Political Violence in Egypt 1910-1925

Book excerpt: The murder of the Prime Minister, Butrus Ghali, in February 1910, was the first incident of its kind to take place in Egypt for over a century, and it reflected the mood of Egypt's youth at the time. It also set a precedent, as some of the more extreme elements of the population henceforth came to regard assassination as the only way to rid the country of those who were regarded as 'traitors', and as the most potent expression of political dissatisfaction and dissent. This study is an account of the circumstances that led to the violence, and an attempt to understand the mood and motives that provoked it.