Their immediate goal was the end of the protectorate. The party, comprised of activists spanning political parties and classes, became prominent soon after the war. Saad Zaghlul, a former education minister, founded the Wafd (literally meaning delegation) Party, or the Egyptian Delegation Party, during World War I. British rule caused Egypt’s involvement in the war to increase – 1.5 million Egyptians were conscripted in the Labour Corps and much of the country’s infrastructure was seized for the army – contributing to the dissatisfaction. During World War I agitation towards the British increased as all sects of the population united in their discontent. Egypt became a British protectorate on December 14, 1914.
