Suez Crisis

1956. Military conflict between Britain, France and Israel on one side, and Egypt on the other.

Background

Gamal Abdel Nasser, the President of Egypt, had decided to nationalise the British and French-owned Suez Canal. These plans conflicted with British interests, both economically (Britain owned shares in the Suez Canal Company) and geopolitically (the idea of the Empire still dominated political decisions, and Northern Africa was considered a zone of stratetic interest). Britain and France were afraid that nationalization of the canal could lead to future oil boycott on Western Europe. In order to protect their position in Egypt Britain, France and Israel attacked Egypt. On the 29 October the Israeli Army together with British and French aerial bombardment entered Egyptian territory. However under the pressure of the United Nations, the Soviet Union, the Commonwealth and the threat of Sanctions from the United States, the occupants were forced to leave. The diplomatic relations with Egypt were destroyed. The purveyances of oil to Europe were reduced by Arab Nations, which resulted in oil rationing.

Significance

The international community, and particularly the United States, disapproved of Britain going it alone; the country had to withdraw its troops after a short while. Apparently, Britain had been relegated to the status of a second-rate power; when the Soviet Union invaded Hungary to squash the Hungarian Revolution (almost simultaneously), the world did not care, or dare, to intervene.