As clausewitz said: War is the continuation of politics. Any war is inseparable from political manipulation and has its own political background. The political game behind many wars is extremely complicated, and political manipulation makes the performance of wars very strange. Among the countless wars in the 20th century, the Second Middle East War in 1956 was definitely the one with the most complicated political background and the most chaotic political game. Although the war only lasted for more than a week, the situation of the whole war changed rapidly like a white cloud and a pale dog, which made people see things in a blur and there were many incredible scenes. Let’s give you a detailed introduction to this strange war.
In 1922, Egypt gained independence from British colonial rule, and the Farouk dynasty began to rule Egypt. However, Britain still controls the Suez Canal, Egypt’s most valuable asset, and British troops are stationed in the Suez Canal area, forming a country within a country.
In 1952, a military coup was staged by a group of free officers headed by Colonel Abdul Nasser, which overthrew the Farouk dynasty and Egypt entered the Republic era.
After the establishment of the new regime, negotiations were held with Britain on the Suez Canal. After some bargaining, the two sides reached an agreement in 1954. According to the agreement, the Suez Canal is still managed by Suez Company, which is still controlled by Britain and France. However, the British troops stationed in the Suez Canal area will be withdrawn.
After the agreement was reached, the Suez Canal Management Company continued to operate step by step, and the British troops stationed in the canal began to retreat in stages, and completely withdrew in 1956. It seems that the agreement was implemented smoothly.
However, Egyptian President Nasser has changed all this. At that time, Nasser, who was only in his thirties, was ambitious and bent on becoming a contemporary Pharaoh and reappearing the glory of ancient Egypt. In order to realize his dream, Egypt must be industrialized first, and it is impossible to achieve industrialization without energy. The plan to build Aswan Hydropower Station on the Nile River was soon put on the agenda.
To build such a large hydropower station, Egypt itself can’t afford the money, so Egypt can only ask the United States for help. The United States expressed its willingness to support Egypt and intended to provide loans to Egypt through the World Bank.
While building a hydropower station, Nasser also dreamed of modernizing the Egyptian army, for which he needed to import a large number of advanced weapons. At first, he asked the United States for help, but the United States refused his request. So Nasser turned to the Soviet Union for help. The Soviet Union promised to provide aircraft and artillery at a preferential price, with the purpose of drawing Egypt into its own camp. The United States was not happy when it saw this, so it stopped providing loans to Egypt. In this way, the youthful Nasser was angered.
On July 26, 1956, Nasser announced a groundbreaking decision at a rally celebrating the fourth anniversary of the victory of the Egyptian revolution: because western countries refused to provide Egypt with loans for the construction of Aswan Reservoir, Egypt decided to nationalize Suez Canal Management Company and take it over to Egypt, and use the proceeds of the canal to raise funds for the construction of Aswan Reservoir.
Nasser’s decision seems reasonable, but in fact it is far-fetched. Most of the income of the Suez Canal was originally turned over to the Egyptian government, and nationalizing the company did not make the income of the canal increase significantly. In fact, Nasser’s decision is an act of revenge: if you don’t give me a loan, I will seize your company. As for saying that this is tantamount to unilaterally tearing up the treaty signed between Egypt and Britain and France and violating international norms, Nasser doesn’t care at all.
When the news reached London, the then British Prime Minister Anthony Eden was so angry that he swore on the spot. This traditional British gentleman, who has always been elegant in temperament, forgot his image at this time.
Aiden took immediate action. First of all, he sent someone to negotiate with Nasser, but Nasser didn’t go in with the oil and salt and simply ignored the British. Aiden referred the issue to the UN Security Council, but the Soviet Union supported Egypt in the Security Council, and Britain could not get any support from it.
Aidan will of course go to America, his big brother, for help, and America is willing to help. America’s solution is to hold an international conference to solve this problem. To this end, in September, 18 countries held an international conference in London. However, Kouga refused to give in because of Nasser’s iron mouth. This international conference will come to an end.
In this case, the word "war" came to Anthony Eden’s mind. He felt that he had no choice but to solve the problem by war. After some discussions with French Prime Minister guy mollet, the two countries made a joint decision: to launch a war and take back the Suez Canal that originally belonged to them!
However, history has proved that their decision is all wet.
Until the war broke out, Egypt was in the wrong, because you tore up the agreement and forcibly seized the assets belonging to foreign countries, and it didn’t matter anyway. Britain and France are all rational and have the upper hand.
However, Britain and France took the initiative to solve the problem by means of war, completely losing their original moral advantages at once, and instead becoming an unreasonable party.
It’s like someone owes you money, and you rush into his house and smash it, and you hurt someone, and when you die, you make the whole thing unreasonable.
Nasser seized the Suez Company and said that skyshatter was a political and economic means, and Britain and France should have used political and economic means to deal with him. For example, they can launch economic sanctions. In this case, the United States will join in and impose economic sanctions on Egypt. However, Britain and France used war to solve the problem, which changed immediately and turned the United States from an ally to an enemy.
No matter in international politics or in our daily life, there is such a phenomenon: on the surface, you suffer from something, but in fact, you take advantage of it. Because everyone thinks that you have suffered, they will sympathize with you and help you, but you will benefit a lot; The other party gains on the surface, but actually loses a lot, and the loss is even greater. A really smart person will see through this, and a simpleton will stubbornly pursue superficial interests.
Anthony Eden, one of the best diplomats in Britain, has always been shrewd, so he should not make such a low-level mistake. After careful analysis, we can only think that Aidan’s head is still immersed in the glorious years of the Victorian British Empire, and he feels that there is no problem that the Royal Navy can’t solve. If it can’t be solved, then add the army.
This thinking inertia from the Victorian era made Aidan make a big mistake. The seriousness of the mistake can only be compared with Putin’s order to attack Ukraine 70 years later.
In order to wage war, Britain and France decided to involve Israel. Israel and Egypt are also deadly enemies, and Nasser always takes the destruction of Israel as his own duty. Not long ago, he just ordered the blockade of the straits of tiran and banned Israeli ships from entering and leaving the Gulf of Aqaba. Nasser’s behavior already belongs to the military category, and Israel has sufficient reasons to go to war with him.
After Israel’s occupation, Britain and France carefully designed a script: first, Israel went to war against Egypt, and then Britain and France sent troops under the pretext of "protecting canal shipping" to seize the opportunity to occupy the canal area.
According to the design of the script, on October 29th, Israeli paratroopers suddenly occupied the mitra Pass in Sinai Peninsula, and the war broke out.
The next day, Britain and France couldn’t wait to issue an ultimatum to Egypt and Israel, demanding that they immediately cease fire and retreat, and the Anglo-French Coalition forces occupied the canal area to "ensure canal shipping."
Israel accepted the ultimatum as required by the script. Egypt did not agree. After a night of thinking, Nasser made the wisest decision in his life: reject the ultimatum from Britain and France and fight them to the end!
On October 31, Britain and France saw that Egypt refused to compromise and immediately decided to go to war. In the afternoon, groups of British and French bombers rushed to the Nile Delta from air bases in Malta and Cyprus.
Egypt’s air force suffered a devastating blow that day, with more than 200 planes destroyed and air defense capabilities lost. Nasser was forced to order the Egyptian army in Sinai to retreat quickly, because it was impossible to provide them with supplies under the air strikes of the British and French Coalition forces. The Egyptian army retreated to the west with bombs, and by November 2, Israel occupied the whole Sinai Peninsula.
The air strikes by the British and French Coalition forces continued for several days. On November 5, they sent paratroopers to the Port Said at the northern end of the canal as planned. The airborne operation was very smooth, and the resistance of the Egyptian army was slight. On the 6th, the marines of Britain and France started landing operations. They landed successfully, established their own positions, and then began to develop in depth.
During the short period from October 29th to November 6th, the Egyptian army was badly beaten on the whole battlefield. The British and French allied forces and the Israeli army easily completed their scheduled plans. Next, it is only a matter of time before the British and French allied forces regain control of the Suez Canal. If they want, they can go straight to Cairo, overthrow Nasser’s government and turn Egypt into their own subsidiary colony again.
However, it was already 1956, not 1856. Even in 1936, Britain and France could do this, but now it is no longer possible.
Because people have changed when they are in charge of the world, Britain has not been the big brother for many years. When the real big brother moves, Britain and France are powerless.
The world at the end of October 1956 was really lively.
Just as the Suez River is tense and dangerous, a serious political crisis is taking place in Hungary in Eastern Europe. The people in the capital Budapest overthrew the government of Rakosi and wanted to get rid of Soviet control of the country. The Soviet Union sent troops to Hungary on October 23rd.
At the same time, in the United States on the other side of the ocean, President Eisenhower is running around, making a final effort for his re-election. The date for voting in the general election has been set, which is November 6.
Aidan didn’t consult with the United States before he started the war. He felt in his heart that with the steel friendship between the United States and Britain, the United States would definitely support Britain, or at least keep silent and acquiesce in British behavior.
However, Aidan was wrong. What he never expected was that the United States openly opposed the British action.
As soon as the war broke out, the United States officially stated that it was "sorry" for the war and hoped that both sides would cease fire immediately. On October 30th, the United States submitted a draft to the United Nations Security Council, demanding that Israel immediately cease fire and withdraw its troops (Britain and France had not yet entered the war), and as a result, the bill was rejected by Britain and France.
Eisenhower also took the initiative to call Aidan and asked, "Anthony, what are you doing?" Are you crazy? "
Why does the United States play against Britain? Some people say that the United States wants to destroy Britain’s colonial empire and compete with Britain for territory in the Middle East. However, the actual situation is not the case.
The point is that the United States is already the world’s number one. To be the boss, you have to be the boss. The boss must be reasonable and can’t cover his faults, otherwise not many people will admit that you are the boss. This is the main reason why the United States broke up with Britain.
In any case, the actions of the British-French Coalition forces are all aggression, and the United States cannot support them. If it does, the third world countries will throw themselves into the arms of the Soviet Union and disown the United States as the boss. On this issue of right and wrong, the United States must not be vague, even if it is silent and sitting on the sidelines watching the fun.
Isn’t the United States afraid that Britain will turn against itself by doing so? The United States is not afraid, because he knows that Britain can’t live without the United States, and Britain can only choose to continue to form an alliance with the United States, and there is no other way. Therefore, the United States will not hesitate to stand on the side of Egypt.
Eisenhower took action in succession. When the UN Security Council failed to pass a resolution, he sought the support of the UN General Assembly. The resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly are not binding, but the participation of the United States is binding. Under the impetus of the United States, on November 2, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution demanding that all parties cease fire immediately and that the Suez Canal and Sinai Peninsula be controlled by the United Nations peacekeeping forces.
At the same time, the United States also used a killer weapon to sell the pounds in its hands. This caused the pound to plummet by 15% in a few days, and the wealth of the British Empire shrank rapidly. At the same time, the United States also used its dominant position in the International Monetary Fund to manipulate this organization to refuse to provide loans to Britain. According to the Marshall Plan, the assistance that the United States needs to provide to Britain has also been suspended.
British Chancellor of the Exchequer Macmillan warned Aidan that if this situation continues, Britain’s wealth will be wiped out in a few weeks. Aidan is in a dilemma, and his heart is in chaos.
While the United States put pressure on Britain, another superpower, the Soviet Union, also stood up.
Khrushchev, who was busy dealing with the Hungarian incident, thought that the Second Middle East War was a good opportunity, not only to distract the world’s attention from Budapest, but also to win over the third world countries to take refuge in the Soviet Union, so the Soviet Union made a high-profile statement and resolutely opposed the invasion of Egypt by Britain and France. The Soviet Union also put forward a resolution in the Security Council, demanding that Britain and France withdraw their troops. Of course, it was also rejected by Britain and France.
The crisis of Suez Canal made the Soviet Union, which was in the dilemma of Hungarian incident, get a lot of points. However, the Soviet performance went too far. On November 5th, the Soviet Union issued a statement on behalf of bulganin, chairman of the Council of Ministers, demanding that Britain, France and Israel immediately withdraw their troops from Egypt, or the Soviet Union would go to war against them.
In fact, the Soviet Union was unable to directly attack Britain, France and Israel at that time. At this time, their missiles had a very limited range and could not reach London and Paris at all. However, this threat from the Soviet Union gave the United States an opportunity. While teaching Britain and France a lesson, the United States can show its tenderness as a big brother to its younger brothers.
After the Soviet Union threatened war, Eisenhower immediately ordered the US troops stationed in Europe to be on the highest alert, making it clear that if Britain and France were attacked, the United States would definitely go to war with the Soviet Union.
The Soviet Union gave the United States an opportunity to say to Britain and France, "What’s the matter, you can’t do without a big brother, can you?"? In this case, do you still dare not listen to your eldest brother? "
At this time, Britain and France are unable to continue to insist on the war. Aiden’s courtiers have begun to resign and demand an immediate truce. Aidan had no choice but to call French Prime Minister Moller and say that he wanted a ceasefire. The situation in France is just the opposite to that in Britain. The French people have a high nationalist sentiment and most of them want the war to continue. So Moller begged Aidan with tears in his eyes to hold on for a few more days. However, Aidan couldn’t hold on any longer. He abandoned France and announced a ceasefire on November 6 alone. Moller had no choice but to agree. In this way, the Second Middle East War came to an end in the middle of the night on November 6th.
The Second Middle East War was a war that was almost completed by political games, but its performance on the battlefield was rather lackluster. Although the war was short-lived, it was of great significance and great influence. Since then, many important events in the world have originated from this war.
On the surface, Egypt and its President Nasser became the biggest winners. Although Nasser lost badly on the battlefield, he won full marks in politics. He realized his dream at once and became the leader of the whole Arab world. All Arabs cheered for him, regarded him as Saladin’s rebirth and supported him immensely. Moreover, Nasser’s influence has gone beyond the scope of Arab countries. In fact, he is also an idol admired by the people of the whole third world countries. He has become a pivotal figure in the world.
Under such circumstances, Nasser began to pursue the grand cause of reviving the Arab nation in his mind with great ambition. However, in the third Middle East War in 1967, Nasser’s ambition was irreconcilable with Egypt’s weak strength, which led to his repeated mistakes and setbacks. In the end, he was beaten by Israel and almost lost everything. He himself eventually died of depression.
In fact, the real biggest winner should be the United States. In this war, the United States appeared in the face of obeying the weather and upholding justice, so that the third world countries did not disappoint the United States and did not let the Soviet Union score too many points. At the same time, it made Britain give up the illusion of being an equal with the United States and willingly become a younger brother. It can be said that this war has made America’s position as the world leader more stable.
真正的输家自然是英法两国，不过两国随后的表现各有不同。
英国经过此战，就彻底放弃了继续保持大英帝国荣光的幻想，踏踏实实地做美国的跟班小弟。不过，英国人还是有些咽不下这口气，两年后，1958年7月14日，伊拉克发生军事政变，亲西方的费萨尔王朝被推翻。亲苏的卡塞姆军政权建立。按照英国与伊拉克的协议，英国是有权出兵平息这场兵变的，但是英国没有这样做，而是坐视不理。这样一来，西方国家就丢掉了一个中东的盟友，美国的麻烦又多了一层。很多政治分析家都认为：英国这样做是在报复美国。
法国则有所不同。五十年代的法国霉运连连，其殖民帝国也在迅速崩溃。法国先是在越南连吃败仗，被迫放弃印度支那；接下来非洲的阿尔及利亚也爆发了反法起义，法军疲于奔命，左支右绌。而苏伊士运河的失败更是让法国政坛动荡不已，很多法国人开始对法国的政治体制不满，右翼军人试图发动政变，实施军事独裁的传言不断出现。在这样的形势下，戴高乐再度出山，最终，他修改宪法，终结了法兰西第四共和国，把法国带入到了第五共和国的新阶段。
一场看上去规模有限的战争就这样重新塑造了整个世界，对未来的人类进程产生了极其深远的影响。
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