Trace and Tell your Family's Empire Stories
Country Histories
Egypt did not become exposed to European imperial expansion until the Napoleonic Wars at the end of the eighteenth century. But its strategic location as a bridge between the Mediterranean and Red Seas made inevitable the crucial role it came to play in the development of the global trading system.
Although it remained technically part of the Ottoman Empire until 1914, both Britain and France competed to dominate Egyptian politics throughout the nineteenth century. Both countries played a crucial role in Egypt's modernisation in that period, which saw rapid change and reform.
The completion of the Suez Canal in 1869 had a dramatic impact on the world's economy, and protecting the Canal was henceforward a matter of the utmost strategic significance. Fears over the stability of the Ottoman system led Britain to occupy Egypt between 1882 and 1936. British officials oversaw all aspects of government administration in what became known as 'the veiled protectorate'.
Relations between Britain and Egypt became increasingly strained in the post-war period. The United States and the Soviet Union replaced Britain and France as the most important foreign rivals for influence during the Cold War. Following the Egyptian nationalisation of the Suez Canal in 1956, the Eden Government colluded with France and Israel to attack Egypt. Forced to withdraw after only a week, the episode was a milestone in the decline of Britain's status as a world power.
Browser by chapterBy the 1870s the 'khedive' (viceroy) Isma'il Pasha (1830-95) owed so much money to the West that he was forced to relinquish control over many aspects of government in order to avoid bankruptcy. In 1876 Egypt's creditors established a commission, the Caisse de la Dette Publique, for the service of the Egyptian debt. The French and the British jointly supervised Egyptian government income and spending under a system known as 'Dual Control' in order to assure that payments were made.
The modernisation of Egypt during the nineteenth century would lead to the gradual emergence of a class of educated and politicised Egyptians. By the second half of the nineteenth century this group had come to dominate the upper ranks of the army, as well as the Assembly of Delegates that advised the khedive. Nationalist groups began to emerge, calling for greater democracy and an end to foreign control.
