History Extra podcast The Suez Crisis: everything you wanted to know
Apr 18, 2021
Join historian Alex von Tunzelmann, author of Blood and Sand, as he unpacks the dramatic 1956 Suez Crisis. Delve into why Britain and France took a colossal gamble against Egypt, and how personal animosities influenced their decisions. Discover the pivotal role of American intervention that forced Britain's withdrawal and the consequential rise of Nasser in the Arab world. Lastly, explore how this crisis marked the end of Britain's superpower status and reshaped the Cold War's dynamics.
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Secret Collusion Behind The Invasion
- The Suez Crisis began when Nasser nationalised the canal after the US withdrew Aswan Dam funding in 1956.
- Britain and France secretly colluded with Israel to provoke a war and present themselves as peacekeepers.
Personal Motives Drove Policy
- Eden and Guy Mollet sought to remove Nasser long before the canal nationalisation and even discussed killing him.
- Personal enmity and Algeria concerns drove leaders more than a simple canal dispute.
Humiliations That Fueled Anger
- Eden met Nasser once and the meeting went badly, leaving Eden personally humiliated and fixated.
- Mollet was pelted with tomatoes in Algeria and blamed Nasser, deepening French anger.
