Nile Valley 1882-98 Flashcards
When did Suez Canal open?
1869
When did Disraeli acquire 45% share in Suez Canal?
1874
Which two seas are connected by Suez Canal?
Meditteranean and Red Sea
What was the title given to ruling family of Egypt and Sudan?
khedive
What was Dual Control?
financial control of Egypt from 1876 by France and Britain due to bankruptcy of khedive, eg new taxes, cutting army
In 1879, who was deposed in Egypt and who replaced him?
Ismail Pasha replaced by his son Tewfik Pasha
Who led a group of army officers in protest at Tewfik Pasha and Anglo-French interference and later to a coup?
Colonel Ahmad Arabi (also known as Arabi Pasha)
When was the Egyptian Nationalist Party formed by Ahmad Arabi?
1879
In its early days, what % of shipping through Suez Canal was on British ships?
80%
What was Egypt’s key export to Britain and why?
cotton - particularly during American Civil War when Britain couldn’t get it from there
Give four reasons why Britain intervened in Egypt in 1882?
- strategic reasons due to Suez Canal trade
- trade eg cotton from Egypt and construction by British firms in Egypt
- many Egyptian bonds held by Britons, ie owed money by Egypt
- anti-European / anti-Christian riots
What was the 1882 Gambetta Note?
diplomatic note from British and French to Egyptian government essentially stating that if khedive’s power taken away then they would intervene
What caused Britain and France to send warships to Alexandria in May 1882?
nationalists forced nationalist cabinet on khedive and threatened to depose him
Why did France not actually take part in the military action in Egypt in 1882?
- German opposition (and likely threat from Bismark to France if they intervened in Egypt)
- change of French prime minister
What and when was the Veiled Protectorate?
Britain’s occupation of Egypt 1882 to 1914
What was the legal basis for the Veiled Protectorate?
None - they were supposedly there at the requerst of the khedive but that wasn’t true as khedive had no power.
How many times did Britain announce its intention to withdraw from Egypt during the Veiled Protectorate?
66 times
Who was the British consul general in Egyptr 1883-1907?
Sir Evelyn Baring
In what country that was under Egyptian control did radical Islam emerge in the 1881?
Sudan
What caused the split of the Liberal Party in the UK
What was the stated British objective for its occupation of Egypt?
restoring solvency to Egyptian government
What was General Gordon send to do in Sudan in 1884?
evacuate the garrison
What was the outcome of of the siege of Khartoum in 1885?
General Gordon was killed, along with the rest of the garrison, by the mahdist troops.
Who proclaimed himself the mahdi (promised redeemer of Islamic world) in 1881?
Muhammed Ahmad
In 1899, what were the two biggest threats to Britain’s interests in Africa?
- Anglo-French rivalry, particularly about control of the headwaters of the Nile
- mahdist forces and further pan-Islamic nationalisam that might follow
Who let the British forces at the Battle of Omdurman in September 1898?
General Kitchener
What was the outcome of the Battle of Omdurman in September 1898?
British won easily
How many mahdists and British died at the Battle of Omdurman in September 1898?
mahdists - about 10,000 deaths
British - 47 deaths
What new weapon did the British have at the Battle of Omdurman in September 1898 that led to their decisive victory?
Maxim gun - first fully automated machine gun
