1938, Feb. 2. 2001. The Encyclopedia of World History

The Encyclopedia of World History. 2001.


1938, Feb. 2

The king dissolved Parliament. Elections ending on April 2 led to a disastrous defeat for the Wafd.	1

1942

Foundation of the University of Alexandria.	2
Trade Union Act. The government (under the Wafd) recognized the right of workers to organize trade unions (except in agriculture).	3

Feb. 4

British ultimatum to the king to appoint a Wafdist government. Driven by anxieties over the presence of Axis sympathizers in the palace and government, the British turned to the Wafd as the only party they could trust to govern wartime Egypt. When the king, who disliked the Wafd, tried to defy the ultimatum, the British ambassador, Sir Miles Lampson, sent tanks to surround Abdin Palace, the royal residence. Faced with abdication or submission, the king capitulated and appointed a Wafdist government. Though officially neutral for most of the war, the government cooperated with the British.	4


The Encyclopedia of World History, Sixth edition. Peter N. Stearns, general editor. Copyright © 2001 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Maps by Mary Reilly, copyright © 2001 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.