The Suez Crisis of 1956: Causes, Main Events, Results

The scientific article examines the Suez crisis, an international armed conflict that broke out in late 1956, and identifies the geopolitical causes of the crisis and its consequences. The conflict was triggered by a dispute over the status of the Suez Canal and led to a standoff between Egypt and a coalition that included Israel, France and the Great Britain. The Suez crisis of 1956 is known in history as one of the most serious conflicts of the Cold War. The nationalization of the Suez Canal, initiated by Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser on July 26, 1956, became the cornerstone of his new foreign policy and socio-economic course, strengthening his claims to leadership in the Arab world. Nasser’s actions undermined the former regional influence of Britain and France, demonstrating to other dependent states the opportunity to defend their interests. However, this step also attracted the attention and active participation of new geopolitical forces in the region – the United States and the USSR. In response to the closure of the Suez Canal to Israeli shipping, Israel, with the support of France and Britain, carried out a week-long military operation to seize the Sinai Peninsula. These actions provoked a sharp reaction from the Soviet Union: Nikita Khrushchev threatened nuclear retaliation, the United Nations sent peacekeeping forces for the first time in its history, and for Britain, the conflict marked the final loss of superpower status. The relevance of this study is determined by the following points. The Arab-Israeli conflict continues to attract close attention, which has had a major impact on international relations for a long time. The scientific novelty of the article lies in a comprehensive analysis of the Suez crisis of 1956 as one of the most acute conflicts of the Cold War and the foreign policy strategies of the USSR (N.S. Khrushchev) and the United States (D. Eisenhower), insufficiently researched in both Russian and foreign historiography. The methodological basis of the article is the principles of historicism and scientific objectivity, which guarantees an unbiased analysis of sources and consideration of events in their development and interrelation. The results of the research can be a valuable resource for teachers of Asian and African history, enriching lectures and seminars.