Deck 6: Egypt and Iran in the Late Nineteenth Century

Question 1

What was the prominent and independent position of the Shi'a religious establishment in Iran instrumental in preventing?

A) the centralization of the state
B) the growth of the Iranian military
C) the growing ranks of the mujtahid
D) All of these are correct.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which is true of the British occupation of Egypt in the late nineteenth century?

A) The occupation shaped Egyptian economic development.
B) The occupation became the focus of an antiimperial, nationalist movement.
C) The occupation both shaped Egyptian economic development and became the focus of an antiimperial, nationalist movement.
D) None of these are correct.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

In which bankrupt state did European creditors become occupiers, deeming their interests so important that they occupied the country-despite the risk of potential resistance from other European powers?

A) Ottoman Empire
B) Egypt
C) Iran
D) All of these are correct.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

What distinguishes Iran from Egypt and the Ottoman Empire, despite their similar historical trends-particularly, becoming exporters of raw materials and giving concessions to both Britain and Russia?

A) European-style military reforms were not carried out in Iran.
B) Shahs in Iran did not invest broadly in establishing European-style education institutions.
C) Iran did not experience the kind of governmental centralization that would have limited the powers of its independent religious establishment.
D) All of these are correct.

Question 5

In the late 1890s, Cromer and the British government ignored Egyptian outrage regarding their plan for Sudan, which was to

A) permit the establishment of an independent Sudan.
B) surrender Sudan to the French.
C) merge Egypt with Sudan to create a single territory.
D) separate Sudan from Egypt and assign a British governor general to oversee the territory.

Question 6

The primary medium through which Egyptian opinion was expressed was

A) state-wide protests.
B) the periodical press.
C) religious services.
D) state-wide strikes.

Question 7

What did the British occupiers in Egypt do upon the outbreak of World War I?

A) declared Egypt a protectorate
B) imposed martial law
C) deposed the nationalist khedive, Abbas II
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 8

Which two countries in particular regarded Iran to be of the utmost strategic importance, territorially, geographically, and economically?

A) India and Britain
B) Britain and Russia
C) Britain and France
D) Egypt and Sudan

Question 9

In nineteenth-century Iran, the Shi'a ulama flourished independently of the government, in part due to the monetary gains made in collecting on the religious donation known as

A) salat
B) ijtihad
C) zakat
D) None of these answers is correct.

Question 10

How did the Shi'a ulama in Iran condemn the shah's concession that would grant an English company the exclusive rights to produce, sell, and export Iran's entire tobacco crop?

A) They portrayed the deal as a transgression against the laws of Islam.
B) They issued a religious decree declaring the use of tobacco unlawful until the deal was cancelled.
C) They urged the population to engage in a statewide boycott of tobacco products.
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 11

Which of the following is a reason that Britain occupied Egypt in the late 1800s?

A) Safeguarding the Suez Canal
B) Restoring Egypt's political and financial stability
C) Preventing France from occupying Egypt first
D) All of these were reasons for British occupation of Egypt

Question 12

Which of the following was NOT one of Lord Cromer's priorities in Egypt?

A) Restoring Egypt's credit by meeting debt payments
B) Maintaining domestic stability by supporting the rule of Khedive Tawfiq
C) The development of a local industrial base that could compete on the global market
D) Increasing Egyptian revenue by expanding the country's agricultural production

Question 13

Which of the following does NOT accurately describes the Cossack Brigade?

A) It was established by Muhammad Ali in 1879
B) It was commanded by Russian officers and supplied with Russian arms
C) It remained small, with only 2,000-3,000 mounted men
D) It was the most effective military arm of the Qajar government

Question 14

Which of the following is NOT true of the Five Feddan Law (1912)?

A) It was designed to help protect small land holders
B) It prohibited the seizure of properties of five feddans or less
C) It was implemented under Lord Kitchener
D) It stemmed the growth of Egyptian opposition to the British presence in Egypt

Question 15

Which of the following accurately describe(s) Lord Cromer's policies toward education in Egypt?

A) Cromer's administration introduced tuition fees at all levels of education
B) Cromer reversed the trend towards a state-supported school system
C) Cromer believed that the growth of Western-style educational institutions would only create Egyptian intellectuals frustrated with their inferior status
D) All of these answers are correct

Question 16

Which of the following is NOT a reason why Dar al-Funun failed to succeed as an institution of higher learning in Qajar Iran?

A) Its enrollments fluctuated widely, depending on the level of the shah's personal and financial support.
B) Iranians had an enormous disdain for European education
C) The power and independence of the Shi'a ulama filled the educational void
D) The presence of the Qajar princes and tribal dignitaries in the most important government posts blocked opportunities for its graduates.

Question 17

In what way was Russian (and British) policy toward Iran reminiscent of the Crimean War?

A) Both involved Russian expansionism into lands traditionally claimed by Muslim powers, the Ottomans and Iran, respectively
B) Both involved European powers employing the Eastern Question Diplomacy
C) Both involved European powers using a Muslim power on the economic decline as a buffer zone
D) All of these answers are correct

Question 18

Which of the following groups in Egypt during British occupation found their voices represented through print media?

A) Those pushing for reform through an Islamic political lens
B) Christian secular Arabs
C) Those advocating European-inspired reforms of traditional religious institutions like Al-Azhar
D) All of these groups expressed opinions through the press

Question 19

Even after the shah cancelled his concession to British subject Reuter to all major infrastructure construction rights in Iran, ________________.

A) competition between Britain and Russia ensued, and stalemated future railway construction
B) an indigenous revolt among peasants led to nationalization of Iran's railways
C) Britain chose to invade Iran on behalf of Reuter, citing Capitulations agreements as justification
D) Iran reached a settlement with Russia, thus helping facilitate Russian-assisted infrastructure development in Iran

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT a way in which Qajar Iran differed from the Ottomans and Egyptians?

A) Iran lacked the transforming policies geared towards government centralization
B) Iran's religious hierarchy became increasingly economically and politically independent from the state, thus reinforcing a decentralized Qajar state
C) Nasir al-Din did not make the same committed effort to Europeanize institutions of civil servants
D)The Qajar shahs granted capitulatory privileges and economic concessions to Britain and Russia

Question 21

During the years Lord Cromer presided over the British occupation of Egypt, Egypt was able to diversify its exports beyond cotton.

Question 22

The Qajar shahs granted capitulatory privileges and economic concessions to Britain and Russia, thus helping draw Iran into the global economy as an exporter of raw materials.

Question 23

Russia desired an economically robust Iran that could rebuff foreign encroachment.

Question 24

In the nineteenth century, Russia held only commercial interests with Iran.

Question 25

The 1891 tobacco protest in Iran was a success for demonstrators; the shah canceled the offending deal in 1892.

Question 26

Opposed to the development of any industrial market in Egypt to rival British industry, Lord Cromer increased Egypt's revenue by expanding its __________________ production.

Question 27

Like Namik Kemal of the Young Ottomans, Egyptian writer Mustafa Kamil articulated sentiments of patriotism and __________________.

Question 28

Egyptian opposition to the British presence was expressed through three main organizations: The Constitutional Reform Party, the People's Party, and, led by Mustafa Kamil, the __________________.

Question 29

Neither Russia nor Britain wanted war over __________________, so they allowed the state to act as a buffer between their strategic interests, not unlike their earlier solution with the Ottoman Empire.

Question 30

Within Iran's Shi'a ulama, __________________ were learned individuals qualified to exercise ijtihad.

Question 31

How did Lord Cromer-the Briton who presided over the British occupation of Egypt in the late nineteenth century-and his priorities in Egypt typify European interest?

Question 32

During his first years in office, Lord Cromer reduced Egypt's budget for education. What were his motivations for doing this?

Question 33

How did the Dinshaway incident ignite anti-British feelings among Egyptians?

Question 34

How did Iran's mujtahids become a powerful voice in Iranian political life?

Question 35

What similarities are there between Egypt's Dinshaway incident and Iran's tobacco protest of 1891?

Question 36

Briefly describe the three main political opposition organizations founded in Egypt in 1907.

Question 37

How did Shah Nasir al-Din attempt to profit from the intense British-Russian rivalry in Iran?

Question 38

How did the Shi'a ulama in Qajar Iran maintain financial autonomy from the central government?

Question 39

What led to the outbreak of the Tobacco Protest of 1891?

Question 40

Explain the significance of Mustafa Kamil's declaration, "The chains of slavery are still chains, whether they be forged of gold or of Iron."

Question 41

Explain the key factors that prevented the Qajars from effectively centralizing state authority in Iran.

Question 42

Compare and contrast the ways in which the penetration of European capital and commerce into the Middle East in the nineteenth century affected the development of the Ottoman Empire, Egypt, and Iran.