After the building of the Suez Canal and financial troubles with debt, the British invaded (1882) and made Egypt a de facto protectorate under Ottoman sovereignty.
British also forces directly controlled the Sudan in the south.
Nationalist movements grew slowly and were based around educated elites.
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Egypt during and after WW1
The Khedive of Egypt had been hostile to Britain before the war. In 1914 as the war began, he was replaced with his brother.
Egypt declared its independence from Ottomans and became a formal protectorate of Britain. (1914)
An Egyptian nationalist movement in 1919 led to nationalist control of local assemblies. In 1922 Britain announced Egypt’s formal independence. It was ruled as a Kingdom until 1953.
A treaty with Britain allowed the UK to keep troops in the country for the purpose of protecting the Suez Canal.
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Suez Crisis
1950 - elections sweep nationalists to victory in government with a new Prime Minister.
1951 – Egypt demands British troops leave the Suez Canal Zone. British refused triggering riots.
1952 – A coup led by military officers under leadership of Gamel Abdel Nasser took power and established a Republic in 1953.
1956 – Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal prompting a crisis with Britain and France and a war with Israel.
Britain and France failed to assert military authority over the canal and withdrew after pressure from US, USSR, and the UN.
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Egypt in the Cold War
Nasser wanted Egypt to become the leader of the Arab world.
Egypt united with Syria to form the United Arab Republic in 1958, but Syria seceded in 1961.
Nasser pushed Egypt closer to the Soviet Union in order to gain funding for the Aswan Damn construction project.
1970 – new Egyptian President Anwar Sadat came to power and expelled Soviet advisors to grow closer to the US.
Undermined when Egypt invaded Israel in 1973 during the Yom Kippur War.
Struggled to modernize and secularize Egypt.
Egypt would continue to struggle to find balance between democratic traditions and rule by strong leaders who centralized power.
Rise of Islamic nationalism as a new option to Cold War struggles.