Anglo-Egyptian treaty of 1936

Last updated
Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of 1936
TypeBilateral treaty
Signed26 August 1936 (1936-08-26)
Location London, England, UK
Original
signatories
Ratifiers
  • United Kingdom
  • Egypt
Anglo-Egyptian treaty of 1936 Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of 1936.pdf
Anglo-Egyptian treaty of 1936

The Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of 1936 (officially, The Treaty of Alliance Between His Majesty, in Respect of the United Kingdom, and His Majesty, the King of Egypt ) was a treaty signed between the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Egypt.

Contents

Under the terms of the treaty, the United Kingdom was required to withdraw all its troops from Egypt, except those necessary to protect the Suez Canal and its surroundings, numbering 10,000 troops plus auxiliary personnel. Additionally, the United Kingdom would supply and train Egypt's army and assist in its defence in case of war. The treaty was to last for 20 years; it was negotiated in the Zaafarana palace, signed in London on 26 August 1936 and ratified on 22 December. It was registered in the League of Nations Treaty Series on 6 January 1937. [1]

Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of 1936 Anglo Egyptian treaty of 1936 signing - 18-November 1936.jpg
Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of 1936

Background

In November 1918, seven prominent Egyptians from the landed gentry and the legal profession, including Sa'd Zaghlul, formed a delegation, or wafd , whose chief goal was the complete independence of Egypt from British rule. But when the wafd asked the British High Commissioner in Egypt if they could represent the country at the 1919 Paris Peace Conference, he refused. As a result, the delegation organisers took their message of independence to the people of Egypt and this led to the founding of one of the most popular political parties in modern Egyptian history. [2]

Wafdist leaders thought that the ideas of independence and constitutional government were closely related and they had someone to model themselves after - the British. Following the proclamation of the Egyptian Constitution of 1923 the 1923–24 Egyptian parliamentary elections were held. Many European-educated Egyptians believed that the mere existence of a constitution and a parliament would legitimise Egyptian claims for complete independence. [2]

But Egyptian democratic independence ran into many obstacles; the nature of the constitution gave many powers to the king, including the power to dissolve parliament. So the king used this constitutional power to get rid of parliament when they went against his wishes, culminating in many periods of royal rule. The British also continued to meddle in Egyptian politics, and they did not allow for a fully independent political apparatus to develop. Also the Wafd party and other minor political parties never created a coalition to stand together against the British, instead they held each other in contempt. The result of these obstacles was a constant struggle for power between the British-backed King Fuad I, and the Wafd party that sought complete independence from the British.

The intense desire for real independence was only partially fulfilled in 1936, when Britain agreed to renegotiate the 1922 declaration of independence, because of Italian expansionism into Ethiopia in 1935. [2]

Among the pretexts for the treaty was the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, which had started in 1935. King Farouk feared that the Italians might invade Egypt or drag it into the fighting. The 1936 treaty did not resolve the question of Sudan, which, under the terms of the existing Anglo-Egyptian Condominium Agreement of 1899, stated that Sudan should be jointly governed by Egypt and Britain, but with real power remaining in British hands. [3] With rising tension in Europe, the treaty expressly favoured maintaining the status quo. The treaty, however, was not welcomed by Egyptian nationalists like the Arab Socialist Party, who wanted full independence. It ignited a wave of demonstrations against the British and the Wafd Party, which had supported the treaty.

Treaty signing

The Treaty was signed in the Locarno Room at the Foreign Office building in London on 27 August 1936. [4] The principal signatories were Egyptian premier Nahas Pasha and British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden. [4]

Second site of the negotiations in Alexandria, August 1936 ANTONIADIS Palace Second site of Anglo-Egyptian negotiations on the Anglo Egyptian treaty of 1936 (August 1936).jpg
Second site of the negotiations in Alexandria, August 1936

Other signatories included Ramsay MacDonald, Mahmoud Pasha, Lord Halifax, Sir John Simon, Ismail Sidky Pasha, Makram Ebeid Pasha, Sir Miles Lampson and Amin Osman. [4] [5]

Treaty provisions

Aftermath

On 23 September 1945, after the end of World War II, the Egyptian government demanded the modification of the treaty to terminate the British military presence, and also to allow the annexation of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. [6] In 1946, Britain agreed to withdraw all remaining troops in Egypt into the Suez Canal Zone. [7] In 1947, UK troops officially withdrew from all other Egyptian bases outside the Suez Canal Zone. [7] Following the Wafd Party's victory in the boycotted 1950 election of Egypt, the new Wafd government unilaterally abrogated the treaty in October 1951. Three years later, and with new government leadership under Gamal Abdel Nasser, the UK agreed to withdraw its troops in the Anglo–Egyptian Agreement of 1954; the British withdrawal was completed in June 1956. This date is seen as when Egypt gained full independence, although Nasser had already established an independent foreign policy that caused tension with several Western powers.

An Egyptian stamp issued for the abrogation of the treaty, February 1952 Abrogation of Anglo Egyptian treaty 11-2-1952.jpg
An Egyptian stamp issued for the abrogation of the treaty, February 1952

Following the abrupt withdrawal of an offer by Britain and the United States to fund the building of the Aswan Dam, Egypt nationalised the Suez Canal on 26 July 1956, [8] ostensibly to pay for the dam, although in reality the Soviets provided most of the funding. The nationalisation was technically in violation of the international agreement that Nasser had signed on 19 October 1954, although he agreed to pay compensation to the shareholders. Some months later, France, Israel and Britain colluded to overthrow Nasser, [9] and the Suez Crisis ensued. After international pressure and threats from the 2 new superpowers (the United States and the USSR), Britain, France and Israel were all forced to withdraw from Egypt, and the canal remained under Egyptian control.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suez Crisis</span> 1956 British–French–Israeli invasion of Egypt

The Suez Crisis also known as the Second Arab–Israeli War, the Tripartite Aggression in the Arab world and as the Sinai War in Israel, was a British–French–Israeli invasion of Egypt in 1956. Israel invaded on 29 October, having done so with the primary objective of re-opening the Straits of Tiran and the Gulf of Aqaba as the recent tightening of the eight-year-long Egyptian blockade further prevented Israeli passage. After issuing a joint ultimatum for a ceasefire, the United Kingdom and France joined the Israelis on 5 November, seeking to depose Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser and regain control of the Suez Canal, which Nasser had earlier nationalised by transferring administrative control from the foreign-owned Suez Canal Company to Egypt's new government-owned Suez Canal Authority. Shortly after the invasion began, the three countries came under heavy political pressure from both the United States and the Soviet Union, as well as from the United Nations, eventually prompting their withdrawal from Egypt. Israel's four-month-long occupation of the Egyptian-occupied Gaza Strip and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula enabled it to attain freedom of navigation through the Straits of Tiran, but the Suez Canal was closed from October 1956 to March 1957.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egypt in World War II</span>

Egypt was a major battlefield in the North African campaign during the Second World War, being the location of the First and Second Battles of El Alamein. Legally an independent kingdom since 1922, and an equal sovereign power in the condominium of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, in reality Egypt was heavily under the coercive influence of the United Kingdom, a state of affairs that had persisted since the United Kingdom intervened militarily in the Orabi Revolt in favour of Egypt's Khedive, Tawfik Pasha, in 1882, subsequently occupying the country.

According to most scholars the history of modern Egypt dates from the start of the rule of Muhammad Ali in 1805 and his launching of Egypt's modernization project that involved building a new army and suggesting a new map for the country, though the definition of Egypt's modern history has varied in accordance with different definitions of modernity. Some scholars date it as far back as 1516 with the Ottomans' defeat of the Mamlūks in 1516–17.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saad Zaghloul</span> Prime Minister of Egypt (1924)

Saad Zaghloul Pasha was an Egyptian revolutionary and statesman. He was the leader of Egypt's nationalist Wafd Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mostafa el-Nahas</span> Prime Minister of Egypt (1928, 1930, 1936–1937, 1942–1944, 1950–1952)

Mostafa el-Nahas Pasha or Mostafa Nahas was an Egyptian politician who served as the Prime Minister for five terms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglo-Egyptian Sudan</span> 1899–1956 period of Anglo-Egyptian rule

Anglo-Egyptian Sudan was a condominium of the United Kingdom and Egypt between 1899 and 1956, corresponding mostly to the territory of present-day South Sudan and Sudan. Legally, sovereignty and administration were shared between both Egypt and the United Kingdom, but in practice the structure of the condominium ensured effective British control over Sudan, with Egypt having limited local power and influence. In the meantime, Egypt itself fell under increasing British influence. Following the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, Egypt pushed for an end to the condominium, and the independence of Sudan. By agreement between Egypt and the United Kingdom in 1953, Sudan was granted independence as the Republic of the Sudan on 1 January 1956. In 2011, the south of Sudan itself became independent as the Republic of South Sudan.

The History of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt (1939–1954) discusses the History of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt from its actions during World War II to its official dissolution by the Egyptian government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1952 Egyptian revolution</span> Military overthrow of King Farouk

The Egyptian revolution of 1952, also known as the 1952 coup d'état and 23 July Revolution, was a period of profound political, economic, and societal change in Egypt. On 23 July 1952 the revolution began with the toppling of King Farouk in a coup d'état by the Free Officers Movement. This group of army officers was led by Mohamed Naguib and Gamal Abdel Nasser. The Revolution ushered in a wave of revolutionary politics in the Arab World, and contributed to the escalation of decolonisation, and the development of Third World solidarity during the Cold War.

The Revolutionary Command Council was the body established to supervise the Republic of Egypt and Anglo-Egyptian Sudan after the Revolution of 1952. It initially selected Ali Maher Pasha as Prime Minister, but forced him to resign after conflict over land reform. At that time, the Council took full control of Egypt. The RCC controlled the state until 1954, when the Council dissolved itself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Makram Ebeid</span> Egyptian politician (1889–1961)

Makram Ebeid Pasha was an Egyptian politician. Ebeid was the Wafd Party secretary-general between 1936 and 1942. He was also the Minister of Finance 1930, 1936–1937, 1942. Ebeid helped establish the Wafd Party in Egypt, and he believed in liberal politics. He was involved in the 1919 revolution with his friend Saad Zaghloul and was one of the people who were exiled as a punishment, but he eventually returned to Egypt with some of the noblemen of that time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingdom of Egypt</span> State in Northeast Africa and Western Asia (1922–1953)

The Kingdom of Egypt was the legal form of the Egyptian state during the latter period of the Muhammad Ali dynasty's reign, from the United Kingdom's recognition of Egyptian independence in 1922 until the abolition of the monarchy of Egypt and Sudan in 1953 following the Egyptian Revolution of 1952. Until the Anglo-Egyptian treaty of 1936, the Kingdom was only nominally independent, as the United Kingdom retained control of foreign relations, communications, the military, and Sudan. Officially, Sudan was governed as a condominium of the two states; however, in reality, true power in Sudan lay with the United Kingdom. Between 1936 and 1952, the United Kingdom continued to maintain its military presence, and its political advisers, at a reduced level, which resulted in the increase of Egyptian sovereignty and independence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1919 Egyptian revolution</span> 1918–1919 revolution in Egypt

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sultanate of Egypt</span> 20th-century British protectorate

The Sultanate of Egypt was a British protectorate in Egypt which existed from 1914, after the outbreak of World War I, to 1922, when it ceased to exist as a result of the Unilateral Declaration of Egyptian Independence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ismail Sidky</span> Prime Minister of Egypt (1930–1933, 1946)

Ismail Sidky Pasha was an Egyptian politician who served as Prime Minister of Egypt from 1930 to 1933 and again in 1946.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egypt–Sudan relations</span> Bilateral relations

Contact between Egypt and Sudan goes back to trade and conflict during ancient times. In 1820, the British conquered Sudan after they had conquered Egypt, and the Egyptians entered Sudan through the British as officials, but they did not have any authority over Sudan. The British continued to occupy the country until Sudan declared independence in 1956. Sudan later joined the Arab League, of which Egypt is a founding member. Relations between successive governments in Egypt and Sudan have warmed and cooled at various times. Relations today are cordial, but tensions remain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egypt–United Kingdom relations</span> Bilateral relations

Egypt–United Kingdom relations are the diplomatic, economic, and cultural relationships between Egypt and the United Kingdom. Relations are longstanding. They involve politics, defence, trade and education, and especially issues regarding the Suez Canal.

The Unilateral Declaration of Egyptian Independence on 28 February 1922 was the formal legal instrument by which the United Kingdom recognised Egypt as an independent sovereign state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Egypt under the British</span> Egypt under British rule

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.

The history of Egypt under Gamal Abdel Nasser covers the period of Egyptian history from the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, of which Gamal Abdel Nasser was one of the two principal leaders, spanning Nasser's presidency of Egypt from 1956 to his death in 1970. Nasser's tenure as Egypt's leader heralded a new period of modernisation and socialist reform in Egypt, along with a staunch advocacy of pan-Arab nationalism, and developing world solidarity. His prestige in Egypt and throughout the Arab World soared in the wake of his nationalisation of the Suez Canal Company in 1956, and Egypt's political victory in the subsequent Suez Crisis, but was damaged badly by Israel's victory in the Six-Day War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Young Egypt Party (1933)</span> Nationalist political party in Egypt (1933–1953)

The Young Egypt Party also known as the Green Shirts was a fascist Egyptian nationalist political party. It is notable for counting a young Anwar Sadat as a member.

References

General
Specific

Cleveland, Bunton (2013). A History of the Modern Middle East. Boulder: Westview Press.

  1. ↑ League of Nations Treaty Series, vol. 173, pp. 402–431.
  2. 1 2 3 Cleveland, Bunton (2013). A History of the Modern Middle East. Boulder: Westview Press.
  3. ↑ Robert O. Collins, A History of Modern Sudan
  4. 1 2 3 "Egyptian Treaty". The Times. London. 22 August 1936. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  5. ↑ "Historic Anglo-Egyptian treaty signed in London – archive, 1936". The Guardian. 27 August 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  6. ↑ Jessup, John E. (1989). A Chronology of Conflict and Resolution, 1945-1985. New York: Greenwood Press. ISBN   0-313-24308-5.
  7. 1 2 "Middle East 1930 - 1947:British Troops in Egypt 1930 - 45". britishmilitaryhistory.com. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Suez crisis" The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics. Ed. Iain McLean and Alistair McMillan. Oxford University Press, 2003.
  9. ↑ Avi Shlaim, The Protocol of Sèvres,1956: Anatomy of a War Plot Published in International Affairs, 73:3 (1997), 509–530
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.