ABSTRACT
Discontent in the armed forces had been smouldering for a long time. At the beginning of 1946 there had been massive demonstrations by students and workers in Cairo, Alexandria, and other towns, involving loss of life. Then had come the defeats and humiliations of the Palestine war. Two prime ministers had been assassinated, as had been Hassan al-Banna, the Supreme Guide of the Moslem Brotherhood, the latter by members of the special police. All this continuing unrest and frustration increased the contempt felt by the armed forces for their nominal head, King Farouk.
