GAMAL ABDEL NASSER AND THE SUEZ CRISIS, 1956 term paper

In 1952 a small group of disaffected Egyptian army officers led a coup against the corrupt King Farouk. For two years General Mohammad Naguib seemingly was in control, but in 1954 Gamal Abdel Nasser (1918–1970) emerged as the new leader of Egypt’s 22 million people. Tall, handsome, and politically astute, Nasser committed Egypt to a policy of economic modernization and complete independence from Great Britain. In 1955 he signed an agreement with Great Britain stipulating that by June 1956 Britain would withdraw all its troops from Egypt and turn over control of the Suez Canal, an important lifeline of British and European shipping, to a private company.

Nasser soon emerged as the spokesman not only for Egypt but also for young Arab modernizers throughout the Middle East. His writings and speeches suggested that Nasser was the only Arab leader capable of challenging Israel.

Two key elements of Nasser’s modernization plans were the expansion of the military and the building of the huge Aswan Dam on the upper Nile. After failing to get sufficient Western equipment for his military, Nasser worked out an arrangement whereby Egyptian cotton would be traded for armaments from Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union. Such an arrangement underscored Nasser’s determination to free Egypt from military dependence on the West and, at the same time, demonstrate his independent, nonaligned policy in the emerging Cold War. Despite his new friendship with the Soviet Union, Nasser expected Great Britain and the United States to assist him in the Aswan project. He was shocked in July 1956 when, the two countries, concerned that Nasser was too friendly with the Soviet Union, withdrew funding for Aswan. Nasser retaliated by nationalizing the Suez Canal Company. Prime Minister Anthony Eden had little difficulty convincing France and Israel to join with Britain in attacking Egypt and seizing the canal. On 29 October 1956 Israeli tanks cut across the Sinai Peninsula and in less than five days defeated all Egyptian forces east of Suez. On 5 November British and French forces occupied the Egyptian city of Port Said and were poised to seize the Suez Canal. The United Nations (UN) condemned the attack on Egypt and, at the behest of the United States and the Soviet Union, a cease-fire was accepted on 6 November 1956. UN peacekeepers were dispatched to oversee the withdrawal of foreign forces from Egyptian territory. Nasser emerged from the Suez crisis much stronger than before. He demonstrated to the world that he could stand up to Great Britain, France, and Israel and that he was the most potent leader in the Arab world. The Soviet Union immediately replenished his arsenal and assured Nasser they would provide full assistance in completing the Aswan Dam.
Suggestions for Term Papers
1. Great Britain operated the Suez Canal for more than seven decades. Determine whether Nasser was justified in seizing the canal in 1956 and provide evidence for your position.
2. Nasser ruled Egypt from 1954 to 1970. Assess the impact of his period in power.
3. Investigate the Aswan Dam project and evaluate its role in the modernization of Egypt.
4. The United States opposed Britain, France, and Israel’s action against Nasser in 1956. Comment on why the United States did this and on the consequences of its actions.
5. Write a paper analyzing the role of the Israeli military in the 1956 Suez crisis.
6. After 1956 Nasser drew closer to the Soviet Union in order to obtain economic and military assistance. What impact did this have on the balance of power in the Middle East? Research Suggestions

In addition to the boldfaced items, look under the entries for “The Establishment of the State of Israel, 1948” (#43), “The Hungarian Revolution, 1956” (#53), and “The Six-Day War, 1967” (#66). Search under David Ben-Gurion, John Foster Dulles, Moshe Dayan, and Guy Mollet.

SUGGESTED SOURCES

Primary Sources

Dayan, Moshe. Diary of the Sinai Campaign. New York: Harper and Row, 1966. A personal account of the fighting by one of Israel’s military leaders.

Eden, Anthony. Full Circle: The Memoirs of Anthony Eden. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1960. The final chapter in these memoirs gives a good account of Britain’s policy.

Laqueur, Walter, and Barry Rubin, eds. The Israel-Arab Reader: A Documentary History of the Middle East Conflict. New York: Penguin Books, 1984. Document 32 is a speech by Nasser on Zionism and Israel.

Nasser, Gamal Abdel. Egypt’s Liberation: The Philosophy of the Revolution. Washington, D.C.: Public Affairs Press, 1955. A succinct outline of Nasser’s dream of leading the Islamic world.

Sadat, Anwar el-. Revolt on the Nile. New York: John Day, 1957. A personal account of Nasser’s seizure of power by Nasser’s successor. Nasser wrote the foreword to this book.

Secondary Sources

Beattie, Kirk J. Egypt During the Nasser Years: Ideology, Politics and Civil Society. Boulder: Westview Press, 1994. Excellent analysis of Nasser’s political strategy.

Kyle, Keith. Suez. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1991. A good starting point for understanding the international reaction to the crisis.

Louis, Wm. Roger. “Dulles, Suez and the British.” In John Foster Dulles and the Diplomacy of the Cold War, edited by Richard H. Immerman. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1990. A clear statement of U.S. policy during the crisis.

Love, Kennett. Suez—The Twice-Fought War: A History. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1969. A comprehensive military history of all the belligerents. Nutting, Anthony. Nasser. New York: E. P. Dutton, 1972. The most complete biography in English.

Ovendale, Ritchie. The Origins of the Arab-Israeli Wars. 2nd ed. New York: Longman, 1992. A crisp account of the fighting in 1956.

Thomas, Hugh. Suez. New York: Harper and Row, 1967. A well-written account complete with maps and a good bibliography.

Woodward, Peter, Nasser. London: Longman, 1992. A good overview of Nasser’s career.

World Wide Web

“Department of History Map Library.” http://www.dean.usma.edu/history/dhistorymaps//MapsHome.htm Click on “Atlases” for United States Military Academy (West Point) maps related to the military campaign.