Historians portray Mehmed Ali’s reforms as a master-planned modernization with independence aims

Evidence

The question of whether the wars that the governor of Egypt waged during the first third of the nineteenth century were dynastic wars of imperialistic expansion or national wars of independence is central to understanding the whole of Mehmed Ali’s career and, indeed, of the history of Egypt during his reign. If, as Toledano argues, Egypt was very much an Ottoman province, ruled by an Ottoman–Egyptian elite, then Marsot’s claim that, unlike contemporary Ottoman notables “who had merely sought quasi-independence for their provinces but were content to remain within the empire, Muhammad Ali sought independence,” has to be qualified. For even if it is granted that Mehmed Ali was seeking to get rid of the “Ottoman yoke” right from the beginning of his career, the question remains as to the nature of this independence. Could it be viewed as similar to the independence sought by the Greeks during their War of Independence when large sections of the population rose against their Ottoman rulers? Or is it more plausible to link Mehmed Ali’s wars, as Shaw does, with a series of internal wars within the Ottoman Empire that were waged by local governors against central government control? If so, Mehmed Ali would appear, like Ali Pasha of Janina, Davud Pasha of Baghdad, or Amir Bashir of Lebanon as a local governor of an Ottoman province who seized the opportunity of the difficulties that the Ottoman Sultan was facing both internally and externally to try and expand his own local dominions. — Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed Ali, his…, 199 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Be that as it may, what is important to note is that independence was not one of the conditions set forth by Mehmed Ali when he met Halil Pasha in Alexandria; this demand was persistently demanded by Ibrahim Pasha in letters sent to his father from his camp near Konia, but was not voiced by Mehmed Ali himself until much later. When Halil Pasha arrived with an offer of peace in Alexandria on 21 January 1833, Mehmed did not intend to raise the issue of independence with him, not only because he was wondering about European reactions to this bold move, but more probably because he could not contemplate it himself. … These are not the actions of someone who intends to pass on to his negotiating partner that his are going to be difficult terms to meet. Having won a decisive military victory this would have been the time to press with his demands for independence assuming that this was his desire and that he had been contemplating secession right from the start. However, in his negotiations with Halil Pasha, Mehmed Ali did not raise the issue of independence; again it was Ibrahim who was urging his father to do so. Mehmed Ali started asking for independence only in 1838; back in 1833 he could still not think of himself as being outside of Ottoman authority altogether. The inconclusive nature of the peace of Kütahia, therefore, was representative of the Pasha’s own ambivalent feelings towards the Ottoman Sultan and towards his own military activities against him. — Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed Ali, his…, 257 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Muhammad Ali sought Egyptian independence from the Ottomans rather than mere provincial expansion; Nepotism was essential, not aberrant, in Mehmed Ali’s army; Mehmed Ali’s ambitious programs routinely foundered at implementation (+10 more)

Related

• Egyptian historians narrate Mehmed Ali’s career as a teleological quest for independence (similarity 0.90)
• Mehmed Ali and his officials thought of themselves as Ottomans, not Egyptians. (similarity 0.89)
• Muhammad Ali sought Egyptian independence from the Ottomans rather than mere provincial expansion (similarity 0.89)
• Mehmed Ali’s quest for independence was a dynastic struggle, not nationalist. (similarity 0.89)
• Mehmed Ali’s wars may be internal Ottoman power struggles rather than nationalist bids (similarity 0.88)
• Muhammad Ali sought independent empire, exceeding prior Ottoman governors’ ambitions. (similarity 0.88)
• Mehmed Ali’s wars against the Sultan were dynastic, not national (similarity 0.87)
• Mehmed Ali sought a personal empire, not Egyptian independence. (similarity 0.87)
• Mehmed Ali created a provincial power center rivaling Istanbul itself (similarity 0.86)
• British hostility to Mehmed Ali came from his military expansion, not his domestic reforms. (similarity 0.86)
• Mehmed Ali was an Ottoman reformer, not an Egyptian nationalist. (similarity 0.84)
• British historians saw Mehmed Ali as echoing their own viceroys in India (similarity 0.84)
• Mehmed Ali’s rule over Egypt resembled feudal lordship between Sultan and subjects. (similarity 0.83)
• Mehmed Ali’s wars were dynastic struggles within the Ottoman Empire, not nationalist campaigns (similarity 0.82)
• Mehmed Ali did not seek independence from the Ottomans until 1838 (similarity 0.82)

Broader Connections

• Egyptian historians narrate Mehmed Ali’s career as a teleological quest for independence #corroborates (0.80)
• Mehmed Ali’s wars may be internal Ottoman power struggles rather than nationalist bids #complicates (0.70) — Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed Ali, his…, 199
• Muslim monarchs initiated Western-style modernization to defend against colonialism #expands (0.60) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 299
• Mehmed Ali did not seek independence from the Ottomans until 1838 #complicates (0.60) — Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed Ali, his…, 257
• Mehmet Ali was the first non-Western ruler to grasp the Industrial Revolution’s significance #expands (0.50) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 299
• Mehmed Ali’s ambivalence toward the Sultan stemmed from his imperial ambitions #corroborates (0.50)
• Mehmed Ali created a provincial power center rivaling Istanbul itself #expands (0.50)
• Mehmed Ali governed Egypt as a personal fief under a feudal overlord relationship #qualifies (0.50) — Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed Ali, his…, 1550