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in 1956 a dispute over the Suez Canal in
Egypt led to international crisis and
war - fading colonial powers Britain and
France expected an easy victory over he
gypped
but were forced into a humiliating
withdrawal as the world's new
superpowers flex their muscles it was a
stark sign that the age of European
00:33
imperialism was over and that a new
international order had taken its place
little remembered today the events of
1956 had huge consequences for Britain
and France the Arab world Israel and the
United States of America
this is the story of the Suez Crisis
whose fallout shaped world affairs for
decades to come
in 1869 world navigation was transformed
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by the opening of the Suez Canal this
100 mile man-made waterway through the
Egyptian desert cut 5,000 miles off the
voyage from Europe to Asia as ships no
longer had to sail around Africa its
construction overseen by French diplomat
Felton on de Lesseps had taken 10 years
and cost the lives of many thousands of
Egyptian laborers the Suez Canal Company
01:57
which owned and ran the canal was a
private company owned by its
shareholders including French Austrian
and Russian investors as well as the
ruler or Khedive of Egypt
Ishmael Pasha in 1875 to pay off his
mountainous debts the Khedive sold his
44% share in the Canal Company to the
British government
as the world's greatest Imperial and
naval power Britain had initially
02:31
opposed the canal seeing it as a
potential threat but soon proved to be
its greatest beneficiary 80% of the
ships that used the canal were British
and it became a vital link to the
British Empire's Eastern colonies and
the jewel in the crown India control of
the canal and the security of Egypt
became a vital British strategic concern
03:06
in 1882 when Egyptian anger at European
interference in their country exploded
into a nationalist revolt led by Colonel
Ahmed a Rabi the British sent a military
force to intervene
the Egyptian army was swept aside and
Egyptian if they became a British
protectorate for the next 60 years
British control of the Suez Canal was a
major strategic advantage in both world
wars
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but in the wake of victory in world war
two the British Empire was in retreat
India Pakistan and Burma gained their
independence there were revolts against
British rule in Malaya Kenya and Cyprus
Egypt had received formal independence
in 1922 but Britain continued to
stationed troops there and govern much
of the country's affairs only in 1947
did British troops withdraw to the
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so-called Canal Zone under an earlier
deal with Egypt's King Farouk that the
British could keep bases there until
1956
but Egyptians were turning against
Farouk they blamed him for failing to
prevent the creation of the Jewish state
of Israel and for Egypt's defeat in the
arab-israeli war that had followed they
also blamed King Farouk for allowing
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British troops to remain in Egypt in the
Canal Zone British soldiers and
civilians came under attack from the
increasingly hostile local population
with riots arson and gun battles leading
the British to impose martial law
by 1952 a group of nationalist Egyptian
army officers known as the Free Officers
movement had had enough they seized
power in a military coup King Farouk was
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forced to abdicate and went to live out
a luxurious exile in Italy the following
year Egypt was declared a republic
colonel gamma or Abdul Nassir emerged as
the new leader and president of Egypt a
committed and charismatic Arab
nationalist determined to free Egypt
from foreign influence
in the 1950s America and the West were
engaged in a standoff with the Soviet
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Union known as the Cold War a so-called
iron curtain divided Europe between
communist East and capitalist West
around the world each side tried to win
friends and limit the others influence
Egypt the largest and most powerful Arab
state would be a valuable prize for
either side but which way would
President Nasser turn u.s. President
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Dwight D Eisenhower wanted to win over
NASA but couldn't grant his request for
a major arms deal they'd most likely be
used against Israel which had many
supporters in the u.s. the US and
Britain instead offered to fund
construction of the Aswan Dam the
centerpiece of NASA's plan to modernize
the Egyptian economy
Britain also agreed to remove its troops
from the Suez Canal Zone by June 1956
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but then border tension between Israel
and her neighbors boiled over as the
Israeli army attacked Egyptian
controlled Gaza killing 38 Egyptian
soldiers the Gaza raid made NASA
determined to rapidly strengthen and
modernize Egypt's army since the US
wouldn't help NASA turned to the Soviet
bloc and signed a major deal to purchase
modern tanks and aircraft from communist
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Czechoslovakia the deal was seen as a
huge triumph across the Arab world
NASA further antagonized america by
establishing diplomatic relations with
communist china for eisenhower chasing
an alliance with nasa was proving a
major headache at the US and British
offer to fund the Aswan Dam was
withdrawn it was a move that would prove
to have serious global repercussions
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that neither Britain nor America ever
saw coming
of the 26th of July 1956 NASA stunned
the world by announcing that with
immediate effect Egypt would nationalize
the Suez Canal Company
we dug the canal with our lives our
skulls our bones our blood he declared
the money is ours and the Suez Canal
belongs to us we shall build the Aswan
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Dam our own way if Britain and America
would not fund the dam Nasser intended
to fund it himself with profits from the
Suez Canal Company his speech received
an ecstatic response from the people of
Egypt
NASA's move was entirely legal the
company's shareholders would be bought
out at fair prices yet his decision
would trigger an international crisis
war and a new era in the balance of
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world power in Britain Prime Minister
Sir Anthony Eden responded with fury to
what he saw as a major attack on British
national interests 15,000 ships a year
came through the Suez Canal and from the
Middle East they brought a vital
resource that the British economy
couldn't survive without through it
travels today about half the oil without
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which the industry of this country of
Western Europe of Scandinavia and on
many other countries - couldn't keep
going
this is a matter of life and death
towards all
nASA has Eden put it at his thumb on her
windpipe
as Britain's foreign secretary in the
1930s at World War two eden had made his
reputation by opposing appeasement the
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policy of trying to maintain peace by
giving in to the demands of dictators
but now with poor health and frayed
nerves clouding his judgment he
convinced himself that NASA was another
Hitler or Mussolini an Arab dictator
that Britain had to face down the
Egyptian president he decided would have
to go
French Prime Minister Kimo lay agreed
with Eden's assessment
he had an additional reason to want
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Nasser gone France was fighting a bitter
war in its African colony of Algeria
against nationalist rebels trained and
supplied by NASA Britain and France now
secretly began planning a military
operation to seize control of the Suez
Canal remove NASA from power and
reaffirm their status as major global
powers that summer under pressure from
the Americans
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Eden agreed to host an international
conference in a last effort to find a
peaceful solution to the crisis
Lancaster's London naturally attracted
quite a crowd on the opening day of the
Suez conference 22 nations were
represented only two countries Egypt and
Greece had declined the invitation to
the faithful meeting
18 of the 22 nations supported Britain
and Frances position that the Suez Canal
will be returned to international
ownership a proposal turned down flat by
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President Nasser
US Secretary of State John Foster Dulles
told the British that nevertheless
America would not support an attack on
Egypt Dulles strongly believed that
military action against NASA would push
the entire Arab world into the arms of
the Soviets
besides President Eisenhower was running
for re-election and would not welcome
the distraction
it was a warning that Eden faithfully
ignored Britain and France had already
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chosen the path to war
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