Cultural Clichés and the Cleo-Craze: How did Great Britain Use Propaganda Between 1882 and 1922 to Influence British Public Opinion to Support their Annexation of Egypt?

Abstract

The contemporary relationship between British politicians, their press, and the British public is rooted in a propaganda model established in the 19th century, after advances in printing technology coincided with the expansion of the empire and subsequent justifications for imperialism. This article examines the founding of this relationship, specifically in the case of the official British annexation of Egypt between 1882 and 1922, in an attempt to illuminate more generally colonial power dynamics and how the media’s portrayal of history alters a public’s conceptions of race. Thus, the relationship between the Victorian press, the British government, and their annexed country Egypt, provides an important case analysis for propaganda studies generally, and furthers the discussion about how race and class are perceived by the British public as a result.