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Periodical article | Leiden University catalogue | WorldCat |
Title: | The Egyptian labour movement between the World Wars |
Author: | Hamed, Raouf Abbas |
Year: | 1990 |
Periodical: | Journal of Asian and African Studies (Tokyo) |
Issue: | 39 |
Pages: | 13-27 |
Language: | English |
Geographic term: | Egypt |
Subjects: | working class trade unions |
Abstract: | In order to find the reasons behind the weakness of the labour movement in Egypt and the lack of solidarity among Egyptian workers between the World Wars, the author examines the rise of trade unions following the 1907 economic crisis; labour conditions in the years after World War I; the relationship between the labour movement and the Egyptian Socialist (later Communist) Party; and the labour movement under the leadership of the national bourgeoisie, which eliminated the party and the Confederation of Trade Unions, and set about gaining control of the labour movement. The author concludes that the Egyptian workers understood the link between foreign capital, which exploited them, and imperialism, which dominated their country. Therefore, they joined the nationalist struggle against imperialism. They considered the national bourgeoisie their natural ally, but the latter did not share this view. The bourgeoisie sought the political support of the working class in order to secure political and economic independence, overlooking the demands of the working class. After gaining political independence, the national bourgeoisie discovered that economic independence was not possible without the support of foreign capital. That is why the national bourgeois leadership was always afraid of losing hegemony over the working class movement, which was the reason behind dividing and weakening the labour movement in the name of national struggle. The weakness of class consciousness among the Egyptian workers helped the national bourgeoisie to control the labour movement. Notes, ref. |