How Did British Imperialism Affect Egypt Economy

During and after World War I, British imperialism harmed the Egyptian economy. Though they protected Egypt, the British made economic decisions in their own interest, leading to political unrest among Egyptian constituents. The Wafd, an Egyptian nationalist party, concentrated on British financial missteps to gain broader support for nationalism. The urban proletariat, the rural peasantry, and the landowners struggled economically in British-protected Egypt, resulting in a nationalist tide that would end in strikes and protests. Each of these groups fought foreign control of the Egyptian economy in a variety of ways, culminating in the revolution of 1919. The urban proletariat of Egypt, also known as the urban working class, faced turmoil
Egyptian peasants primarily struggled with starvation, inflation, and forced servitude in the Labour Corps. As a result of war-induced inflation, the peasants sold their foodstuffs to afford the costs of living. In the same vein, inflation and British speculation practices on the cotton crop partially drove the peasants’ starvation. A lack of nitrate fertilizer and restricted, allocated space for cotton crop forced peasants to use animal fodder as fertilizer, which could only be purchased from a British-regulated market. To top it all off, the British disrupted the camel trade, attempting to purchase 30,000 camels from farmers. Since camels acted as a method of hauling agricultural merchandise to sell from town to town, losing them caused major disruptions in the peasants’ businesses. In short, the peasants needed some new source of income. The Labour Corps appeared as a viable solution to the struggling peasantry but eventually, the pay was not worth the trouble. Peasants either found someone else to do the job or completely steered clear of Labour Corps recruiters. Between high rates of inflation, poor-paying labor, and starvation, the peasants had a limited number of options. To prevent the British from exporting agricultural goods from the countryside, peasants attacked railways and cut rail lines, which acted as the main form of transporting these products. They also either consumed any food they produced or completely refused to sell them. Overall, since their livelihoods were at stake, the peasantry yearned for