Anglo-Egyptian treaty of 1936 facts for kids

The Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of 1936 was an important agreement between the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Egypt. It was officially called The Treaty of Alliance Between His Majesty, in Respect of the United Kingdom, and His Majesty, the King of Egypt.

This treaty meant that the United Kingdom would take most of its soldiers out of Egypt. However, some troops, about 10,000 soldiers and their helpers, would stay to protect the important Suez Canal. The UK also agreed to help train Egypt's army and defend Egypt if there was a war. The treaty was planned to last for 20 years. It was signed in London on August 26, 1936, and became official on December 22 of the same year.

British and Egyptian leaders signing the treaty in 1936.

Why the Treaty Happened

In November 1918, a group of seven important Egyptians formed a delegation, or wafd. Their main goal was to make Egypt fully independent from British rule. When they asked to represent Egypt at a big peace meeting in Paris in 1919, the British leader in Egypt said no. This made the wafd leaders share their message of independence with people all over Egypt. This led to the start of a very popular political party in Egypt.

The Wafd party leaders believed that being independent and having a government based on a constitution went hand-in-hand. They looked to the British system as an example. In 1923, Egypt got its own constitution. Then, in January 1924, the first elections were held to choose members for a new parliament. Many Egyptians who had studied in Europe thought that having a constitution and a parliament would prove Egypt deserved to be fully independent.

However, Egypt's path to full independence faced many challenges. The constitution gave a lot of power to the king, including the power to close down parliament. So, the king sometimes used this power when parliament disagreed with him. This led to times when the king ruled alone. The British also kept getting involved in Egyptian politics. They did not allow Egypt to develop a truly independent government. Also, the Wafd party and other smaller political groups often argued instead of working together against the British. This created a constant power struggle between the British-backed King Fuad and the Wafd party, which wanted full independence.

Egypt's strong desire for real independence was only partly met in 1936. Britain agreed to talk about the 1922 declaration of independence again. This was partly because Italy was expanding its power into Ethiopia in 1935, which worried everyone.

One of the main reasons for the treaty was the Second Italo-Ethiopian War, which began in 1935. King Farouk was worried that the Italians might invade Egypt or pull Egypt into the war. The 1936 treaty did not fully solve the issue of Sudan. Under an older agreement from 1899, Sudan was supposed to be ruled by both Egypt and Britain. But Britain still held most of the real power. With growing tensions in Europe, the treaty aimed to keep things as they were. However, many Egyptian nationalists, who wanted complete independence, did not like the treaty. It caused protests against both the British and the Wafd Party, which had supported the agreement.

Signing the Treaty

The treaty was signed in London on August 27, 1936. The main people who signed it were the Egyptian Prime Minister Nahas Pasha and the British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden.

Other important people who signed the treaty included Ramsay MacDonald, Mahmoud Pasha, Lord Halifax, Sir John Simon, Ismail Sidky Pasha, Makram Ebeid Pasha, Sir Miles Lampson, and Amin Osman.

What the Treaty Said

The treaty had several key points:

• British soldiers would move from Egyptian cities to the Suez Canal area. However, British soldiers in Sudan would stay there without any conditions.
• The number of British troops in Egypt would be limited to 10,000 soldiers and 400 pilots during peacetime. But if there was a war, the UK could send more troops.
• British troops would not move to new areas until new living quarters were built for them.
• British troops would stay in Alexandria for eight years after the treaty began.
• British air forces would stay in the Canal Zone. They could also use Egyptian airspace, and Egyptian planes could use British airspace.
• If there was a war, the Egyptian government promised to help the British forces. This included letting them use Egyptian ports, airports, and roads.
• After 20 years, both sides would decide if British troops were still needed. This was because the Egyptian army might be strong enough to protect shipping in the Suez Canal by then. If they disagreed, they could ask the League of Nations to help.
• Egypt gained the right to ask for the end of special privileges given to foreigners.
• All older agreements that went against this new treaty were cancelled.
• The Egyptian army was allowed to return to Sudan. The treaty recognized that Sudan would be managed jointly by Egypt and Britain.
• Egypt was free to make treaties with other countries. However, these treaties could not go against the rules of this Anglo-Egyptian Treaty.
• Both countries would exchange ambassadors, which are official representatives, with each other.

What Happened Next

After World War II ended, on September 23, 1945, the Egyptian government asked for changes to the treaty. They wanted the British military to leave completely. They also wanted to take full control of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. In 1946, Britain agreed to move all its remaining troops in Egypt into the Suez Canal Zone. By 1947, British troops officially left all other Egyptian bases outside the Suez Canal Zone.

The Wafd Party won the 1950 election (which some groups boycotted). The new Wafd government then officially cancelled the treaty in October 1951. Three years later, with a new government led by Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser, the UK agreed to take all its troops out of Egypt. This was part of the Anglo–Egyptian Agreement of 1954. The British troops finally left in June 1956. This date is often seen as when Egypt became fully independent. Even before this, Nasser had started an independent foreign policy that caused some disagreements with several Western countries.

Later, Britain and the United States suddenly stopped their offer to help build the Aswan Dam. Because of this, Egypt took control of the Suez Canal on July 26, 1956. This was supposedly to help pay for the dam. However, the Soviet Union actually provided most of the money. Taking control of the canal was technically against an international agreement Nasser had signed in 1954. But he did agree to pay money to the canal's owners. A few months later, France, Israel, and Britain secretly planned to remove Nasser from power. This led to the Suez Crisis.