The National Union ( ar, الاتحاد القومي ') was the only permitted party in the

United Arab Republic The United Arab Republic (UAR; ar, الجمهورية العربية المتحدة, al-Jumhūrīyah al-'Arabīyah al-Muttaḥidah) was a sovereign state in the Middle East from 1958 until 1971. It was initially a political union between Eg ...

, the political union between

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

and Syria that existed from 1958 to 1961. The National Union was founded in Egypt on November 3, 1957, shortly before the founding of the United Arab Republic, by President Gamal Abdel Nasser as a successor to the Liberation Rally.Goldschmidt, Johnston 2003:293 After the formation of the UAR. In 1958 the National Union also became the only legal political movement in Syria. In the latter country, the National Union was controlled by Ba'athists and

anti-communists Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when the United States and the ...

. The main objective of the National Union was to mobilize the population behind Nasser's policies, which consisted of Pan-Arabism, reforms and the building of a welfare state. However, the National Union did not become a real mass movement, certainly not in Syria. The latter country withdrew from the UAR in September 1961. In 1962 Nasser replaced the National Union with the Arab Socialist Union (ASU).

References

1957 establishments in Egypt 1962 disestablishments in Egypt Anti-communist parties Anti-Zionism in Egypt Anti-Zionist political parties Arab nationalism in Egypt Arab nationalism in Syria Defunct political parties in Egypt Defunct political parties in Syria Nasserist political parties Political parties established in 1957 Political parties disestablished in 1962 Socialist parties in Egypt Socialist parties in Syria United Arab Republic {{Syria-party-stub