In the aftermath of World War II, a new military coup was quickly organized in Egypt by a group of junior officers. It was called the Free Officers movement. Shortly after its creation, Gamal Abd al-Nasser, the result of a populist movement, became their leader. According to the group, they started this movement "to end this corruption, this incompetence and this betrayal" (The Modern Middle East p. 238) which was very apparent in the aftermath of war and colonialism. As the military began to take control, they faced the difficult task of weakening the hold of the social elite over the rest of the population. The effects of the elite were largely manifested in their actions in Parliament. This was easily visible as the large landowners, who constituted the dominant group in Parliament, dictated the policy of the time. Before land reform, Parliament repressed wage workers by preventing them from forming agricultural unions. In addition to not being able to form unions, there is also no minimum wage for agricultural workers, so much of the workforce is exploited by the elite for their hard work. As the working class falls deeper and deeper into poverty, much of the land is increasingly held by the social elite, gradually forcing Egyptian peasants into landlessness. A small social elite ruling class that marginalized the rest of the population was not unique to Egypt. This has also been observed in other emerging states in the Middle East, such as Syria and Iraq. One of Nasser's most significant political actions with the Free Officers was his progressive movement for land reform. It was September 1952. The Egyptian government prevented elite land grabbing by imposing limits on the amount of land individuals could...... middle of paper...... a started a small civil war. In 1958, the Marionite Christian president requested help from U.S. President Eisenhower and soon after, U.S. Marines landed in Lebanon to help him control the situation. The 1950s were marked by a period of popular politics, the struggle for an Arab identity and the struggle for regional influence. Economic planning measures were called for. Namely, state-run socio-economic plans for things like infrastructure production, education systems, land reforms and industrial development. These plans would largely influence rural communities. These are also the people who were most affected by the effects of colonialism. The essence of 1958 in the region, under chaos, was a new push for political parties articulating Arab nationalist politics, striving for regional influence and to become a truly independent nation-state..