Suez Crisis 1956: End of Empire and the Reshaping of the Middle East

by David Charlwood

In 1956 Egyptian president Gamal Abdul Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal, ending nearly a century of British and French control over the crucial waterway. Ignoring U.S. diplomatic efforts and fears of a looming Cold War conflict, British Prime Minister Anthony Eden misled Parliament and the press to take Britain to war alongside France and Israel. In response to a secretly pre-planned Israeli attack in the Sinai, France and Britain intervened as peacemakers'.

The invasion of Egypt was supposed to restore British and French control of the canal and reaffirm Britain's flagging prestige. Instead, the operation spectacularly backfired, setting Britain and the United States on a collision course that would change the balance of power in the Middle East. The combined air, sea and land battle witnessed the helicopter-borne deployment of assault troops and the last large-scale parachute drop into a conflict zone by British forces. French and British soldiers fought together against the Soviet-equipped Egyptian military in a short campaign that cost the lives of thousands of soldiers, along with innocent civilians.

Suez Crisis 1956 is a fast-paced, compelling short history which moves between London, Washington and Cairo to tell the story of a crisis that brought down a prime minister and heralded the end of an empire.

Genres: History

136 pages, Paperback

Published November 30, 2019

About the author

David Charlwood obtained a First Class Honours Degree in history from Royal Holloway, University of London, and has worked as an international journalist and in publishing. His research has been published in the British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, he has written for BBC History Magazine and also been a contributing historian for the BBC and Channel 4 television.

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew nothing about the Suez Crisis so picked this up to educate myself while we are living in the UK. (Full disclosure; the author is a colleague.) With wit and insights, the reader is guided through an interesting cast of characters in what turned out to be an important milestone in the track of Middle East politics, and Cold War foreign policy.

The writing flowed well and provided a good peek behind the scenes at what was happening leading up to and during the crisis. I found particularly interesting the report on knock-on effects after the crisis. While I may have initially read this because I know the author, I kept reading it because it was good, and will read others by Charlwood because his topics and style suit me well.

[Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple and clear collection of an important history of suez crisis, which may not be widely known by young readers now.
Suez canal plays a critical role in today's global supply chain, and lessons learned from this crisis should not be forgotten or ignored.
Unfortunately, human never learned the painful lessons of war, as we are still seeing war sin committed over and over again till date.

[Mark Moxley-Knapp · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent overview of the Suez Crisis. Focuses on politics and the Cold War, with limited detail on the military operations. But, accurate and effective coverage of those, too.

Tries to get into the minds of the leaders involved, and show the interplay with other world events like the revolution in Hungary. Well-written and edited.

[Christopher D. Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and Sweet

If you want a no-frills history of the Suez Canal Crisis of 1956 and its main players then this is the book for you. Very enjoyable.

[John]

The crisis and the shift.

It is a short book that does a good job of explaining the Suez crisis. The book should be read by anyone who wants to understand how the shift in world power from England to the USA happened. This event is part of the story.

[Joanna Rubery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concisely informative.