which had been
overdue for social reasons, was impaired by the following factors:
• It led to extreme partitioning of feudal land, which later proved unfavour-
able when attempts were made to modernize agriculture and introduce
mechanization.
• State bureaucracy, with all its deficiencies, meant that in some cases years
elapsed before the confiscated estates were assigned to new owners. Many
farms, and especially the irrigation constructions and assets which have
to be continuously well maintained, were neglected during this period, so
that eventually they could not be operated any more. Also, in many cases
the land was not assigned to landless fellaheen, as had been the original
intention, but to members of the military.
• Some influential feudalists managed to get around the reforms and
distributed their land nominally among relatives in order to keep it for
themselves.