Eastern Illinois University The Keep Masters Theses Student Theses & Publications 1985 Egypt: The hiS fting Cornerstone to the East-West Balance of Power in 1956 David C. Dalgaard Eastern Illinois University This research is a product of the graduate program in History at Eastern Illinois University. Find out more about the program. Recommended Citation Dalgaard, David C., "Egypt: The hiS fting Cornerstone to the East-West Balance of Power in 1956" (1985). Masters Theses. 2781. https://thekeep.eiu.edu/theses/2781 This is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Theses & Publications at The Keep. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of The Keep. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Acknowledgments My unmeasurable thanks to my loving wife , Lisa, who se patience and support put up with my last minute typing re­ quests, my messy research , and my cluttered mind . My un_ ending thanks to my parent s, Carl and Dorothy Dalgaard , who se financial , spiritual , and emotional support allowed my dreams of ac quiring my B.A. and M.A. a reality . My thanks to my Professors , Dr . Horak , Dr . Schlauch, and Dr . Koch , who taught me valuable, hard learned lessons of how to research , wr ite , and express history . My grat itude to Dr . Stone , who gave me invaluable, practical exper ience teaching on the high school level. Finally, I wish to thank the rest of my family whose support kept me striving ever onward and upward : Paul and Maureen Dalgaard , Mr . and Mr s. Richard and Kay Renfro , and Jim Renfro , Julie Renfro , and Stewart Davis . Abstract The seizure and subsequent war over the Suez Canal in 1956 is the maj or theme of this work . The effect s on the international situation and world events are analyzed . The maj or participants, Great Br itain under Prime Minis ter Sir Anthony Eden , France under Premier Guy Mollet , Israel under Pr ime Mini ster Dav id Ben-Gurion , and Egypt under Pres ident Gama l Nasser , are developed from the ir personal aspirations and goals surrounding their actions . These actions led to the chain of event s which disrupted the bipolar balance of wor ld power . The United States' con­ tainment policy was breeched . Secretary of State John Foster Dulles did not adequat ely repre sent the position of the United States in this situation , which was stated by President Eisenhower to his We stern allies. This lack of precise com­ munication resulted in the disruption of allied solidarity. Pres ident Eisenhower had to initiate sanctions against his allies in order to halt the destruction of Western influence in the Middle East , to save the United Nations , and to replace the role played by his allies in the ar ea through the Eisen­ hower Doctrine . The Soviet Union accomplished an immense historic success. It had successfully achieved a strongly accepted influence in the Middle East which had been denied since the 1700's. The Soviets took advantage of the divisions among We stern power s by entering an area where a power vacuum existed . Russia , by centering attention on the United Nations and directing world attention to the Middle Ea st , le ssened criti­ cisms against its action s in Hungary, Taking advantage of a divided and we akened We st , the Soviet Union ruthlessly crushed the Hungar ian revolt . The Soviets, through unrestricted sup­ plies of arms and economic aid to the Middle East, acquired for themselves a more popular image of Soviet communism than that of Western democracy with the Arab nationalists. The United States forced an end to the joint Br itish , French , and Israeli invasion into Egypt . This caused deep resentment in France wh ich led it to br eak from the United States and develop its own separate role in wor ld politics . It was clear ly proven that Great Britain and France had secretly negotiated with Israel regarding Israe l's invasion of Egypt and the subsequent combined "peace keep ing" invasion of the Suez Canal . Great Britain 's con servative government had to be rebuilt , and its economy was nearly shattered . Arab nation­ alism became divided between the We st and Nasser's neutral Soviet-backed government . The Soviet Union gained unpre­ cedented success, and its influence was readily accepted . The United States was forced to bear a larger role in the area becau se of the Eisenhower Doctrine . America's democrat ic ideals were viewed with suspicion, and its containment policy was breeched . Table of Content s 1. The Roots of Conflict in the Middle Ea st . 1 2. The Cracks Widen in Middle Ea st Relations. 26 3. Disruption of the Ea st-West Ba lance of Power 36 4. Negotiations Falter and War Clouds Gather . 61 S. A Forced Peace Restored . 84 6. Conclu sion 94 Endnotes . 100 Bibliography Documents 113 General . 114 Chapter One The Roots of Conf li.ct in, the Mid,dle East The Middle East hold s an important posit ion in history for the colonial empires of Great Britain and France . The area wa s named the Middle East due to its geographic posi­ tion in the middle of the overland routes to the Near East centers of trade , India and China; therefore , the countries of the Middle East were lines of communication . Whoever controlled the se areas dominat ed the Near East trade . From 1588 to 1914, Great Britain succes sfully dominated the area and all routes to and from the Near East . By using treaties and the powerful Roya l Navy , Britain prevented Tsarist Russia any entry into the area. France was relegat ed to minor hold ings which were non-threatening to the communi­ cation routes of the British Empire . Germany , from 1871 , became the maj or power threat to Great Britain's dominance . World War I marked the beginnings of decline for the British Empire and French colonial ho ldings . When World War I started , the Midd le East was divided due to the Ottoman Empire 's union with Austria and Germany against Great Britain, France , and Russia . Great Br itain be­ came bogged down in fierce fighting in France and could not delegate adequate forces to protect its lines of communication through the Middle East. One of these major lines of communi­ cation was the Suez Canal wh ich cut a path through Egypt , linking the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea . Great Britain had to generat e a native force in the area to protect the vital ( 2 ) lines . A strong motivation had to be created in order to turn people who had close religious and historic ties with the Ottoman Empire into a force against the Empire . National self -determination (or nationalism) was the motivation en­ 1 couraged by Great Britain . Arab nationalism, since it did not have a gradual history , was a fiercely emotional and sometimes violent entity. Various Arab peoples demanded that their national aspirations be satisfied . Arab nationalism was instrumental in the defeat of the Central powers' efforts in the area. At the end of Wor ld War I, many Middle East areas were placed under League of Nations mandates with Great Britain and France as the domi­ nant administrators . The Arabs viewed this development as a reinstatement of colonial domination and demanded the ful­ 2� fillment of the Allies' promise for independence. World War II became the turning point for the area. During the early years of the war , the Allies were hard pressed for survival . The vital lines of communication and tran spor­ tat ion had to be saved . The Arabs were guaranteed their national desires in order to prevent poss ible disruption of key lines. With the end of World War II , two new developments caused intense concern among the Arab Nationalists . The se were the continued Allied presence because of past treaties and the emergence of large Jewish concentrations in Palestine. Great Britain still maintained a military presence in the area. In Egypt , even though it was given its independence ( 3) in 1936 , the Br itish military occupat ion along the canal zone dominated Egyptian life . Under King Faroukl ru ler of Egypt from 1936 to 1952 , gr owing sabot ag e and acts of ter- rorism were perpetrated against the British presence . Br itish military forces were finally removed in the 1954 Ang lo-Egyptian 3 Treaty with complete evacuat ion by mid-1956 . After Wor ld War II , France maintained its colonial hold over Tunisia , Morocco, and Algeria . However , the eight to one Mu slim maj or ity (over Frenchmen) steadily moved toward indeDendence . Increased terrorist action s did not affect the immediate remov al of the French presence , but conversely resulted in France 's increased desire to completely control Algeria . Any force which actively worked to assist the Al - gerian rebels wou ld be viewed as an enemy of t�e French gov- ernment . The shocking picture generat ed by the Nazi persecution and exterminat ion of the Jews emerged at the end of World War II . This holocaust enormou sly intensified the Jewish wor ld movement to create a nation state . Theodor Herzl , a Hu ngar ian Jew, wr ote a book , The Jewish State (1896) , which initiated a joint political and relig ious drive for the ere- at ion of a Jewish state. The British government wa s sympathetic and offered two ar eas for the creat ion of a homeland . The Jewish movement picked Palestine as its homeland because of its ancient religiou s ties to the area. On November 2 , 1917 , the British government announced the Balfour Declaration which outlined the format ion of a Jewish homeland within a 4 Mu slim maj or ity Pales tine state .