Ismail’s subsidization of intellectuals produced critics who turned against him

Evidence

In a more personal way, they were also the products of Isma`ïl’s ambition; to the extent that he believed a cultural renaissance indispensable to the achievement of his goals, he subsidized the labors of a group of hand-picked intellectuals. That they eventually turned against him was tragicomic proof of the success of his westernizing mission. — Eve M. Troutt Powell, A Different Shade of Colonialism_…, 354

Categorization

• CANDY: A neat historical irony worth sharing: the khedive’s cultural patronage trained the men who would denounce him.