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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Suez Crisis
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(more usually referred to in Britain just as Suez)
In 1956 the United States and the United Kingdom withdrew financial support for the building of the *Aswan dam in Egypt, and in retaliation President *Nasser nationalized the *Suez Canal, without warning or compensation (the 99-year lease still had 12 years to run). Britain and France were the main shareholders in the canal, but they and Israel also had political reasons for wishing to reduce the power of Nasser. Israel attacked Egypt on 29 October 1956, and the next day Britain and France demanded that both sides withdraw 16km/10m from the canal.
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When Egypt refused, the British and French launched air attacks and landed troops. This swift action caused a bitterly divided response. Some applauded it as a reassertion of Britain's dwindling imperial might; others were appalled by an anachronistic reversion to *gunboat diplomacy. The most important reaction was that of the United Nations, which strongly condemned the invasion. By December 22 all British and French troops had been withdrawn, after an adventure widely agreed to have been a military and diplomatic disaster (in Britain it ended the career of Anthony *Eden). In 1958 Egypt paid compensation to the shareholders for the remainder of the lease on the canal.
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