Languages Arabic Historical era Cold War Federation established 1 January 1972 Date dissolved 1977 | Government Confederal republic Referenda held 1 September 1971 Founded 1972 | |
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Currencies | ||
Currencies of the world federation of arab republics egyptian pound 1977
The Federation of Arab Republics (Arabic: اتحاد الجمهوريات العربية Ittiḥād al-Jumhūrīyāt al-‘Arabīyah) was an attempt by Libya's Muammar Gaddafi to merge Libya, Egypt and Syria in order to create a United Arab state. Although approved by a referendum in each country on 1 September 1971, the three countries disagreed on the specific terms of the merger. The federation lasted from 1 January 1972 to 19 November 1977.
Contents
- Currencies of the world federation of arab republics egyptian pound 1977
- Currencies of the world federation of arab republics egyptian pound 1973
- History
- Referendums
- Other Federations of Arab Republics
- References
It is not to be confused with the United Arab Republic, which was a single sovereign state uniting Egypt and Syria.
Currencies of the world federation of arab republics egyptian pound 1973
History
In 1969, Arab nationalist military officers seized power in Libya. The ideological influence of Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser over the new Libyan regime was immediately apparent. The administration was immediately recognized by the Arab nationalist regimes in Egypt, Iraq, Sudan and Syria with Egypt sending experts to aid Libya's inexperienced government. Gaddafi propounded Pan-Arab ideas, proclaiming the need for a single Arab state stretching across North Africa and the Middle East. In December 1969, Libya founded the Arab Revolutionary Front with Egypt and Sudan as a step towards political unification, and in 1970 Syria stated its intention to join.
After Nasser's death in November 1970, his successor, Anwar Sadat, suggested that rather than a unified state, they create a political federation. It was implemented in April 1971 which enabled Egypt, Syria and Sudan to get large grants of Libyan oil money. In February 1972, Gaddafi and Sadat signed an unofficial charter of merger, but it was never implemented as relations broke down the following year. Sadat became increasingly wary of Libya's radical direction, and the September 1973 deadline for implementing the Federation passed by with no action taken.
Referendums
Three simultaneous referendums on the Federation of Arab Republics were held on 1 September 1971, in Egypt, Libya and Syria. In the Egyptian referendum the proposal was approved by 99.9% of voters, in the Libyan referendum it was approved by 98.6% of voters, whilst in Syria 96.4% voted in favour.