🔍 Bitter Defeat: Egyptians, along with other Arabs, were devastated by their 1947 defeat by the Israelis.

• Acts as a bridge between Africa and Asia.

• Houses the Suez Canal, the crucial trading route between Europe and the East.

  • Real-world Example: Think of the Suez Canal as a busy highway. Imagine if the main road in your town was controlled by outsiders; you'd want it back, right? That's how Egyptians felt!

• Vital for military bases in the East and access to oil from the Persian Gulf.

  • Real-world Example: Imagine depending on a distant grocery store for your food. The road to that store? That's the Suez Canal's importance to Britain!

• Built in the 1880s by the British and French using Egyptian labor. Many Egyptians died during its construction.

• By the 1950s, Britain had a massive military presence there with 70,000 troops.

• Egyptians saw British troops as symbols of imperialism. They wanted true independence, which meant no British interference.

• Real-world Example: It's like someone constantly looking over your shoulder while you're trying to work. Frustrating, isn't it? Egyptians felt the same way about the British.