IDS MAJOR FOREIGN POLICIES.

Ismail has been held responsible  for Egyptian  loss of independence  in whatever  case. Like
Mohammed   Said, he also believed  that Westernisation   meant  modernisation.   It was this misconception  that influenced  his thinking  policies  to the- extent  that he was always  trying to do whatever  he had seen in Europe  or what his European  advisers  told him. He mostly aimed   at  doing   things   on  a  too  large   scale  basis  without   considering    the  costs  and affordability  of Egypt.
His  foreign   policy   was  also  characterised     by  strong   expensive,    expansionism    and aggressi ve extension  of his rule especially  to Sudan and  Ethiopia.  This was done  in a bid to  expand   his  territory   and  satisfy   his  long  cherished  .ambition   of  creating   a  greater Egypt Empire.  Ismail  managed  to succeed  and in  1865 he acquired  port  Masawa  and port Saukin  on the Red  Sea from the control  of Turkey.  This  was one of his first foreign achievements
He also,  like  other  European  explorers,   tried  to find  the source  of River  Nile  in a long distance  along  the Nile Valley.  In  18605 and  1870s, Ismail  employed  European  explorers on heavy  pay to fund the source  of River  Nile.  He, for example,  set off Samuel  Baker  in
1869  at pay  of  100,000  pounds  per  year  to explore  the  source  of the  Nile.  He  built  a railway  line around Nile cataracts  and to divert the ivory trade that was going eastwards  to Zanzibar.  In 1873, he again signed  an exploration  document  to find the Source of the Nile with Charles  Gordon
For efficient  administration  in Sudan, Ismail employed  foreigners  like Charles  Gordon and Sir Samuel  Baker  so as to execute  his policies  in an organised  way. Nevertheless,   these Christian  administrators   were not welcomed  by Muslims  in Sudan. They were regarded  as infidels  or non-believers   by the Sudanese .. However,  they were. being credited   for having stopped slave    trade  activities  in-Sudan  although  they tailed  to administer  Sudan properly. The  stopping  of  Slave trade  that was  the main  source  of income  to the  Sudanese  chiefs was the beginning  of the hatred of the Turko-Egyptian   administration.
Another  component   of his foreign  policy  was his attempt  to annex  Ethiopia  and Eritrea during  the time  of John IV although  he was systematically   defeated.  The Egyptian  forces were  sent  to  conquer   Ethiopia   but  they  were  badly  checked   in Eritrea  that  led  to  the abortion  of the plans  to add Ethiopia  to Egypt.  He also  spent  money  and time  trying  to conquer  Kisamayu  and Somaliland  but failed.
Nevertheless   Ismail succeeded  in acquiring  full independence  of Egypt from Turkish  rule. Unlike  his  predecessor,   Mohammed   Ali,  Ismail  never  used  force  but bribes  in form  of silver, money  and Gold to the Sultan of Turkey  although  shortly was taken over by British colonisers  in 1882. As a sign of greater  autonomy,  Ismail was given a chance  to carry out commercial   agreements   with  independent   countries  like Britain,  France  and  Spain  after securing  Egyptian  independence  from Turkey as well as carrying  out full administration  of Egypt.
HIS  FINANCIAL   MISCALCULATIONS.
While  Ismail  was  doing  these  internal  and  external  activities   for  Egyptians,   he lacked sufficient   financial  source,  planning   and  proper  control.  He  was  tricked  by  European money   lenders   and  their  agents  who  had  come  to  Egypt  in  large  numbers.   He  also employed   large  numbers    of  Europeans    who  were   heavily   paid   in  the  schemes   of westernisation  of Egypt and Sudan.
Many  of these were  employed  as experts  in posts and telecommunications,    in education, banking  sector,  engineering,   army  and administration.   He employed  many  Europeans  as his  personal   advisors   and  they  "advised"   him  how  to borrow   a  lot  of  money   from European  money  lenders  who were ready to give it out at high interest  rates that he never bothered to negotiate upon.
Apart from spending  so much to modernise  Egypt, Ismail was also extravagant  and he was luxurious  ruler' in that his palace  was a center of comfort  and enjoyment  with his relatives, friends and European  advisers.  He spent a lot of money on personal  and prestigious  affairs like  1,000,000  pounds  at the  opening  ceremony   of  Suez  Canal  in  1869.  He also  built luxurious  hotel  to host  Europeans   in Egypt  and  also  spent  so much  in maintaining   his concubines.
As if that was not enough,  Ismail undertook  schemes  to promote  the Egyptian government abroad. He spent large sums of money to employ  European  explorers  to find the source of River Nile.  He also  employed  costly  expeditions  to defeat  Eritrea,  Ethiopia  and Somalia that  was  not  successful.   His  attack  on Ethiopia  was  in the  regime  of John  IV  10   1875 where he was defeated  seriously.
By  l875,  the financial  position  of Egypt  was desperate  because  of a lot of extravagancy and  lack  of proper  control  of  borrowed  money.  Ismail  didn't   pay  back  the  debts  after spending   these  loans  on  non-profit   making  ventures   and  neither   could  he  afford  the interest  rate required  on  these  debts.  The  European   lenders  were  unwilling  to add  him more money and yet his schemes  of development  were far from completion.
His only alternative  was to raise money by selling Egyptian  shares  in Suez Canal. In 1875, the Egyptian  government  achieved  its long desire  of controlling  the whole  of Suez Canal by buying  it at only 4,000,000  pounds  from Ismail.  Britain  therefore  became  the largest shareholder  of the  international   Suez Canal  company,  a position  that enabled  Britain  to guard the short cut to its colony India for commercial  purposes.
After   1875, Europeans   were  ready  to  intervene   in  Egypt  and  the  weakness   of Ismail provided  them a clear  excuse  for intervention  especially  on issues  of their debts  and the company  programs.  Egyptian  independence  was now at a total threat.  The debts and their interests were too much to be paid by Egypt because her financial  position was worse than ever. The 4,000,000  from the sale of Suez Canal never helped him.
In 1878, an Anglo-French  commission  made up of one French and one British was formed and  imposed   on  Khedive   Ismail.   This   commission    was  charged   with  financial   re-organisation  to enable her pay back European  debts. This was the beginning  of the joint  of
Anglo-French  control  of Egyptian  government.
All  available   revenue-generating     activities   were  put  under  their  supervision.   Taxation became compulsory  to all classes  of people  in Egypt. The- various  expenditures  at Ismail's palace were reduced.  All state privileges  were cut off and the government  expenditure  was greatly  controlled  in attempt  to raise money to pay back the old debt. This made the civil servants  to go without  allowances,   salaries  were  reduced  and natives  began  complaining about  the foreigners'   squeeze  of their privileges  and income  hence  laying  a foundation of Urabist revolt of 1880-81.
Ismail  himself  didn't   like the way he was being  restricted  by this commission   in his own country.  In 1879 he clashed  with  these  commissioners   who  decided  to dismiss  him  and replace  him with  his son Mohammad   Tewfiq  who  was  a puppet  ruler  of the Europeans. The commission  after doing these replacements  notified  the sultan  of Turkey who was the overall king of Egypt at the time.