Egypt Regains Independence
By 1919 to 1922, Egypt was in political tumult. They were determined to break away from British leadership and to become an independent country. Saad Zaghloul, the tenacious leader of a group of nationalists, renewed demands for independence. The British were very unhappy about this and in response they arrested and exiled Zaghloul. This caused agitation within the Egyptian people, so they revolted against the British. In 1922, the United Kingdom finally granted Egypt the independence they had been longing for. However, with this newfound independence, Britain maintained many powers, including the right to station troops wherever they desired in Egypt. In 1923, a new constitution chartered Egypt as a constitutional monarchy, a form of government in which the king or queen acts as head of state. Still, Egypt struggled with eradicating the country of British forces and improving economic growth and living standards. Finally, in 1936 a treaty that published Egyptian independence was agreed upon by Egypt and the United Kingdom. This time, the new treaty made it so that there were fewer British troops stationed in Egypt, and they were restricted to only the Suez Canal region. Even after Egypt gained independence, British imperialism would leave an influence for years to come.