What Was The Suez Affair?

The Suez affair, often referred to as the Suez crisis, started in October 1956 after the Suez Canal (which linked the Mediterranean and Red Seas) was nationalised by the Egyptian government under President Nasser. Until then the canal had been administered by an international council which was effectively run by Britain.

Trying to regain control of the canal, Israel launched an attack on Egypt, and troops were sent from Britain and France. However, these three countries got no international backing (the US opposed the attacks) and the Suez "adventure" attracted a lot of criticism from French and British people who thought it was a pointless expression of out-of-date imperial attitudes. By December the troops had been recalled.

Suez was often mentioned as Britain's last attempt to behave like an imperial power. It was a political disaster for Prime Minister Anthony Eden, who resigned over the affair.

The Suez affair was a military confrontation and war between Britain, France and Israel on one side and the Egyptians on the other. The Suez Canal was and had been of strategic importance to Western Europe. As early as 1875 Egyptian Ismail Pasha was forced to sell Egypt's interest in the canal to the United Kingdom. As per another treaty entered into in 1936 the United Kingdom controlled the Canal. Egypt however repudiated the treaty in 1951. The United Kingdom was willing to withdraw by 1954 but objected strongly when the then leader of Egypt, Gamal Abdel Nasser decided to nationalize the canal.    

Since Europe depended on the canal for its energy supply the United Kingdom and France decided to invade. The canal was closed to Israeli shipping and Fidayen raids from Egypt were Israeli reasons to join in the action. Finally the Soviet Union and the United States intervened to end the conflict and the days of the British Empire were over.