Similar to the Egyptians, the British sought to gain control over the Sudan to establish both a settler and plantation based colony that would allow for them to gain more accessibility to the Nile, its trade routes, and the trading markets. This access to the Nile and its trade markets allowed for the British to gain significant amounts of profit from the sale and trading of British manufactured goods including textiles, alcohol, and guns along with establishing new trading relationships with the growing cities. Along with this, the British heavily desired to gain access to the existent natural resources in Sudan with specific interest in the cotton supply
It was the start of the large powerful American military before WW1 the Entirety of the United States Armed Forces could fit in Yankee Stadium now it is over 1 million members strong