1958 - Political Events

Political Events

A United Arab Republic proclaimed February 1 joins Egypt and Sudan with Syria under the leadership of Egypt's President Nasser, but the union will be short lived.

The Arab Federation created February 14 joins Iraq and Jordan under Iraq's Faisal II, but Iraqi general Abdul al-Karim Qasim, 44, and Col. Abdul Salam Arif engineer a military coup d'état at Baghdad July 14, Faisal is gunned down in his courtyard at age 23 along with his infant son and his prime minister, and Gen. Qasim proclaims an Iraqi republic having received support from the 24-year-old Iraqi Communist Party. Hashemite rule continues only in Jordan, Qasim dissolves the Arab Federation August 1, he ousts Col. Arif in the fall for being too pro-Nasser, Arif attracts support from right-wing nationalist, Islamist, and pan-Arab groups, including the Arab Socialist Baath (Renaissance) Party founded in Syria 20 years ago. Qasim will execute a large number of pro-Nasser Iraqis at Mosul next year (see 1959).

Lebanon has riots allegedly provoked by the United Arab Republic, UN observers move in to guard against illegal movement of troops or arms into the country, U.S. troops from the 6th Fleet land near Beirut beginning July 15 as President Eisenhower vows to protect U.S. lives and property and to defend Lebanese sovereignty and independence, a new government comes to power in Lebanon, and U.S. troops are withdrawn October 25.

Former French Army commander Gen. Maurice Gamelin dies at his native Paris April 18 at age 85. Gen. de Gaulle is named premier May 31 after President René Coty threatens to resign in the midst of an Algerian crisis that threatens civil war. Agents of the Algerian rebels commit acts of violence within France as the open revolt that began in 1954 continues under the direction of French military leaders who have seized control of Algeria.

Paris withdraws French troops from all of Tunisia except for Bizerte June 17 after months of conflict in which French planes have bombed the Tunisian village of Sakiet-Sidi-Youssef, killing 79. Tunisia joins the Arab League October 1.

French voters approve a Fifth Republic by more than four to one in a popular referendum September 28, the Gaullist Union gains control of the French assembly in the November elections, Gen. de Gaulle is named president of the republic for a 7-year term to begin January 8 of next year, and France gives her overseas possessions 6 months to decide whether to become departments of the republic or autonomous members of a French Community (see 1959).

Nikita Khrushchev replaces Nikolai Bulganin as chairman of the Soviet Council of Ministers March 27, he visits Beijing (Peking) in August, and Bulganin is dismissed from the Communist Party Presidium September 6 (see 1956).

Hungary's communist regime executes former premier Imre Nagy June 16 at age 62 after a secret trial (see 1956). Marxist philosopher György Lukács, now 73, was arrested and deported to Romania last year but allowed to return; deprived of his former status, he devotes himself to his critical and philosophical studies, turning out more books and giving lectures. Premier János Kádar is replaced but will regain his position in 1961.

English philosopher Bertrand Russell introduces a symbol for total nuclear disarmament in an Easter march at Aldermaston. The crow's foot in a circle (based actually on the Royal Navy semaphore code letters ND turned upside down) has been designed February 21 by commercial and conscientious objector artist Gerald Holtom on commission from the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, headed by Russell, now 86. It will become a universal peace symbol, but Washington rejects a plan for a denuclearized zone in Central Europe in April and Britain follows suit in May.

Peace Sign
Peace symbols mushroomed amidst rattling of nuclear swords and anxieties about a war that could destroy mankind.

President Eisenhower proposes mutual inspection to enforce an atomic test ban April 8. Former diplomat Joseph E. Davies dies at Washington, D.C., May 9 at age 81, having tried to promote Soviet-American friendship and cooperation in world affairs.

The Soviet Union suspends nuclear testing in June, and an Anglo-U.S. agreement to cooperate in the development of nuclear weapons is signed July 3.

The 3-year-old nuclear submarine U.S.S. Nautilus becomes the first ship to reach the North Pole August 3, having voyaged from Pearl Harbor through the Bering Strait to signal U.S. opposition to any effort by the Soviet Union to control the Arctic.

Moscow resumes nuclear testing September 30, and the Geneva Conference on the Discontinuance of Nuclear Weapons Tests opens October 31 with delegates from Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States (see 1957). They agree to declare moratoriums on testing, and the voluntary moratorium takes effect November 4 with London, Moscow, and Washington in accord (see France, 1960).

Nobel statesman Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 1st Viscount Cecil, dies at Tunbridge Wells, Kent, November 24 at age 94; former Yugoslav government-in-exile prime minister Slobodan Jovanovic at London December 12 at age 88.

The Federation of the West Indies comes into being January 3 with 3 million people scattered over 77,000 square miles that embrace the British colonies Antigua, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Tobago, and Trinidad.

Venezuela returns to democratic government following a January coup that overthrows the military junta which took power in 1948 under Gen. Marcós Pérez Jiménez. Former president Rómulo Betancourt, now 49, regains the office that he held from 1945 to 1948 and will remain in power until 1964, buffeted by pro-Cuban communists on the one hand and conservatives on the other.

Canada's prime minister Louis Saint Laurent retires at age 76 after 10 years in office (his Liberal Party was narrowly defeated at the polls last year) and is succeeded by opposition leader Lester B. (Bowles) Pearson, 61 (see 1963). Ottawa and Washington establish the North American Air Defense Command May 12.

South Africa's prime minister Johannes Gerhardus Strijdom wins reelection but dies at his native Cape Town August 24 at age 65 after a Nationalist Party administration of less than 4 years in which he has pursued a policy of strict apartheid. He is succeeded by Dutch-born party leader Hendrik F. (Frensch) Verwoerd, 57, who will take even stronger measures to enforce racial segregation (see human rights, 1961).

Guinea becomes an independent republic October 2 with Sékou Touré as president following a popular referendum in which the people have rejected membership in the French Community, the only French colony in Africa to take such action.

The Malagasy Republic (Madagascar) becomes an autonomous state within the French Community October 14, Senegal gains autonomy November 25, Gabon, the new Republic of the Congo (Middle Congo), Mauritania, and Mali (French Sudan) November 28, the new Central African Republic (Ubangi Shari) December 1, Dahomey and Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) December 4. Hubert Maga, 45, is elected president of Dahomey (later Benin) and will serve until October 1963. Moktar Ould Daddah, 35, is elected president of the North African République Islamique de Mauritania and will serve until July 1978, working to unify the biracial and partly nomadic population.

Cryptographer (and poker player) Herbert O. Yardley dies of a stroke at Washington, D.C., August 7 at age 69; former diplomat Breckinridge Long at Laurel, Md., September 26 at age 77.

The Politician by former Boston candy maker Robert Welch, now 58, is an 80,000-word book that expands on a long letter written by Welch late in 1954. Together with 11 like-minded men, Welch meets at Indianapolis in early December and helps found the John Birch Society (Birch was a World War II intelligence officer who was shot and bayoneted to death at age 27 by Chinese communists on August 25, 1945, while on a reconnaisance mission with some Nationalist Chinese). The "Birchers" maintain that President Eisenhower was planted by Communists "for the purpose of throwing the game" and is a conscious agent of the international communist conspiracy. George C. Marshall is also a communist agent, says Welch. His John Birch Society will publish the monthly magazine American Opinion, support more than 400 American Opinion bookstores, and grow to have more than 60,000 members.

Pakistan's president Iskander Mirza abrogates his country's constitution with army support and appoints the army's commander in chief Gen. Mohammad Ayub Khan, 51, chief martial law administrator (see 1956). Ayub Khan soon declares himself president, sends Mirza into exile, and will rule until 1969, reorganizing the administration, encouraging foreign investment, working to restore the economy through agrarian reforms (see 1960).

Thailand has a military coup in October (see 1957): Gen. Sarit Thanarat, now 50, seizes power from the country's civilian "caretaker" government, proclaims an "interim constitution," makes himself prime minister and begins a 5-year rule in which he will mount the first government programs of rural development, construct highways and irrigation systems, increase electrification, improve education, root out corruption in the police department, make it illegal to smoke opium, and try to halt opium smuggling, but severely restrict human rights in the process.