Suez Crisis 1956 and Consequences to the Middle East Cover Image

1956 Süveyş Krizi ve Ortadoğu’ya Etkisi
Suez Crisis 1956 and Consequences to the Middle East

Author(s): Mehmet Erkan Kıllıoğlu
Subject(s): Diplomatic history, Economic history, Military history, Political history, Government/Political systems, International relations/trade, Post-War period (1950 - 1989)
Published by: Serkan YAZICI
Keywords: Suez Crisis; Gamal Abdunnasir; Athony Eden; Eisenhower; John Foster Dulles; Opearation Muskeeter;

Summary/Abstract: In the period after the Second World War, the great colonial empires of the 19th century and their colonial order fade away and a new bipolar international political system led by the USA and USSR, emerged. The emergence of this new international political system forced the disintegration of the old order. During this disintegration process, Britain tried to evacuate and liquidate her former colonies, which put a huge burden on its economic, political and military system, but in doing so tried to keep the strategically important points, at least the ones left in the west of the Suez Canal. The Suez Canal region, which remained in Egyptian territory, was one of those strategic assets. Egypt, whose relations with the West occasionally deteriorated due to its former colonial past history, announced that it had nationalized the Suez Canal after one of such problematic events. Although the USA, the presumed leader of the Western World, was not satisfied with that decision, but tried to decrease the tension in order to cease the USSR intervention to the Middle East and increase its influence. However, Britain and France, who are in charge of the Suez Canal and Canal Company, were not satisfied with Egypt’s decision that nationalized the Suez Company. They took decisive action both to take the Canal back and to overthrow the Egyptian leader Gamal Abdünnasir, who was hostile to them in the Middle East region. As a result, the Suez Crisis of 1956 occurred. Britain and France won the military struggle but lost in the political process. Balances in the Middle East region and the world system have changed dramatically and the Suez Crisis was the starting point of this change.

  • Issue Year: 6/2021
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 726-757
  • Page Count: 32
  • Language: Turkish