Date: 2009
Type: Working Paper
Travail et emancipation nationale: le comite ouvrier de liberation nationale (1945-46): une tentative avortee de creation d’un parti politique ouvrier legal dans l’egypte dite liberale
Working Paper, EUI RSCAS, 2009/57, Mediterranean Programme Series
MONCIAUD, Didier, Travail et emancipation nationale: le comite ouvrier de liberation nationale (1945-46): une tentative avortee de creation d’un parti politique ouvrier legal dans l’egypte dite liberale, EUI RSCAS, 2009/57, Mediterranean Programme Series - https://hdl.handle.net/1814/12814
Retrieved from Cadmus, EUI Research Repository
From the 1930’s, Choubra al-Khyma, the northen suburb of Cairo, becomes rapidly an important
industrial and labor stronghold, mostly based on the textile industry. An influential trade unionism
arises to become a significant actor of the Egyptian politics shaped by the British colonial rule and an
authoritarian monarchy.
Enrooted in powerful nationalist and anti-colonial feelings, this trade unionist current promotes an
autonomous path, refusing any political tutelage on the trade union movement from the political
parties and non-worker figures.
The General Union of Mechanical Textile Workers is the main strength of such a trend. It gains a
significant influence in Choubra al-Khyma and expands its links with textile workers from other
zones. Its leadership gradually shifts from a purely economic perspective to a peculiar form of political
consciousness.
Progressively, a radical network is set up, made of several textile workers (Mahmoud al ‘Askari,
Taha Sa’d ‘Uthmân, …) plus a figure such as the trade unionist Youssef al-Medarek with the jewish
marxist lawyer Youssef Darwich. He is himself involved in a secret marxist circle made up of three
young jewish Egyptian intellectuals with Sâdeq Sa’d and Raymond Doueik.
Progressively, this militant team is moving towards a kind of national labour Marxism. This
network gets involved in different campaigns and activities : running the unions, editing its own paper
Choubra, supporting a worker candidate for the 1945 parliamentary elections, campaigning to get an
Egyptian delegate to the 1945 Paris founding conference of the world trade unions movement
At the autumn 1945, a public initiative is launched : the Workers’ Committee for National
Liberation (« lagna ‘ummâl lil-tahrîr al-qawmî »). Their campaign aims to pave the way for the setting
up of a legal workers party. The impact is important in the country to the point that the Prime Minister,
Mahmoud Fahmy Al-Naqrochi, decides to meet the key leaders.
Our paper is a case study of such rich and experiment. This project expresses a specific and moving
political consciousness : a labour militant network with a strong patriotic profile progressively evolves
from a matrix made of nationalism, a strong worker consciousness, religiosity and a feeling for social
justice towards a political progressive outlook influenced by marxism.
We will firstly examine the general context and origins of such a project. Then, we will deal with
its political agenda before dealing with its trajectory on the political scene at a time of huge social and
nationalist upheavals. A part will discuss the political identity that was at stake. The last section will
examine the tensions and finally the failure of such a rare experiment.
Additional information:
An earlier version of this paper was presented in Workshop 14: Workers’ Struggles and Nationalist Movements in the
Arab World, 1900-Present at the Tenth Mediterranean Research Meeting, Florence & Montecatini Terme, 25-28 March
2009, organised by the Mediterranean Programme of the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at the European
University Institute.
Cadmus permanent link: https://hdl.handle.net/1814/12814
ISSN: 1028-3625
Series/Number: EUI RSCAS; 2009/57; Mediterranean Programme Series
Keyword(s): labour trade unions social movement mobilization nationalism national question Marxism political party Egypt Arab world Middle East
Sponsorship and Funder information:
(Product of workshop No. 14 at the 10th MRM 2009).