British Rule in Egypt

The colonization of Egypt began in 1882 when the British forced Napoleon Bonaparte, the leader of the French Army, out of Africa. Instead of leaving Egypt to its people, Britain decided to colonize the country and control it through a protectorate. This allowed the British government to greedily control Egypt's economic and political decisions, and thus profit largely. Egypt's once balanced culture and economy was corrupted and exploited by the powerful British Empire.

The Suez Canal provided a
much more efficient route for
ships traveling from Europe to
areas in Africa and Southern Asia.

By imposing strict, and often absurd taxes on Egypt and its resources, the British government was able to accumulate extremely large sums of money that most Egyptians never saw. Along with Egypt's colonization, conveniently came the Suez Canal for Britain. Ships passing through were heavily taxed, and all profits went directly to the British Government. When the public learned of Britain's "business" scheme, Egyptians began leaving the country, much to the British's dismay. Without people to maintain land and the canal, their profit would be lost. In an effort to keep Egyptians from leaving, the British government decided to institute heavy public taxes that would be so expensive people would need to stay in Egypt just to pay them off. As a result, Egyptians trying to make money were forced maintain land for the British. Once taxes were paid off, people were left impoverished, or with only enough money to purchase necessities such as food and water. Through this parsimonious tax regimen, Britain effectively held Egyptians against their will, on their own land.