World War I and Egypt Throughout the war period, British officials in Egypt resorted to etatist policies in economic life. New taxes were introduced. The British government artificially deflated produce prices to guarantee the supply of British troops. Increasing rent and interest rates led to an increase in debt level and to the confiscation of land and property by the leading agrarian and mortgage banks. Approximately 10-15 percent of peasant property owners lost their land in this manner.

Al-Wafq In November 1918, some Egyptian professionals and entrepreneurs established a political union. This relatively small group took the name of al-Wafq, the Delegation, under the leadership of former Minister of Education and Justice Sa’d Zaghlul. The Wafq leadership sought to place the demand for immediate independence on the agenda of Versailles peace conference. The political leadership of the Wafq decided in March 1919 that in the case the British authorities did not meet their demands, at that time limited to the dispatch of an Egyptian delegation to the peace conference in Versailles, a boycott was to begin on March 15.

Saad Zaghlul

Street Protests in 1919

Urban Poor in Egypt The nationalist political leadership failed in its attempt to integrate the urban poor into their operation Industrial workers in Cairo and Suez had already gone on strike before March 9, extended their strikes into May. Their main demand was the introduction of an eight-hour day. The political demands of al-Wafq were only superficially embraced by the workers. Mobs of urban poor attacked the symbols of the colonial presence. Shops were looted, military and police centers were attacked, and hotels were ransacked.

Peasants in Action In the period between March and May 1919, the countryside was in revolt. Peasants from different regions sought their own local objectives. In the upper Egyptian regions, the institutions of British and Egyptian authorities were attacked mainly to take revenge for conscription and confiscation. Those actions were usually accompanied by the call “There is no Government.” In the major cotton-growing areas of the country, where large commercial properties prevailed and 70 percent of the cultivation area was owned by large landowners, they attacked the cotton economy.

Outcome Overall, the peasant rebellions resulted in the deaths of over 3,000 Egyptians. More than 100 villages were destroyed, 63 railroad stations were burnt, and the railway itself was damaged at over 200 points. In response to the uprising, the British government appointed a commission to investigate its causes and to propose a solution. The commission concluded that Britain could not hope to keep direct control of Egypt and that British interests could be best maintained if British gave Egypt conditional independence. Thus, in 1922, the British granted Egypt conditional independence.