The Egyptian revolution of 1919 was a nation-wide revolution in the Sultanate of Egypt against British occupation which lasted from November 1918 to July 1919. Occurring right after the end of World War I, the revolution served as the culmination of successive decades of opposition by Egyptian nationalists to the occupation, and was directly sparked by the British-ordered exile of Wafd Party leader Saad Zaghloul and several other party members.
Demonstration in Egypt in 1919
Saad Zaghlul Pasha
Protesters during the Egyptian revolution of 1919
Egyptian and British soldiers on standby during the riots
History of Egypt under the British
The history of Egypt under the British lasted from 1882, when it was occupied by British forces during the Anglo-Egyptian War, until 1956 after the Suez Crisis, when the last British forces withdrew in accordance with the Anglo-Egyptian agreement of 1954. The first period of British rule (1882–1914) is often called the "veiled protectorate". During this time the Khedivate of Egypt remained an autonomous province of the Ottoman Empire, and the British occupation had no legal basis but constituted a de facto protectorate over the country. Egypt was thus not part of the British Empire. This state of affairs lasted until 1914 when the Ottoman Empire joined World War I on the side of the Central Powers and Britain declared a protectorate over Egypt. The ruling khedive, Abbas II, was deposed and his successor, Hussein Kamel, compelled to declare himself Sultan of Egypt independent of the Ottomans in December 1914.
Illustration from The Illustrated London News (July 29, 1882)
Alexandria in ruins after the British bombardment of 1882.
British barracks on the Nike, around 1910.
Gathering of Egyptian, Turkish, and British royalty in 1911. Queen Mary seated and King George V standing at extreme right