ABSTRACT
In any discussion of the beginning of the Soviet Union’s involvement in the Middle East generally, and Egypt in particular, it is impossible to disregard the Egyptian communist movement, the main element by which the Soviets endeavoured to deepen their penetration of the region. This chapter discusses various dimensions of the real potential of the Egyptian communist movement and tries to demonstrate that estimates of the influence of this marginal movement have been wildly exaggerated. The communist movement was reborn in Egypt during the Second World War. The communist explanation for the malady affecting the Egyptian people was concentrated and focused on one main factor: British imperialism. The communists saw the anti-British struggle as only one aspect of the Egyptian national struggle; the second aspect was in the sphere of internal struggle, a struggle for democracy and against Egyptian ‘reactionary elements’ which according to the communist view had collaborated with the British imperialists.
