ABSTRACT
The history of the communist movement in Egypt is a complex tale of various leftist currents making contributions, facing contradictions and often playing an important role during key moments in modern Egyptian social and political life, despite their differing sensibilities and reference points. The communists were incapable of leading the nationalist movement and mobilizing the masses, of uniting the national liberation cause with the fight for social transformation. The Egypt communist movement no longer formed part of the Comintern when it held its Seventh Congress in the summer. The communist movement strongly influenced intellectual life in the country, be it in literature, film or theatre. The communist movement in Egypt has also maintained very close ties to the universities, which has limited its political action due to repression of the group’s supporters by security forces and the fact that many followers abandon their activism after completing their studies.
