The Crown season 2: Where is the Suez Canal? Why did Britain go to war over it in 1956?
THE CROWN season 2 started with the Suez Canal crisis of 1956 as Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser took back a strategic trade point from foreign forces.
The Netflix drama saw tensions between Britain and Egypt worsen with Prime Minister Anthony Eden (played by Jeremy Northam) lying to Queen Elizabeth II (Claire Foy) about his collusion in the conflict.
In The Crown, the Suez Criss led to the downfall of Eden and his Conservative government and left the Queen furious.
But what really happened during the Suez Canal Crisis? Here is everything you need to know about the Suez Canal crisis.
Where is the Suez Canal?
The Suez Canal is in Egypt and connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea via the Isthmus of Suez.
It’s a man-made canal that runs at sea level and took 10 years to build with construction taking place between 1859 and 1869.
The canal is controlled and owned by Egypt’s Suez Canal Authority and provides a shorter journey time between the North Atlantic and Indian Oceans.
Most recently in 2015 the canal was expanded to double the number of ships that could travel on it from 49 to 97.
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How did the Suez Canal crisis start?
The Suez Canal crisis began on October 29, 1956 when Israel invaded Egypt with Britain and France following suit.
This invasion came after President Nasser seized and nationalised the canal earlier in the year.
It was the culmination of a situation that had been brewing for some time after the Egypt called on Britain to end its military presence around the canal.
Israel struck first with British and French forces joining the conflict a couple of days later after they were delayed.
They managed to re-take the area around the Suez Canal.
However, the Soviet Union’s leader Nikita Khrushchev threatened the Western forces with nuclear weapons if they didn’t withdraw from Egypt.
US President Eisenhower rebuked Khrushchev for his inflammatory language and the Soviets ultimately didn’t join the crisis.
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Why did Britain go to war over the Suez Canal in 1956?
Britain wanted to maintain control of the canal, which has been taken by Egypt in 1956.
The canal was an important trade and transport route for Britain as well as France.
The latter joined the conflict after believing that Nasser was supporting rebels in the French colony of Algeria.
Eden feared a new Arab alliance in the wake of the canal’s renationalisation which he believed could cut off oil supplies to Europe.
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How did the Suez Canal crisis end?
The crisis came to an end in late 1956 and early 1957 when troops from Britain, France and Israel all withdrew from Egypt.
However, the action was seen as a disaster for the three nations, who invoked the anger of Eisenhower.
America had threatened to impose economic sanctions on Britain, France and Israel if they didn’t end the military campaign which affected the stability of the world and threatened to turn the Cold War nuclear if it continued.
There was also anger within Britain, too, for the intervention due to fears that the Soviet Union might also have got involved in the crisis.
The crisis saw Britain’s status as a major player on the world stage damaged by the withdrawal.
It was particularly bad for Eden, who was questioned in Parliament over whether he knew about Israel’s attack on Egypt and whether there was collusion between the three attacking nations.
As recorded in Hansard, addressing the House of Commons in December 1956, Eden said: “I want to say this on the question of foreknowledge, and to say it quite bluntly to the House, that there was not foreknowledge that Israel would attack Egypt. There was not.”
Eden ended up stepping down the following year amid ill health and the failure of the Suez Canal crisis.
The Crown season 2 is available to watch on Netflix now.
