Egypt during the World War (1914-1945)

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During World War I (1914-1918) , Britain was exploiting the Egyptian resources and left it by the end of the war suffering the adverse effects of soaring prices and unemployment . With the beginning of World War II (1939-1945) , Egypt was used as a base for Allied Power . In fact , the war was not entirely against the interest of the Egyptians , especially merchants and businessmen because of the arrival of thousands of Allied soldiers with money to be spent during their 48-hour permit . For Egyptians , war was a kind of a conflict among the European powers; however , some were aiding the German victory , as an enemy of Britain , their main enemy . The British worked on preventing any kind of alliance between Egyptians and Germans .
In 1942 , German army under General Erwin Rommel advanced towards Egypt . Students held rallies in support of Rommel and a group of Egyptian army officers , which included future presidents Nasser and Saddat , decided to help the German general to move about the city . But the Germans failed to break the defenses and the British remained in Egypt over ten years .
The British ambassador in Egypt , Lampson , ordered the King to ask Mustafa Nahhas , the Wafdist leader , to form a government which made the support for the Wafd to erode . In 1943 , the popularity of the Wafd deteriorated by the Black Book which was published by Makram Ubayd , a disaffected former Wafd member . In this book , corrupt dealings of Nahhas Pasha were revealed , the matter which affected his reputation as well as the reputation of the Wafd itself .
In 1945 , Mahmoud Nuqrashi , the Prime Minister of Egypt , demanded Britain to evacuate from the country . The British had withdrawn their troops to the Suez Canal Zone when negotiations foundered over the issue of Sudan . When the Sudan issue was discussed , Britain said Sudan was ready for self-government . Egyptian nationalists assured the unity of the Nile Valley and that Sudan is part of Egypt . Mahmoud Nuqrashi suggested the question of Sudan to be discussed in the newly created United Nations (UN) session .