The conventional account blames British opposition on Mehmed Ali’s industrialization policy

Evidence

It is often asserted that the reason why Britain opposed Mehmed Ali was because the “industrialization” policy which he was introducing in Egypt threatened British economic interests in the area. The Pasha was considered a menace for Britain and her economic interests because he attempted to produce more and more commodities locally, had a “textile industry [that] was growing, and [through monopolizing trade] dominated the potential markets that Britain coveted.” Realizing that her economic interests would be harmed by his policies, Britain was determined to frustrate them. She was given such an opportunity when the Porte agreed to sign the Balta Liman Convention of 1838 banning monopolies throughout the Empire, and was specifically aimed at the Pasha’s monopolies that barred British goods from the areas under his control and at the same time allowed him to have the protection needed to defend his nascent industry. As a result of the Convention “his attempts at economic self-sufficiency and industrialization were to be arrested, and in their place he was assured of a permanent influx of foreign capital and foreign goods, which would indubitably deprive the country of any financial and economic independence.” — Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed Ali, his…, 1566

Categorization

• XREF: The Balta Liman Convention and British economic motives tie into broader imperial economics literature of the 19th-century Middle East.