The Sidqi Regime in Egypt (1930 - 1935)
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THE SIDQI REGIME IN EGYPT (1930 - 1935) NEW PERSPECTIVES by MONA MOHAMED ABDEL-MONEM ABUL-FADL Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies. September, 1975 ProQuest Number: 10672851 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 10672851 Published by ProQuest LLC(2017). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 2 ABSTRACT This study focuses on statesmanship in Egypt in the early thirties. Following another of the periodic clashes between King Fuad and the Waf d , Sidqi was summoned to lead an emergency government. This time the constitu-" tional crisis was complicated by the effects of a World Depression and attended by Egypt's partial recovery of its fiscal autonomy. Effective government was urgently needed then. Sidqi's background qualified him for the task which he assumed with architectonic vision and determination. Rising above his immediate difficulties;, Sidqi transformed the crisis into an opportunity to create institutions which would buttress Egypt's independence. Convinced that excesses threatened that independence, and that imbalance underlay the compound crisis , he re instated a dynamic equilibrium which accomodated growth to stability . His immediate priority was to adapt parlia mentary life to the Egyptian situation and develop the latter to make it more conducive to the former. Thus, he re-organised the Administration, amended the Constitu tion and instituted a government which combined effective ness with representativeness. At the same time he implemented a protectionist policy to stimulate and diversify the economy. Perceiving the inter-dependence between structural and institutional change, he launched an energetic campaign to cultivate compatible public attitudes and values. Preaching by example, he inspired his followers and sub ordinates to follow suit. 3 Throughout, he coped with the principal political forces on the scene. With force and guile he contained his opponents and handled the British High Commissioner and the King dextrously. This enabled him to retain power long enough to institute his basic reforms. Although he succeeded in his immediate objectives, the same background which qualified him for success combined with objective factors to undermine its consoli dation. The implications of his Regime^however, outlasted its duration. CONTENTS ABSTRACT 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 5 NOTE ON TRANSLITERATION 6 ABBREVIATIONS 7 INTRODUCTION 8 CHAPTER ONE BACKGROUND TO STATESMANSHIP 19 CHAPTER TWO THE RISE OF THE REGIME AND ITS CONSOLIDATION IN THE LIGHT OF BRITISH POLICY *+9 CHAPTER THREE THE CONSOLIDATION OF AUTHORITY 82 CHAPTER FOUR THE NEW EXECUTIVE 127 CHAPTER FIVE THE ECONOMIC POLICIES OF THE REGIME 189 CONCLUSION 234 BIBLIOGRAPHY 251-260 Acknowledgements I am deeply indebted to Professor P.J. Vatikiotis for his unfailing kindness and patience in supervising this thesis. His constructive criticism, guidance and constant encouragement have been invaluable to me throughout. I visited Egypt twice for prolonged intervals during this study. The first, in 1972, was prolific and active, devoted to research. I conducted a number of personal interviews with members of the family of the late Ismail Sidqi Pasha. Others were conducted with people who had been closely associated with him in one form or another. The value of these interviews essentially lay in the insight they provided into aspects of the subject of my study, although in one case they yielded worthwhile - documented material. I am grateful to Mr. Mahmud Rashid, the one time political secretary of Sidqi, for the Malta memoirs. In contrast, my second visit was spent in almost total seclusion. In which time I applied myself to drafting the Chapters. I should however mention that one of my most productive and lucrative single interviews was conducted then, in Alexandria, with Mr.Muhamad el-Shazli.■ A special debt of gratitude, also rooted in this period, goes to Counsellor Anwar Abu Sehli, who went to lengths to prepare me a biography of his uncle( which I have, unfortunately only made restricted use of here). I am indebted to Dr. A.K. Lashin of Ein Shams, for the excerpts from Zaghlul’s memoirs, to Dr. M.Anis, Director of the Centre for Contemporary Egyptian History, for access to certain collections from the Abdin Archives, and to the late Mr. Mahmud Fahmy, Under Secretary of State, for facilities in consulting Ministerial Archives at the Presidency of the Council of Ministers. I would equally like to commend the refreshingly positive spirit I met with in the Archive section at the Alexandria Municipality during my brief, but fruitful visit there in September 1972. My warm appreciation goes to all those who have helped me in different contexts. In the early stages of my research Prof. Roger Owen willingly met my queries and made worthwhile suggestions for which I remain deeply grateful. Dr. M.Deeb (AUB), Dr. H.Habib ( McGill) and Mr. A.el-Dessuqi (Helwan Technical Institute) each promptly responded to my request in connection with their theses. I benefited from some acute remarks made by my friend M.Lovall, at the LSE, who saw sections of my draft. In the final stages of my work, Miss J. Chrysostomides was friend and tutor to me giving generously of her time and constructive advice which I gratefully acknowledge. It is obviously impossible to include here all who have helped me in one way or another. If I must single out a few names, I would like to mention Mr. M.el-Feqi, Miss N. Ghamrawi and Mrs. R. Adie. 6 NOTE ON TRANSLITERATION & SOURCES For familiar proper. - names I have used the English spelling in common usage at the time. Hence, Ismail Sidqi* Mohamed Said, Saad Zaghlul, Mustafa Kamel etc. Elsewhere, in transliterating Arabic words, I have generally conformed to the method adopted in the Encylopaedia of Islam, with slight variations. The telegraphic and confidential correspondence exchanged between the High Commissioner and the Foreign Office is found in a limited series of indexed volumes on the Egyptian political situation and are easily accessible.(FO M-07) I have therefore confined my reference generally to the c! ocument itself. Where relevant minutes and enclosures are found in the confidential despatch, which are not included in the confidential print, I have indicated the document in its original volume in the General Correspondence. Sidqi1s speeches and public addresses of a given date are generally found in the Ahram or the Sha*b of the following date. L 1Egypte Indust- rielle has been my source for his more specialised addresses and his talks in the forties. A select bibliography is included at the end of the study in which the cited primary sources are listed and, where necessary, briefly annot ated. Primary1 here refers to the source material as well as to the way I have used it, so that where I have consulted technically primary material without citing it, I have listed that in my secondary sources. The latter includes works referred to in the body of the thesis as well as a selection of others which though not used directly in a study drawing essentially on primary material, have nonetheless, been influential upon it or closely relevant to it. In listing them, I am acknowledging both this relevance and influence. 7 List of Abbreviations etc. B T Board of Trade Cab. 23/24 Cabinet Conclusions / Memoranda C.M. Council of Ministers C.P. Cabinet Papers DOT Department of Overseas Trade D T Daily Telegraph E C Egypte Contemporaine EFI Federation of Egyptian Industries EI (L’EI) L ’Egypte Industrielle ESR Egyptian State Railways FO 3 71 Foreign Office - General Correspondence FO 40 7 " " Confidential Print FO 141 " " Residency Archives FO 800" " ” Private Collection H .C. House of Commons - Parliamentary Debates MGTQ Majallat Ghurfat ,_Tijarat al-Qahira M1Q Majallat al-Iqtisad waj_l-Qanun MMN Madabit Majlis al-Nuwwab MMS Madabit Majlis al-Shuyukh MMW Mahadir Jalasat Majlis al-Wuzarar NCMPB Note to the Council of Ministers on the Project of the Budget O.M. Oriente Moderno PRO Public Record Office PVSCM Proces Verbaux des Seances de la Commi ssion Municipale PVSDM Proces Verbaux des Seances de la Dele gation Municipale P.Q.S Parliamentary Questions R.I.I.A. Royal Institute of International Affairs RMC Report on the modifications to be intro duced into the^Constitution.... STS Sahifat al-Tijara w a ’l-Sina a RECE Report on Economic Conditions in Egypt TLTS Taqrir Lajnat al-Tijara wa'l~Sinaca YMMA Young Men’s Muslim Association INTRODUCTION This study is an attempt to deal with part of a controversy which surrounds a statesman and a regime, both of which have long been lost between the frailties of bias and neglect. By exploring different aspects of each in a fresh perspective it hopes to shed a light on an episode and a figure that are central to an understanding of contemporary Egyptian history and politics. The relevance of this attempt is heightened at this moment by its coincidence with the centenary of Ismail Sidqi Pasha (June 1875-July 1950). Sidqi assumed the premiership of Egypt at two critical junctures: the first during the inter-War period (June 1930 - September 1933) and, the second, almost Immediately after the War (February-December 1946). Each of his terms in office was beset with a host of problems and, in each, he assumed his challenge with a self-confidence that was only matched by an equal will and determination.