Since ancient times Egypt has been the cradle of civilization. Some of the earliest developments in communication, agriculture, urbanization, organized religion and government took place in Egypt.
Due to its historic significance, Egypt has seen occupation by the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines and Ottomans. In 1805, an Ottoman leader Muhammad Ali became the Viceroy in Egypt, which remained nominally under the Ottoman Empire. From 1882 onwards Egypt was occupied by British forces after an Anglo-Egyptian war.
This period of British rule is called the ‘veiled protectorate’. During this time the British occupation had no legal basis but constituted a de facto protectorate over the country. This lasted until 1914 when the Ottoman Empire joined the First World War on the side of the Central Powers.
To counter the Ottoman influence, the British helped Egypt to issue a Unilateral Declaration of Egyptian Independence on 28 February 1922, recognising Egypt as an independent, sovereign state, free of Ottoman rule. However, British occupation continued in accordance with several reserve clauses in the Declaration of Independence. During World War II, Egypt came under attack from Libya on account of the British presence there. After the war Egypt attempted to modify the treaty, and it was abrogated in its entirety by an anti-British government in October 1951.
In late 1956, Britain went to war against Egypt over the Suez Canal but with insufficient international support was forced to back down and withdrew its last forces from Egypt. This year marks the centenary of the Unilateral Declaration of Egyptian Independence that took place in 1922.
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