What did Britain hope to gain from Egypt?

Answer 1

During the late 18th and the 19th centuries, Egyptian leaders invested heavily to modernise the Egyptian economy. Ismail Pasha (1803 - 1893) paid for the construction of the Suez Canal, built 900 miles of railways, irrigated some 1,373,000 acres of hitherto uncultivated land, set up modern schools for boys and girls, and transformed Cairo into a modern city. Unfortunately, this ambitious programme made Egypt bankrupt and the Suez was sold to the British in 1875 to pay off debts.

In order to ensure repayment of huge loans, Britain took over total legal control of Egyptian finances in 1876. Subsequently, the British instituted full military occupation, and by the First World War declared Egypt a protectorate. Then, in 1922, Egypt was granted formal independence with British control over defence, foreign policy, economic and military matters.

Answer 2

Britian was a de facto colony and were initially there only as an intervention of German rule.

But as a result stayed there 40 years until giving up control to the nationalist.

The Egyptian people did not really derive any benefits from being a part of the British Empire with the exception of the infrastructure that the British built (like railroad lines and hospitals). Most Egyptians do not look fondly on the colonial era.

Answer 3

The British created political stability in Egypt, continued control over the Mediterranean, particularly in the east, and passage through the Suez Canal. Egypt developed into a regional trading and commercial destination. Egypt was also used a base in the second world war