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Suez Crisis (1956-1957) - Background, Causes, Timeline of Events, Importance, Suez Canal And More
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The Suez Crisis (Second Arab–Israeli War or Sinai War) was a significant event in the Middle East in late 1956. It started with the control of the Suez Canal through nationalization by the then-President of Egypt- Gamal Abdel Nasser. In response, the combined forces of Great Britain, Israel, and France attacked Egypt.
Here, through this article, we will take a comprehensive view of the ‘Suez Crisis 1956-1957’ considering its relevance to the UPSC IAS Exam(GS Paper II).
What is the Suez Crisis?
The Suez Crisis was a diplomatic and military conflict that occurred in 1956. It was triggered by Egypt's nationalization of the Suez Canal under British and French control. In response, Britain, France, and Israel invaded Egypt to regain canal control. The crisis resulted in international condemnation and pressure on the invading forces to withdraw. The United Nations played a significant role in mediating a peaceful resolution, and the invading forces eventually withdrew. The Suez Crisis marked a significant shift in geopolitics and the decline of European colonial influence in the region.
Background of the Suez Crisis 1956-1957
- The late 1940s and early 1950s were a final demonstration of the ongoing unrest between the Middle Eastern nation and the British Empire.
- The Suez Crisis occurred in the 1950s. It showed tensions between Egypt and the British Empire.
- Egypt was a British colony. The Suez Canal is important. It connects the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean.
- The canal was economically and militarily important for Britain. Britain controlled the Suez Canal Company with France.
- Egyptians demanded independence from Britain. Colonel Nasser led local resistance.
- Tensions rose between Nasser and British Prime Minister Eden.
- Egypt gained independence after Nasser's efforts.
- President Nasser announced Egypt would nationalize the Suez Canal on July 26, 1956. This sparked the Suez Crisis.
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Overview Of the Suez Crisis |
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Date of Suez Crisis |
29 October 1956- 7 November 1956 |
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Location |
Suez Canal, Egypt, Gaza Strip, Sinai Peninsula. |
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Cause of Suez Crisis |
The Suez Crisis in the Middle East began with the nationalization of the Suez Canal by the Egyptian President. However, the canal was owned by the British and French-controlled “Suez Canal Company”. |
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Causalities |
Egyptian casualties: Over 1,000 deaths, Israel had 231 deaths, British 16 deaths, and France recorded 10 deaths. |
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Result |
As a result, Britain and France lost most of their influence in the Middle East, and Egypt emerged victorious. Israel did not win the freedom to use the canal, but it did acquire shipping rights in the Straits of Tiran. |
Outbreak of the Suez Crisis
- The Israeli army initiated the conflict on October 29.
- British and French forces joined later due to transportation issues.
- The original plan was to strike simultaneously.
- British and French forces successfully captured Port Said and Port Fuad. Sinai was under Israeli control.
- Egyptians lost control of the canal area, but Nasser rallied his army.
- The Soviet Union, Egypt's ally, supplied arms and ammunition to the Egyptian army.
- Nikita Khrushchev threatened to use nuclear missiles at a UN Security Council meeting.
- The United States, under President Dwight Eisenhower, condemned the Soviet threat. It warned of economic sanctions.
- British and French forces withdrew by December 1956.
- Israelis held the Sinai side until March 1957.
- The Suez Crisis led to the deployment of the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) as the first UN peacekeeping force.
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Causes of the Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis resulted from British and American decisions not to finance the construction of Egypt’s Aswan High Dam – mainly because of Egypt’s growing ties with Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union.
After this decision, there was diversity in the Western countries. On the one hand, France, the United Kingdom, and Israel met secretly at a Paris conference to plan military intervention to overthrow Nasser. On the other, America refrained from participating directly in the Suez Canal crisis.
However, it was no coincidence that Belgium and Portugal were, at the same time, the two European countries most opposed to any change in Africa. Portuguese diplomats who had been making reassuring statements to Egypt since the start of the Suez Crisis. However, what role did Portugal play in the Suez Canal dispute, and what were Portugal’s interests in this crisis? Even today, these questions are still debatable.
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Suez Crisis and Suez Canal
The Suez Crisis began on October 29, 1956, when the Israeli armed forces pushed toward the Suez Canal in Egypt after the canal was nationalized by then-President of Egypt, Jamal Abdel Nasser. The Suez Canal—an economically valuable waterway—contained two-thirds of the oil used by Europe at the time.
Nationalization of the Suez Canal
In July 1956, the main catalyst for the Suez Crisis was the nationalization of the Suez Canal by Egyptian President Jamal Abdel Nasser; why was the canal nationalized? A few reasons behind this are as follows:
- Nasser’s decision to nationalize the canal was primarily economic because when funding from the Soviet Union proved insufficient, Egypt began to need additional funds to build the Aswan Dam.
- The decision to nationalize the canal was probably to reduce the increasing influence of the French and the British on the Suez Canal.
- However, Nasser offered fair compensation to the canal’s former owners, and the British and French devised a plan with Israel to take the canal back from Egyptian control.
Importance of the Suez Canal
- In 1869, the Suez Canal was opened after nearly ten years of construction supervised by French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps.
- The man-made canal is 193 kilometres long and separates Egypt from the Sinai Peninsula, connecting Africa to Asia and Europe (Mediterranean Sea) to Asia (Indian Ocean) through a sea-level waterway.
- Before the canal's construction, ships had to navigate around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa to travel between Europe and Asia.
- The Suez Canal shortened this journey by approximately 8900 km, significantly facilitating trade routes between the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean.
- The canal's importance for international trade led to conflicts among Egypt's neighbours in the 1950s, and during the Cold War, it attracted interest from the world's superpowers.
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Importance Of The Suez Crisis
The Suez Canal Crisis of 1956 is regarded as a turning point in British history after the crisis that helped to the decline of Britain’s era as a global empire and superpower. But, Britain still conjured up powerful images of ministerial incompetence, national collapse, and global humiliation six decades later.
Under the Eisenhower Doctrine, the US government immediately provided millions of dollars in economic and regional security military aid to the countries of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Libya, and Pakistan.
This doctrine guided United States policy toward political crises in Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan in 1957 and provided the foundation for US military intervention in Lebanon in mid-1958.
India and the Suez Crisis
This was a time of great concern for the Suez Canal Crisis in India. In view of the seriousness of the matter, the then Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, wrote a letter to the then US Secretary of State John Foster Dulls, ‘Economic and peaceful relations between Europe and Asia are imbalanced.
The Indian government is speculating that this crisis will have economic and political effects on India. If canal transport is disrupted for a long time, it will have harmful consequences, and it will also affect the progress of India’s second five-year plan.
Nehru, avoiding the growing international disputes and adopting the policy of non-alignment, considered it appropriate to keep India away from the Suez Crisis. However, India had made several attempts to mediate the Suez Crisis.
India and Its Non-Aligned Efforts to Resolve the Suez Crisis
India’s role in the Suez Canal Crisis- Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the former Prime Minister of India, considered Nasser an important ally in regional security and discouraged him from entering into defence agreements and even encouraged Egypt to become non-aligned.
On matters related to international security, Nasir was completely dependent on Nehru’s suggestions; for example – Mediation during the Suez Crisis was among Nehru’s efforts (most notably the Nehru-Eisenhower formula), which led to the adoption of a ceasefire resolution in the United Nations.
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Consequences of the Suez Crisis
- The Suez Canal crisis significantly impacted the regional balance of power.
- Despite being a military defeat for Egypt, Gamal Abdel Nasser's status as a defender of Arab nationalism in the Arab world grew stronger.
- Israel returned Egyptian territory acquired during the war but gained access to the Straits of Tiran, with the US maintaining a peacekeeping force in the Sinai.
- The crisis led to a decline in British and French influence in the region, causing humiliation for both nations.
- Relations between the US and its British and French allies experienced a temporary deterioration after the war.
- The Soviet Union's influence in the Middle East increased, especially in Syria, where they began supplying weapons to the Syrian army.
- The Suez Canal dispute improved relations between the US and Egypt, but the core disputes between Israel and its neighbours remain unresolved.
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Conclusion
The Suez Canal War had many turning points; for the first time in world political history, British supremacy was doubted, while the role of the United States and India in global politics was in brighter headlines.
Previous Years UPSC Mains Questions
- What were the events that led to the Suez Crisis in 1956? How did it deal a final blow to Britain’s self-image as a world power? (UPSC C.S.E MAINS 2014)
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Suez Crisis - FAQs
What happened during the Suez Crisis?
Britain and France feared that if Nasser closed the canal, shipments of petroleum flowing from the Persian Gulf to Western Europe could be cut off, and then Britain mobilized their armed forces along with France and Israel.
What caused the crisis in the Suez?
July 26, 1956, Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal Company and unilaterally took control of the canal, displacing the international federation that had run it for nearly a century.
Who won the Suez Crisis?
Finally, Egypt emerged as the defender of Arab nationalism in the Arab world, and the British, French, and Israeli governments withdrew their troops in early 1957.
What were the events that led to the Suez Crisis in 1956?
The Suez Crisis was the result of British and American decisions not to finance the construction of Egypt's Aswan High Dam—mainly because of Egypt's growing ties with Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union.
What was the Suez Crisis in Britain?
The Suez Crisis in Britain was a major political and military conflict that occurred in 1956. It was triggered by the nationalization of the Suez Canal by Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser. Britain, along with France and Israel, launched a military invasion of Egypt to regain control of the canal. The crisis resulted in international condemnation and pressure on Britain to withdraw its forces.