History of modern Egypt
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According to most scholars, the history of modern Egypt dates back to the beginning of the nineteenth century, specifically to the beginning of Muhammad Ali’s rule in 1805 and the launch of the project to modernize Egypt, which included building a new army and proposing a new map for the country, although the definition of the history of modern Egypt has varied according to different definitions of modernity.
Egypt gained de facto independence from Ottoman rule, under the Muhammad Ali dynasty, thanks to its military campaigns against the empire and its ability to raise large armies, enabling it to control parts of North Africa and the Middle East. In 1882, the Khedivate of Egypt became part of the British sphere of influence in the region, until 1922, a stark contrast to its previous status as a largely autonomous vassal state of the Ottoman Empire. The country became a British protectorate in 1915 and gained full independence in 1922, becoming a kingdom under the Muhammad Ali dynasty, which lasted until 1952.
The monarchy was abolished and the Republic, known as the Republic of Egypt, was established following the 1952 Egyptian revolution led by the free officers movement, led by Gamal Abdel Nasser. Egypt was then ruled by three presidents over the next six decades: Nasser from 1954 until his death in 1970, Anwar Sadat from 1971 until his assassination in 1981, and Hosni Mubarak from 1981 until his removal following the 2011 Egyptian revolution.
In 2012, and following the 2011 revolution, and more than a year after the formation of the interim government of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, headed by Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the Egyptian presidential elections were held, and Mohamed Morsi, an Islamist, became the first democratically elected president in Egypt's history. In 2013, after millions of Egyptians took to the streets in marches and mass demonstrations demanding Morsi's resignation, the army announced his removal from power and began preparations for new elections, which resulted in the election of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in 2014. As of 2025, el-Sisi is the current president of Egypt.