1869–1875Reputable sourceWell documented
The Suez Canal and the Road to India
On the timeline · around 1869–1875 ·
What happened
The Suez Canal opened in 1869, cutting the sea route between Britain and India by weeks. Though built by a French-led company, the canal quickly became a British lifeline: by the mid-1870s most of its traffic was British. In 1875, when the debt-ridden ruler of Egypt sold his shares, Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli seized them for Britain for £4 million.
Why it matters
The canal became the strategic artery of the empire — the fast road to India and the East. Britain's determination to control it drew it deeper into Egypt and the Middle East, and would still shape its actions eighty years later at Suez.
Sources
- World History Encyclopedia. Britain and the Suez Canal · Reputable source