自由主義的信念本與帝國主義不合，但在事關國家利益的外交與帝國政策上，自由黨人終究趨於妥協。十九世紀後期英國自由黨的政治理念固然與保守黨迥異，但在外交上，最終則走向保守主義路線。本文藉著討論羅斯柏理擔任外交部長時英國對埃政策的發展，說明自由黨由反帝國主義形象轉為帝國權益擁護者的變化。文中，分析一八九三年自由黨勝選後羅斯柏理就任外交部長時的政治氣氛以及同年埃及新任總督艾伯斯即位時英埃關係的微妙變化、「艾伯斯政潮」的發展與英國對埃控制力的強化、政潮之後自由黨政府對埃政策路線的調整、一八九四年初蘇丹「邊境事件」的發展與英國領埃威權的鞏固，結論解釋英國對埃政策所表現的「自由派的帝國主義」精神及其影響。

Essentially, liberalism contradicts imperialism; but in diplomacy and Realpolitik liberals rarely stand against imperial enterprises. Such is the case of the British Liberal Party during the late nineteenth century. Focused on Lord Rosebery’s policy towards Egypt under Gladstone’s last ministry, this thesis argues that, as far as foreign policy was concerned, the Liberals in the early 1890s discarded their “outdated” beliefs in rationalism and pacifism, and assumed an attitude not different from that of their political opponents－the Conservatives. This article examines the political atmosphere in 1893, when Lord Rosebery and Abbas Hilmi II took office as the British Foreign Secretary and the new khedive respectively, and the so-called Abbas’ Coup in 1893 and the Frontier Incident in 1894, to show how “Liberal Imperialism” developed and the British occupation of Egypt became “permanent,” in spite of strong Liberal idealist opposition. In conclusion, the author points out the British policy of “Liberal Imperialism” in dealing with the Egyptian question, the Liberal Party was losing touch with liberalism and becoming more “conservative,” and that while achieving more popularity with the British public in this way, the Liberal Party grievously alienated its fundamentalist supporters, which detracted from its merit and worth as an independent political group.