The Arabic press of the nineteenth century period has received, up to now, very little attention in the West: the same is true of the Egyptian journalist "Abd Allah al-Nadim, who became an influential figure in the Egyptian national movement. This thesis examines the part played by the press and, in particular, by al-Nadim in that movement in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. The development of the press in Egypt is traced from its beginnings at the time of the French invasion to its emergence as a popular medium of communication in Khedive Isma'il's reign. Since 'Abd Allah al-Nadim was the first Egyptian journalist to make full use of the popular press as a means of shaping public opinion, the thesis contains a detailed examination of his ideas for social and political reform and an assessment is offered of the contribution he made as a journalist, an orator and a writer to the Egyptian national movement. During the period under review, Britain came, for various reasons, to play a prominent role in Egypt's history. Accordingly, in looking for background information concerning the social and political scene in Egypt, I have paid particular attention to British official documents and correspondence in the Public Record Office. My researches have concentrated most of all on the contemporary Egyptian. records, including government reports and memoranda, the texts of laws and degrees, the recollections of individuals and, especially, newspaper files. Particularly valuable was the material in the Egyptian National Archives (Dar al-Watha'iq) relating to the period from January 1881 to September 1882, with which the name of 'Urabi is linked, and the newspaper files and other documents, including copies of most of the works of al-Nadim, which are preserved in the Egyptian National Library (Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyya).