The Suez Crisis

What was the Suez Crisis?

The Suez Crisis was when Britain lost control of the Suez Canal. It was a great embarrassment to Britain, and demonstrated that Britain had lost much of its standing in the world.

When was the Suez Crisis?

The Suez Crisis happened in 1956.

Who was involved in the Suez Crisis?

A number of countries were involved in the Suez Crisis.

• ❖ President Nasser, the president of Egypt.
• ❖ Britain and France worked together in the crisis.
• ❖ Israel was also involved, working on behalf of Britain and France.
• ❖ The USA also played an important role in the crisis.

What were the events of the Suez Crisis?

There were a number of events in the Suez Crisis.

• ❖ After the Second World War, Britain's influence in Egypt had declined. The pro-British king was removed from power, and the nationalist Gamal Abdel Nasser was made president in 1956.
• ❖ Nasser criticised Britain, France and the USA, particularly because they supported Israel in the war between Egypt and Israel.
• ❖ In July 1956, the USA and Britain withdrew their promise of a loan to Egypt, which Nasser wanted to build a dam on the River Nile (the Aswan Dam).
• ❖ In order to raise the money for his dam, Nasser decided to nationalise the Suez Canal by force - to take it from Britain and France and keep it in Egypt's hands.
• ❖ Britain and France encouraged Israel to invade Egypt. Britain and France intended then to intervene, pretending to be peacekeepers. In that way, they would be able to retake the Suez Canal.
• ❖ When the USA discovered the plot, President Eisenhower was angry that the British and French were plotting behind the USA's back.
• ❖ Eisenhower demanded that Britain and France withdraw from Egypt immediately. If they did not, he would withhold US financial and military support. Britain and France had no choice but to comply.

In what ways was the Suez Crisis significant?

These are some of the ways in which the Suez Crisis was significant.

• ❖ Britain lost control of the Suez Canal (and its revenues), which it had held since 1875.
• ❖ It was a humiliation for Britain, showing that it lacked the military power it had once held.
• ❖ It had shown that Britain was no longer a world leader, as it had been forced to obey the demands of the USA.
• ❖ It was clear that there was no place in the world any more for British imperialism.