Egypt Under Colonial Rule After WWI, by Eddie Goodenough

When World War I ended, the Egyptian people found hope in United States President Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points speech, which addressed how the areas affected by the war should function following its conclusion. In response to this, Saad Zaghloul, an Egyptian politician and revolutionary, led a peaceful delegation to the Paris Peace Conference in 1918 and demanded Egypt be given independence. The British response to this delegation, however, was to exile Zaghloul, who was also the leader of the Wafd Party, an organized group formed for the sole purpose of Egyptian independence. As a result of this, the Egyptian people went into an uproar; Cairo became a revolutionary city overnight and in the following days many other cities followed suit, which crippled the country’s transportation system. This inability to move throughout Egypt efficiently hindered British resistance.
Saad Zaghloul

This uprising led to the Egyptian Revolution of 1919, which ended in 1922 with Britain granting sovereignty to Egypt and implementing Fuad I as king. Despite this agreement, the British still refused to fully abandon occupancy of the country and still remained in complete control of the Suez Canal, an important and strategically important area. Accepting these terms, the Wafd Party drafted the new Egyptian constitution in 1923, basing it off of Britain’s own parliamentary system, and Saad Zaghloul was elected Prime Minister in 1924.
Fuad I

In the time following this, Britain offered little help to Egypt, despite still having a major presence in its territory. This lasted until the beginning of World War II, when Britain began using Egypt as a supply hub for the war effort, employing Egyptians and greatly boosting the country’s economy. Finally, as World War II was coming to its conclusion, British troops completely removed themselves from the Egyptian countryside, maintaining presence solely in the Suez Canal area. Finally, on July 23rd, 1952, the Free Officers Movement, a group of high ranking Egyptian military officials, led a coup which ended with the complete removal of all British soldiers throughout Egypt, including the Suez Canal. July 23rd is celebrated to this day as the Egyptian Independence Day.
Egyptian Protesters