Model ID answer for the Suez Canal

Key factual points underlined.

Key points of significance italicized. Note that the point on the memsahib theory ties this ID to colonizer/colonized relations, one of the major themes of this course.

“The Suez Canal, opened in 1869, made travel to India from Britain significantly faster by eliminating the need for overland travel through the Middle East. Because it runs through Egypt, it gave Britain an even stronger interest in the Middle East in general and areas along the route to India in particular. Defending the route to India through the Suez Canal became a major focus of British policy well into the 20th century. Some scholars believe that the influx of British women into India after 1869, when travel to India became much easier, contributed to a worsening of race relations in India (the memsahib theory).”