Dampak Pembangunan Terusan Suez bagi Mesir di Era Khedivate of Egypt (1867-1914)

Abstract

This historical study examines the construction of the Suez Canal and its comprehensive political, economic, and geopolitical impacts on Egypt during the Khedivate era from 1867 to 1914. Utilizing the historical research method—which encompasses heuristics, source criticism, interpretation, and historiography—this paper analyzes how the maritime project transformed global trade routes between Europe and Asia. Conceptualized by French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps and authorized under Said Pasha, the construction officially commenced on April 25, 1859, and was inaugurated on November 17, 1869. While the project created a vital sea-level canal linking the Mediterranean and Red Seas, it required intensive foreign financing, extensive use of forced labor, and heavy sovereign borrowing. These financial burdens led to a mounting national debt crisis, compelling Khedive Ismail to sell Egypt's canal shares to the British government in 1875. Consequently, this loss of financial control triggered foreign intervention, the Urabi nationalist movement, and eventual British military occupation in 1882. Ultimately, the Suez Canal shifted Egypt's status from an autonomous Ottoman territory into a British-controlled protectorate, cementing European imperial dominance.