Empire (63rd of 90) -- The Egyptian Crisis and Arabi Pasha [audio 15min]

In the 1870s and 1880s Egypt and Sudan were strategically important in British and French concepts of continental and even global control. The benefits of the 1869 opening of the Suez Canal were apparent: shorter distances and therefore savings between Britain's Asian and Australasian possessions especially with the advent of steam ships. "This Sceptred Isle: Empire" is a narrative history of the British Empire from Ireland in the 12th century to the independence of India in the 20th, told in 90 programmes written by historian Christopher Lee and narrated by actor Juliet Stevenson. ...Visit website to listen again to 5 most recent episodes, plus interactive maps and timeline, biographical dictionary, image galleries, listeners' comments, quizzes, sources and resources.