The Postwar Egyptian Revolution of 1919

Nationalist Politician Saad Zaghlul Attempts to Free Mother Egypt from the Chains of the British Lion

By John Slight, Principal Author (with additions from other sources)

The first Egyptian revolution came in the immediate aftermath of WWI. When war broke out in Europe in 1914, Egypt had been under British occupation since 1882. Britain had occupied the country mainly in order to secure the Suez Canal (opened in 1869) a vital strategic artery that was part of the key route between Britain and its vast empire in the East. The occupation was supposed to be temporary, although it lasted until the early 1950s. Egypt formally remained a part of the Ottoman Empire. However, when the Ottomans joined the war on the side of Germany and Austria-Hungary in November 1914, the British felt it necessary to change the status of their occupation. On 18 December 1914, Britain declared Egypt a protectorate of the British empire, deposed the pro-Ottoman Khedive Abbas Hilmi, and replaced him with a relative.

Egyptian Protesters Targeted Transportation Lines

The British authorities imposed martial law on the country, which became a frontline state in the war when Ottoman forces crossed the Sinai Peninsula to try—and fail—to take the Suez Canal. Egypt became an enormous military base for Allied forces, serving as the rear area for the disastrous Gallipoli campaign, and the more successful Allied invasions of Palestine and Syria by the British imperial Egyptian Expeditionary Force. 

The presence of thousands of Allied troops had a whole series of knock-on effects on Egypt. Many soldiers, especially Anzac troops from Australia and New Zealand, got into fights with Egyptians in cities such as Cairo, often fueled by alcohol, and often damaged property. So many soldiers created a boom in prostitution, created many (badly paid) employment opportunities for Egyptians, and contributed to widespread inflation in the Egyptian economy. Thousands of Egyptian men, especially peasants (fellahin) were recruited, often forcibly, into the Egyptian Labour Corps, an organization that received little recognition for its vital role in supporting the Allied armies in Egypt, and on military operations in Palestine and Syria. The laborers were often treated appallingly, and the removal of men from the countryside exacerbated the hardship there caused by wartime inflation, unemployment and the shortage of goods and foodstuffs. 

Unenthusiastic-Looking Egyptian and British Soldiers

Britain had "squeezed" Egypt during the war, but what would Egyptians receive in return for their contribution to the war effort once the fighting had stopped? Egyptian nationalist politicians such as Saad Zaghlul brought their complaints and demands for independence to the British High Commission Reginald Wingate on 13 November 1918 but were turned away. Zaghlul and others were arrested by the British on 8 March 1919 and the group exiled to British-controlled Malta.

In early March 1919, these arrests triggered demonstrations in Cairo, mainly by students. An outburst of anti-British rioting quickly followed, which within a few days spread through all the lower provinces and extended to upper Egypt. The situation was exacerbated by the local civil service's declaration of a general strike and the rapid suspension of railway and telegraph services. In the absence of a large British force in Egypt, elements of the Australian and ANZAC mounted divisions, then awaiting embarkation to Australia, were instructed to restore order. Within a month of the uprising order had been restored and principal political agitators imprisoned. The flexibility and mobility of the ANZAC forces involved were principal factors in the suppression of the rioting. About 30 British Army soldiers and and equal number of European civilians were killed during the revolt. An estimated 800–1,600 Egyptians lost their lives. The revolution led to the United Kingdom's subsequent recognition of Egyptian independence in 1922 as the Kingdom of Egypt and the implementation of a new Egyptian constitution in 1923. The British government, however, retained significant levels of influence in Egypt and refused to recognize full Egyptian sovereignty over Sudan or to withdraw British forces from the Suez Canal. 

Egyptian Women Played a Significant
Role During the Revolt

After 1919, the British had to consider the strength of Egyptian nationalism and deal with nationalist politicians. Saad Zaghlul, for example, became the first popularly elected Prime Minister of Egypt in 1924.  For the next 30 years a three-way political dance ensued with the British, Egyptian nationalist politicians, and the king (who distrusted the nationalists) all vying for control of the nation. It would take the upheaval of the Second World War and a further Egyptian Revolution in 1952 for the British to leave Egypt. The last British troops left in June 1956, although the Suez Crisis later that year saw their temporary return.

Sources: Australian War Memorial; Open.edu; Wikipedia