The Suez Canal Crisis

How did the Arabs feel about the 1948 war?

• The Arab nationalists were divided

• The Arabs felt like the UN made Israel an independent state

• There were tensions along the ceasefire lines

Why was the Suez Canal important?

• The canal provided a shorter route to Britain and its Empire - 500 miles cut

• It was a key link into the Persian Gulf

When was the canal open and how much shares did Egypt have?

1869; 44%

How many ships which passed through the Suez canal were British?

80%

What occurred in 1922?

Egypt got independence but the British still had troops along the canal

What happened in July 1952?

Farouk was overthrown by Nassar in a military coup

When did British troops retreat?

19th October 1954

What did Israel, Britain and France agree on (Protocol of Sèvres)?

If Israel starts an attack on Nasser then they would help them

Why did Britain see Nasser as a threat?

He wanted an Egypt with no colonial influence

What occurred on the 29th October 1956?

Israel attacked Egypt using air raids but Nasser retreated

What occurred in the 31st October 1956?

Britain and France bombed Egypt as they didn’t call a ceasefire

What occurred on the 6th November 1956?

Britain and France landed in Egypt

What did Britain and the US refuse to give Nasser?

Weapons as they didn’t want Egypt to attack Israel

When was the Czech Arms deal?

1955

What did Britain and the US do in response of the Czech arms deal?

Pulled out the £200 million funding for the Aswan Dam

What happened in 1956?

Nasser proclaimed that the Suez Canal will be nationalised

Why did the French not like Nasser?

Nasser was encouraging and funding Algerian rebels in the French colony

Why did the US want Britain to pull out of the war?

They didn’t want Egypt to go to the Soviets during the cold war so they threatened to pull out funding for Britain

What was the Lancaster House Suez Canal Conference?

This was the last attempt to find peace but Egypt didn’t go

What was the Baghdad pact?

Pact to bring the Middle East closer to the West but Egypt refused to not anger the soviets

What were the results of the war for Egypt?

• Egypt and Nasser had complete control over the Canal and influence in the Middle East - proved military strength

• Egypt lost territory to Israel - Sinai Peninsula

• The Middle East became anti-West

• The US kept close relations with the East and the Arabs didn’t like the USSR

• The UN kept troops along the border with Israel and kept the Straits of Tiran open

What was the Straits of Tiran?

This was a key sea corridor for Israel that was close to Egypt

How did Israel feel about the outcomes of the war?

They were annoyed because they wanted Nasser removed as he was encouraging attacks in the Gaza strip

What were the relations like between Egypt and Saudi Arabia during 1956-67?

They were hostile towards Nasser and both Saudi Arabia and Egypt were supporting two sides of the Yemen war

What were the relations like between Egypt and Syria between 1956-67?

Very unstable as an anti-Israel group came to power and thought Nasser wasn’t doing enough

What were the relations like between Egypt and Iraq?

Faisal opposed the USSR and joined the Baghdad pact to be pro-West

What were the relations like between Egypt and Jordan?

They were also hostile to Nasser and they join the Anti-Nasser pan-Arab union which was a problem for Egypt