ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes the dilemma of the reformist political currents during the period that began with the electoral victory of the Wafd and deals with final defeat of the democratic option with the March Crisis in 1954. The conflict between self-reform of political parties and reform “from above” by the state can be seen in the deep divisions this period opened up among the ranks of the liberals. Central to democratic reform was the expansion in civil society of independent political, social, and economic organizations that had freed themselves from the tutelage of the political parties. Rashid al-Barrawis efforts to bring about a social revolution were not limited to land reform. The basic difference between the reformers was their trust in the military to eventually return to the barracks. In the case of almost every reformer studied, the attitude towards social reform and especially towards social engineering ultimately decides whether he supports the regime or opposes it.
