The 1940s were consequently a very disturbed time for Egypt, made worse by the aftermath of the Second World War. Egypt did not enter the war against Germany until February 1945, but this belated decision to join the Allies brought Egypt little benefit. To the angry disappointment of the Egyptians, Britain insisted on maintaining its military presence in Egypt and its hold of the Suez Canal. British anxieties over the German threat had been replaced with Cold War concerns. The Suez Canal was too strategically important for Britain to release its grip on it. The result was a sharp increase in Anglo-Egyptian tension.
The years 1945 and 1946 saw continual disturbances. In February 1946, nearly a hundred civilians were killed in anti-government and anti-British riots. The authorities tried to assert control by arresting the leaders of the various protest movements and outlawing their organizations. But Egypt was close to being ungovernable. No matter how often Farouk's cabinets were changed and new ministers appointed, they were unable to attract genuine support. Seven different governments were formed in the period 1945-50, but the changes did not bring stability. None of the administrations had an answer to the unrest and its root cause: the British military presence. The political system in Egypt was clearly inadequate to meet the demands placed upon it. The great dream of many nationalists in the 1920s that Egypt would develop into a workable constitutional monarchy was proving illusory. The chance of some form of anti-government revolution occurring became increasingly likely.
World History
