Suez Crisis And Its Impact Flashcards
What key event was going on during the suez crisis?
Cold War between USA and Soviet Union
Who was Britain fearful of in the Middle East by 1947 and how was this shown?
Communist Russia who seemed to be gaining the interests of the Middle East
- Britain still had 10k troops in Suez Canal Zone
- Britain had control over Aden and Cyprus
- Britain had air-force bases in Iraq
- Britain financed and provided officers for the Jordanian army
Clearly Britain were trying to create the illusion of a strong presence to ward off Russian communist threat
When did it become clear that Britain was losing its grip on the Middle East?
. Withdrawal from Palestine (1948)
. Britain couldn’t successfully negotiate with nationalist Arab league to resist communist infiltration, the Arabs weren’t willing to support Britain while it maintained its suez garrisons and controlled the Sudan
- Britain’s control over this part of Egypt was seen as an outrage to them (leading Arab nation at this point)
Clearly the Russian communist threat was tipping British control over the Middle East onto its side
What was the 1936 Anglo-Egyptian treaty?
. Stopped formal British occupation of Egypt
. However, 10k troops still in Egypt to protect suez mainly
. In the event of an emergency, Britain could declare martial law and censorship in Egypt
. Egypt could now enter League of Nations
When did the 1936 Anglo-Egyptian treaty collapse?
1951 - King Farouk of Egypt independently renounced the treaty and proclaimed himself king of Sudan
Was king Farouk’s reign as king of the Sudan long-lasting?
No. In January 1952, Farouk was overthrown in a military coup led by Colonel Nasser
When did Nasser become PM of Egypt and what were his aims?
1956-70:
. Wanted to modernise Egyptian economy
. Determined to free Egypt from foreign influence
. Saw himself as leader of the Arab world, encouraging nationalist groups in the Middle East
How did Britain initially approach the new ruler Nasser in Egypt?
. Sought to negotiate with Egypt’s new ruler
- 1953: agreement made on stages towards Sudanese independence
- 1954: British agreed to a phased withdrawal of troops from Suez Canal Zone over next 20 months, subject to certain rights of re-occupation in times of war.
What did Britain’s concessional attitude to Nasser originally show about the empire?
. Desired to improve Anglo-Arab relations, probably mainly out of the fear of Russian communism, to protect the suez and to maintain the oil they got from the Middle East
. Shows Britains financial difficulties: Britain could only just about afford to maintain their bases in Egypt and fortify their suez garrisons enough to resist the nationalist guerrilla attacks
Clearly Britain was weakened and had to adopt a policy of appeasement as had been going since 1930s
Who was Anthony Eden and how was he significant?
Foreign secretary in Churchill’s government (1951-55) and PM after Churchill (1955-1957)
. Immediately sought to negotiate with new ruler Nasser once he came into power, but mainly out of seeing Nasser as a threat to western imperialism
. He was against the policy of appeasement that seemed to be preferred post-war, but this was a popular opposition
. Wanted to maintain British influence in Middle East
Given Britain withdrawing their 10k troops in 1954, what were the British promised by the Egyptians in return?
. Free access through the Suez Canal (very important to empire)
. Maintenance of the former British bases in an operational condition (although Britain could barely afford these bases)
. To respect the independence of the Suez Canal Company
When did Nasser make himself president of Egypt?
June 1956
How did Nasser reveal his deemed ‘threat’ against British influence?
. During the constructive period of British diplomacy after the 1954 agreement, the Baghdad pact was engineered in 1955 to repel soviet threat to the Middle East
-Turkey, Pakistan etc approved it
- Nasser refused to sign this agreement, threatening the British as it seems as though he isn’t opposed to communist Russian ideas
Which alliance with Nasser alarmed Eden and fuelled his suspicions of Nasser?
Nasser believed the Baghdad pact threatened Egyptian dominance:
. He turned to communist Czechoslovakia for arms, especially during the Gaza raid when modernisation of the Egyptian army was needed to win
. Out of the two superpowers in the Cold War, Nasser had sided with the Soviet Union
How did Nasser plan to modernise the Egyptian economy?
Through the construction of the Aswan High Dam which he hoped to make the core of a programme of irrigation, flood control and electrification
. West and Russia promised financial aid in 1955
- July 1956: USA, followed by Britain and the world bank, withdrew their funding due to Nasser’s association with communist powers
It seems by now Nasser has picked his superpower side
How did the Suez crisis start?
16 July 1956 - Nasser announced the nationalisation of the Suez Canal company
- British government held 44% of the shares in the company
- indirect attack on British control in the Middle East as Nasser was clearly trying to cut off ties with British influence
Was Nasser’s nationalisation of the Suez Canal company legal?
Yes, he was just buying out the shareholders, but it became a bigger politically international problem
Why did France also oppose Nasser?
. Also had shares in the Suez Canal company
. Nasser was becoming the face of Arab nationalism and supporting attacks on French colonial influence in Algeria
- this especially angered Guy Mollet
Why did Israel oppose Nasser?
. Nasser supported Arab nationalist movements and Palestinian groups that were hostile to Israel
. Egypt had blockaded the straits of Tiran, cutting off Israel’s access to the Red Sea, limiting trade
What was the last chance for peaceful agreement before the Suez crisis really plunged into chaos?
Suez conference/22-power London conference Aug 16-23 1956: 22 nations attended, but Egypt and Greece declined the invitations
. Britain and France wanted Egyptian ownership back with Britain (imperialist approach)
. USA weren’t willing to support an attack on Egypt
While the UN tried to resolve the suez crisis through diplomacy, what were Britain and France secretly doing?
Secretly planning to overthrow Nasser (Sévres protocol)
- plan was for Israel to attack Egypt on 29th October 1956, so that France and Britain could demand both sides to cease fighting and withdraw troops from around the Suez Canal, only for a Franco-British invasion of the Canal Zone on 31st October to ‘defend it’
Clearly Britain and France were trying to hatch a plan where they could indirectly invade Egypt and justify their military presence there
How was the sévres protocol acted out in real time?
. Israelis forced Egyptian forces back through the Sinai peninsula towards the Suez Canal
. Britain and France intervened with this action in a supposed ‘police action’
. Anglo-French forced knocked out the Egyptian air force and landed at the north end of the canal
How did Egypt successfully react to the British and French intervention in the Suez Canal?
Sank ships to block the canal (scuttling), which meant that Britain and France couldn’t achieve their aim of restoring the control of the Suez Canal to make international trade run smoothly as Britain relied heavily on oil transported through the canal.
- this effectively made Britain and France’s goal for the invasion pointless as they couldn’t use the canal for the economic purposes they wanted as the sunken ships stopped large vessels Gettings trough the canal
- as a result the pound lost its value, very humiliating for Britain, can’t even put up a fight against Egypt
What was Britains biggest miscalculation in their invasion response to the suez crisis?
. Miscalculated the international reaction, particularly from the USA
- USA immediately condemned the attack and refused to support sterling in the currency crisis that the war had brought upon them (instigated the sterling crisis)
- USSR threatened military intervention
How long did the British and French invasion of Egypt last and how did it end?
Ceasefire within 5 days
. Both Britain and France began to withdraw troops within 2 weeks
. January 1957, Eden forced to resign
. UN force moved in to clear the blocked canal and restore peace
What were simply the consequences of the suez crisis?
. British realised their reliance on USA
. Britain had to accept themselves as a second-rate world power against the USA and USSR
. British turned towards ‘imperialism of decolonisation’ as this was the nail in the coffin in realising that Britain couldn’t maintain formal control of their colonies. Plans to hold onto colonies in Africa didn’t seem credible anymore and it was the best idea to allow nationalist demands for independence sooner rather than later.
. Idea that Britain could ‘manage’ its control its retreat from the empire collapsed
. Criticism of British attempts to keep control even from ‘friends of the empire’
. The weakness of the empire displayed from the suez crisis made nationalist movements realise that if they pushed hard enough, Britain could be bullied into submission
