ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the major transformations that have marked the political system, politics, and policies since the end of World War Two when independence was within reach and finally achieved in the 1954 treaty with Britain. Building on Chapter 1, it seeks to explain the strong authoritarian features which have marked, often dominated, first the monarchy and then the republic established by the Free Officers around Nasser after the 1952 coup. Similarly, it dwells on the forces of contestation like the student movement in the 1940s, the Muslim Brothers, other Islamist groups, and the communists who challenged successive governments. It pays particular attention to developments leading up to the 2011 protests, which the political regime finally managed to survive. Sociologically, developments from 1952 reflect the demise of the old propertied classes and the rise of officers from less affluent backgrounds morphing into a durable military-based establishment with increasing but volatile private-sector alliances. The chapter shows that domestic political dynamics and government choices repeatedly redefined economic and foreign policy orientations. ‘Geo-strategical’ and other assets notwithstanding, such agency, however, remained contained by external constraints, institutions, and resources which in spite of considerable change continued to show the imprint of developments prior to independence.
