Final answer:
Great Britain controlled Egypt after a series of events in the 19th century, including debts from the Suez Canal's construction and defeating the anti-European Urabi revolt, culminating in the Anglo-Egyptian War of 1882, after which Egypt became a British protectorate to safeguard Britain's financial interests and trade routes.
Step-by-step explanation:
Great Britain gained control over Egypt through a series of political and military actions in the 19th century. The weakening of the Ottoman Empire allowed local rulers like Muhamadd Ali to gain more influence after defeating Napoleon's attempt to conquer Egypt. The industrialization drive, including the expansion of cotton production and the construction of the Suez Canal, left Egypt in debt, causing the Egyptian government to sell shares in the canal to Britain.
In 1879, an anti-European uprising led by Colonel Ahmed Urabi began, and eventually, Britain defeated Urabi's forces in the Anglo-Egyptian War of 1882, declaring Egypt a British protectorate to protect its financial interests. Post-Ottoman Empire dissolution, after World War I, further solidified British control over Egypt and parts of the Middle East, in the context of Britain trying to maintain control over the Suez Canal and access to oil resources.