the Suez Crisis 1956 Flashcards
lead to
Suez war or also called the Second Arab-Israeli war
built in
1860s by British and French
British troops
70,000 British troops in Canal zone
ships through it
15,000 a year
1/3 of them British
canal essential for Britain
had military bases in east
-depended on oil supplies from the Persian Gulf
British oil reserves
wouldn’t last longer than 6 weeks without
Egypt felt
- it was an example of British imperialism
- they thought they could only be independent when Britain left
Egyptian’s blamed
Farouk and his government
- believed the government to be corrupt and manipulated by the British
- for the defeat of 1949
revolution
1952- coup overthrew the government
1953- Egypt became a republic and General Naguib became President
Egypt and Britain
- Britain withdrew their troops from the zone as they wanted to remain friends with Egypt
- needed Egypt as an ally against the soviets as it was strongest, most developed Arab country
Nasser and arms
September 1955 announced an arms deal with Czechoslovakia
Israel attacks into Egypt
February 1955
Israel attacked Gaza and killed 35 soldiers
western control
believed to control him as they were paying for the Aswan Dam
Aswan Dam
US and Britain withdrew support after Nasser recognised communist china
- Nasser responded by nationalising the Suez Canal in July 1956
- Nasser became a hero of the arab world