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Suez Crisis (All Parts): Causes, Conflict and Global Repercussions | Epic History | YouTubeToText
YouTube Transcript: Suez Crisis (All Parts): Causes, Conflict and Global Repercussions
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in
1956 a dispute over the Suez Canal in
Egypt led to International crisis and
War Two fading Colonial Powers Britain
and France expected an easy victory over
Egypt but were forced into a humiliating
withdrawal as the world's new
superpowers Flex their muscles
it was a stark sign that the age of
European imperialism was over and that a
new international order had taken its
place little remembered today the events
of 1956 had huge consequences for
Britain and France the Arab world Israel
and the United States of
America this is the story of the Suz
crisis whose Fallout shaped world
affairs for decades to [Music]
come in
1869 World navigation was transformed by
the opening of the sez
Canal this 100m man-made Waterway
through the Egyptian desert cut 5,000 m
off the voy from Europe to Asia as ships
no longer had to sail around
Africa its construction over seen by
French diplomat feron de leps had taken
10 years and cost the lives of many
laborers the sez Canal company which
owned and ran the canal was a private
company owned by its
shareholders including French Austrian
and Russian investors
as well as the ruler or kiv of Egypt Ishmael
Ishmael
Pasha in
1875 to pay off his mountainous debts
the kiv sold his 44% share in the canal
company to the British
government as the world's greatest
Imperial and Naval power Britain had
initially opposed the canal seeing it as
a Potential
Threat but soon proved to be its greatest
beneficiary 80% of the ships that used
the canal were British and it became a
vital link to the British Empire's Eastern
Eastern
colonies and the Jewel in the crown [Music]
[Music]
India control of the canal and the
security of Egypt became a vital British
in
1882 when Egyptian anger at European
interference in their country exploded
into a nationalist
Revolt led by Colonel akmad
orabi the British sent a military force to
to [Music]
[Music]
intervene the Egyptian Army was swept
aside and Egypt effectively became a
British protectorate for the next 60 years
British control of the sez Canal was a
major strategic advantage in both world [Music]
wars but in the wake of victory in World
War II the British Empire was in
Retreat India Pakistan and Burma gained
their independence there were revolts
against British rule in Malaya Kenya and
Cyprus Egypt had received formal
Independence in
1922 but Britain continued to station
troops there and govern much of the
country's Affairs only in 1947 did
British troops withdraw to the so-called
Canal Zone under an earlier deal with
Egypt's King faruko that the British
could keep bases there until [Music]
faruko they blamed him for failing to
prevent the creation of the Jewish state
of Israel and for Egypt's defeat in the
followed they also blamed King Farooq
for allowing British troops to remain in
Egypt in the Canal Zone British soldiers
and civilians came under attack from the
increasingly hostile local population
with riots AR and gun battles leading
the British to impose martial
law by 1952 a group of nationalist
Egyptian army officers known as the free
officers movement had had
enough They seized power in a military
coup King Farooq was forced to abdicate
and went to live out a luxurious Exile in
in
Italy the following year Egypt was
[Music]
republic Colonel GMA Abdul nassa emerged
as the new leader and president of Egypt
a committed and carismatic Arab
nationalist determined to free Egypt
[Music]
influence in the 1950s is America and
the West were engaged in a standoff with
War a so-called Iron Curtain divided
Europe between communist East and capitalist
capitalist
West around the world each side tried to
Win Friends and limit the other's
influence Egypt the largest and most
powerful Arab state would be a valuable
prize for either side
but which way would president NASA
turn US president Dwight D Eisenhower
wanted to win over NASA but couldn't
Grant his request for a major arms deal
they'd most likely be used against
Israel which had many supporters in the
US the US and Britain instead offered to
fund construction of the Awan Dam the
centerpiece of NASA's plan to modernize
economy Britain also agreed to remove
its troops from the seis Canal Zone by June
June [Music]
[Music]
1956 but then border tension between
Israel and her neighbors boiled over as
the Israeli Army attacked Egyptian
controlled Gaza killing 38 Egyptian
Soldiers the Gaza raid made made NASA
determined to rapidly strengthen and
Army since the US wouldn't help NASA
turned to the Soviet block and signed a
major deal to purchase modern tanks and
aircraft from communist
Czechoslovakia the deal was seen as a
world NASA further antagonized America
by establishing diplomatic relations
with communist
China for Eisenhower chasing an alliance
with NASA was proving a major headache
and the US and British offer to fund the
Aswan dam was
withdrawn it was a move that would prove
to have serious Global
repercussions that neither Britain nor
[Music]
on the 26th of July
1956 NASA stunned the World by
announcing that with immediate effect
company we dug the canal with our lives
our skulls our bones our blood he declared
declared
the money is ours and the sez Canal
belongs to
us we shall build the Awan Dam our own
way if Britain and America would not
fund the dam NASA intended to fund it
himself with profits from the sez Canal
company his speech received an ecstatic
response from the people of [Applause]
[Applause]
Egypt NASA's move was entirely legal go
the company's shareholders would be
bought out at fair
prices yet his decision would trigger an
international crisis war and a new era
power in Britain prime minister Sir
Anthony Eden responded with Fury to what
he saw as a major attack on British national
national
interests 15,000 ships say year came
through the sez
canal and from the Middle East they
brought a vital resource that the
British economy couldn't survive
without through it travels
today about half the oil without which
the industry of this country of Western
Europe of Scandinavia and of many other
countries too couldn't keep
going this is a matter of life and death
to us
all NASA as Eden put it had his thumb on our
our
windpipe as Britain's foreign secretary
in the 1930s and World War II Eden had
made his reputation by opposing
appeasement the policy of trying to
maintain Peace by giving in to the
demands of
dictators but now with poor health and
frayed nerves clouding his judgment
he convinced himself that NASA was
another Hitler or musolini an Arab
dictator that Britain had to face
down the Egyptian president he
decided would have to [Music]
[Music]
go French prime minister G
mole agreed with edon's
assessment he had an additional reason
to want NASA gone
France was fighting a bitter war in its
African colony of Algeria against
nationalist Rebels trained and supplied by
NASA Britain and France now secretly
began planning a military operation to
seize control of the sez Canal remove
NASA from power and reaffirm their
status as major Global
powers that summer under pressure from
theic Americans Eden agreed to host an
International Conference in a last
effort to find a peaceful solution to the
crisis Lancaster house London naturally
attracted quite a crowd on the opening
day of the seiz conference 22 nations
were represented only two countries
Egypt and Greece had declined the
invitation to the faithful
meeting 18 of the 2 two Nations
supported Britain and France's position
that the SE Canal be returned to International
International
ownership a proposal turned down flat by President
NASA US Secretary of State John Foster
Dulles told the British that
nevertheless America would not support
an attack on Egypt Dalles strongly
believed that military action against
NASA was pushed the entire Arab world
into the arms of the
Soviets besides President Eisenhower was
running for
distraction it was a warning that Eden fatefully
fatefully
ignored Britain and France had already
but it was not Britain or France that
struck first against NASA it was
Israel on the 29th of October Israeli
paratroopers landed in the Egyptian sin
seizing the Strategic mitla pass and
Forces at the UN Israel insisted it was
acting in self-defense against raids by
Palestinian Fighters known as fedin
operating from bases in Gaza and Sinai
is determined to wipe out the bases in
the siai wilderness from which murder
and death and D rtion are launched
against but there were no fedin bases in
Sinai Britain and France claiming to be
acting on behalf of the International
Community issued an ultimatum to both
sides stop fighting within 12 hours and
withdraw all forces 10 mi from the sez
compliance Egypt was effectively being
told to abandon the sign and the
refused so on the 31st of October
British and French aircraft taking off
from carriers in the
mediterraneum and bases in Cyprus and
Malta began bombing Egyptian airfields
air defenses and infrastructure [Music]
seemed Israeli Prime Minister David
benuron had been considering an attack
months he was encouraged by Moshe Diane
the hawkish commander of Israel's Armed Forces
Forces
NASA like all leaders of Arab states did
not view the new Jewish State as
legitimate now receiving modern weapons
from Czechoslovakia he was seen as a
Potential Threat to Israel's
survival they were also determined to
end Egypt's blockade of The Straits of
tyan which prevented Israeli access to
the Red Sea and limited opportunities for
for
trade France wanted to Ally with the
Israelis to get rid of NASA but British
prime minister Sir Anthony Eden was
anxious about being seen as the
aggressor so the French came up with an
idea at s near Paris representatives of
Britain France and Israel met in secret
war Israel would invade Egypt allowing
Britain and France posing as peacemakers
to issue an ultimatum they knew only
Israel would
accept then claiming to be acting to
safeguard the canal they would invade
Egypt and overthrow
NASA though they had no real plan for
gone it would take years for the full
on the 5th of November after a week of
bombing and with Israeli troops winning
the battle in
Sinai British and French paratroopers
were dropped onto targets around port
side and port fuad at the mouth of the sez
Canal once on the ground they quickly
infrastructure the next morning under
cover of air strikes and Naval
began Fierce street fighting raged
throughout the
day but the Egyptians were massively
outgunned and it proved a one-sided contest
contest
around 600 Egyptian soldiers and police were
were
killed British and French deaths total just
just [Music]
[Music]
26 Egyptian civilians suffered most up
to 1,000 lost their lives with many more
left homeless by Air Raids and
shelling by the end of the day the
but they couldn't prevent the Egyptians
sabotaging the sez Canal
itself they sank ships in its narrow
channel blocking the canal and putting
it wasn't hard to see that the British
French and Israelis were working
together and at the United Nations World
them for once the US and Soviet Union
were United in
condemnation a typically animated Soviet
Premier Nikita kusov even threatened to
fire rockets at Paris and
London President Eisenhower thought the
invasion had no moral or legal
justification and he was furious with
his British Ally for going behind his
back the British and French governments
delivered a 12-hour ultimatum to Israel
and Egypt now followed up by armed
attack against
Egypt the United States was not
consulted in any way about any phase of
these actions nor were we informed of
them in advance
as it is the Manifest right of any of
these nations to take such decisions and
actions it is likewise our right if our
judgment so dicted for we do not accept
the use of force as a wise or proper
instrument for the settlement of international
international
dispute Eisenhower wanted International
attention focused on
Hungary where Soviet troops were at that
moment brutally crushing a popular uprising
instead Britain and France's Reckless
intervention was likely to push Arab
Union in the UN Security Council Britain
and France used their veto to block
resolutions that criticized Israel's
intervention but with both World
superpowers condemning their attack they
now faced a vote in the general
sanctions Britain's economy had been
fragile before The Crisis began now
Market fears caused the British currency
to crash threatening economic disaster
only a massive loan from the
international monetary fund could save
Britain but Eisenhower blocked any IMF
aid until Britain agreed to a unbacked
ceasefire in
Egypt Eden facing growing opposition
abroad at home and from within his own
government had few
options just two days after British
troops landed in Egypt they announced a ceasefire
ceasefire
the French abandoned by their Ally had
suit within days the un's first major
peacekeeping operation got underway as
Danish un troops arrived in Egypt to
[Music]
as they packed up and reembarked on
their Landing ships to return home it
was officially job well
done but in truth Suez had been a humiliating
humiliating
Fiasco the political leadership had been
Reckless the military objectives
confused and as soon as International
pressure had mounted up the British had
had no option but to abort the entire mission
mission
that winter under intense American
pressure Israeli forces also withdrew from
[Music]
Sinai the sez crisis forced Britain and
France to accept that they were now
second rank
Powers no longer could they act as they
wished on the world stage without first
considering dur ing the view of the United
United
States the lesson taken by the British
was never again to jeopardize their
America for France the lesson was that
Britain and America were unreliable
allies and their interests were better
served by closer ties within [Music]
[Music]
Europe Israel achieved some objectives
including the opening of The Straits of
Tran to Israeli
shipping but with NASA still in power
future conflict with Egypt and its other
Arab neighbors was almost
certain the Sinai War proved to be a
precursor to the far more decisive
later British prime minister Sir Anthony
Eden's career and health were
ruined he resigned but not before lying
to Parliament about his knowledge of the
secret deal with Israel my
of I wish my successor all good
forun and God's PE to you
you president nassa fad as the hero of
the Arab world for having stood up to
Europe European
imperialists had in reality been saved
by us and un
intervention but his modernizing reforms
championing of the Arab cause and
opposition to foreign intervention mean
his memory is still revered by Arabs
[Music]
East the impact of the sez crisis on
America was perhaps the most far-reaching
far-reaching
the collapse of British and French
Prestige amongst Arab Nations meant the
US would now take the lead in countering
Soviet expansion in the Middle East and
securing the West's oil [Music]
[Music]
supplies the sez crisis would accelerate
us involvement in this volatile [Music]
[Music]
region the consequences would stretch
century de over a possible war in Iraq
has given an Ever sense of urgency to their
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