Gettysburg, the turning point in America's civil war.
01:01After graduating, he was posted to a distant outpost where he met Gamal Abdel Nasser, with
01:06whom he formed a long-lasting political association.
01:10Sadat's early political career was marked by his involvement in the Free Officers Movement,
01:15a group of young military officers who sought to overthrow British rule in Egypt.
01:20He was arrested twice for his involvement in the movement, but during his second stay
01:24in jail, he taught himself French and English.
01:27After leaving prison, Sadat returned to civilian life and acted in a few films.
01:33He also joined several business deals, but his true passion remained politics.
01:38Sadat's rise to power began in 1952 when he participated in the Egyptian Revolution,
01:43which overthrew King Faroukhai.
01:46He served as Nasser's public relations minister and trusted lieutenant, overseeing the official
01:51abdication of the king.
01:53Sadat learned the dangerous game of nation-building in a world of superpower rivalries under Nasser's
01:58guidance.
02:00Egypt eventually became the leading non-aligned country in the world, giving a voice to the
02:04desires of undeveloped and post-colonial societies.
02:08Sadat's most significant challenge came during the 1956 Suez Crisis, when the British, French,
02:14and Israelis launched an attack on Egypt to re-establish colonial control over the Suez
02:18Canal.
02:20The war ended with Egypt emerging as a hero of the non-aligned countries, having successfully
02:25resisted colonial powers and maintained its control of the canal.
02:29Nasser's prominence suffered greatly from the debacle of the Six-Day War in 1967, in
02:34which the Israeli military destroyed the Egyptian air forces and swept through the country,
02:39killing at least 3,000 soldiers.
02:42The devastation also threatened to bankrupt the government.
02:46National squabbling among Arab nations and the growing Palestinian movement eventually
02:50strained Nasser's abilities to the breaking point.
02:54He collapsed and died on September 29, 1970, leaving Sadat to face seemingly insurmountable
03:00problems.
03:01Sadat's presidency began on October 15, 1970, and was marked by his efforts to reform the
03:07Egyptian economy and improve relations with the West.
03:11He initiated his most important diplomatic ploy in 1977, affirming his desire to negotiate
03:17a peace with Israel.
03:19He would go to the Israeli parliament to speak for peace.
03:23The Israelis responded with an invitation, and Sadat's speech to the Israeli Nesset
03:27initiated a new momentum for peace.
03:30For his efforts, Sadat won the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1978.
03:35At home, Sadat's new relationship with the West and his peace treaty generated considerable
03:40domestic opposition, especially among fundamentalist Muslim groups.
03:45In 1980 and 1981, Sadat took desperate gambles to respond to these new internal problems.
03:51He negotiated a number of loans to support improvements in everyday life and enacted
03:56laws outlawing protest.
03:58He also declared that the Sharia would be the basis of all new Egyptian law.
04:03Sadat's assassination on October 6, 1981, marked the end of his presidency and his life.
04:10He was killed by fundamentalist army officers during a military review celebrating the 1973
04:15Suez Crossing.
04:17The event was a shock to the world and a significant blow to the peace process.
04:22Throughout his life, Sadat was a complex and multifaceted figure, driven by a mix of idealism
04:27and pragmatism.
04:29He was a charismatic leader who inspired loyalty and devotion in his followers, but
04:33also faced significant challenges and opposition from various quarters.
04:38His legacy continues to be debated and contested, with some viewing him as a hero who brought
04:43peace and stability to Egypt, while others see him as a traitor who abandoned the Palestinian
04:48cause and the broader Arab world.
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