ABSTRACT
In the immediate aftermath of World War I, Britain's attempts to retain control of Egypt and establish a mandate in Iraq were met with widespread popular resistance. When the war ended, the discontent it had spawned created a simmering restlessness at all levels of Egyptian society. In November 1918 Egyptians from the landed gentry and the legal profession formed a delegation, or wafd, whose express goal was the complete independence of Egypt. The original Wafd Party was led by Sa'd Zaghlul. During the Wafd's tour of Egypt in early 1919, Zaghlul proved to be a captivating orator and demonstrated a keen ability to communicate with rural Egyptians. The Egyptian delegation did not receive a sympathetic hearing in Paris, but the British decided to include Zaghlul in discussions on the future of the Anglo-Egyptian relationship. The British officials who determined the boundaries of the post-Ottoman Arab world were at their most arbitrary in the case of the new state of Iraq.
