1956 - The Suez Crisis #2.7: Blind Intrigue

When Diplomacy Fails Podcast

Zack Twamley

19th Century, 20th Century, International Relations, Politics, Thirty Years' War, Korean War, 18th Century, First World War, Phd, 17th Century, European History, History, War

4.8 • 773 Ratings

🗓️ 26 March 2024

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

1956 Episode 2.7 examines the steps which led towards the military intervention in Egypt, by placing the British behaviour in its imperial context.

In spring 1955, Britain remained a premier power in the Middle East, while American representation in that theatre was not particularly impressive, save for the commercial connections which American citizens had with the different oil barons there. In the space of a year though, disquiet in the Middle East and several threats to Britain’s sphere of influence there emerged, crowned by Nasser’s refusal to fall in line. The personality of Anthony Eden stands out during these eventful months, as the veteran Tory statesman appears to have been wholly unable to accept the new status quo, or the rebellious qualities of a once docile corner of the Empire.

Even before the nationalisation of the Suez Canal Company, Eden was adamant that Nasser was not to be bargained with, and certainly not to be trusted. Convinced of this view, he sought to make all of his peers – both at home and abroad – come to see it this way as well. Such efforts were not wholly successful, as even following the nationalisation, Eden found to his horror that several of his peers in Government, and particularly the opposition, were not convinced that force needed to be used.

Was the nationalisation of the Canal Company really such a big deal, did it really require a war with Egypt? As per the terms of the military plans already made with France, preparations completely out of the view of Parliament were underway. Here Eden followed what was to become his modus operandi during the Crisis – acting with the approval and support of only a few peers, while everyone else was kept in the dark. This policy, while making everything faster, was to prove lethal once everything blew up in Eden’s face…

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Come to the station, jump from the train, march at the doble down lovers' lane.
0:15.0	Dead in the glen where the roses entwined.
0:20.0	Lay down your arms
0:22.3	Lay down your arms
0:24.4	Lay down your arms
0:26.4	And surrender to mine
0:28.9	Hello and welcome
0:32.0	History Friends patrons all to
0:33.8	1956 episode 2.7
0:37.3	In the last episode We took a look at that tumultuous event,
0:41.4	when President Nasser nationalised the Suez Canal and the British and French had a bit of
0:46.6	a connoption. While we've reached that pivotal event in our narrative, we're not yet ready to
0:52.1	fast forward to the outbreak of the crisis, even though to many in the
0:56.1	British cabinet the Suez Crisis had already begun. In the last episode, we also saw the British
1:02.0	were building a task force with the aid of France in covert circumstances and complete secrecy
1:07.9	even from the Americans. In this episode, we'll learn a little bit more
1:12.4	about this intriguing plan, as Britain's ambitions are examined and placed in more context.
1:19.2	I hope you're enjoying this rampage through the 50s into this forgotten period, and thanks again
1:26.8	so much for making it all possible.
1:29.8	With any further ado, then, let's get back to the story.
1:38.8	It was hard to imagine that it had all come down to this.
1:43.2	Only the previous year, when Anthony Eden assumed
	...

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