Suez Crisis, 1956

Seventy years on, David Charlwood revisits the Suez Crisis and discusses its enduring legacies.

The Suez Crisis of 1956 is story of a political and military crisis that brought down a prime minister and heralded the end of an empire.

In July of 1956, Egyptian leader Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser announced the nationalisation of the Franco-British Suez Canal Company in order to fund the Aswan Dam project. In response Britain began preparing an invasion force, joined by two French divisions from Algeria. Although operations were originally a success, political and financial pressure would result in a British withdrawal.

Britain and France agreed to a ceasefire on 6th-7th November 1956. The United Nations would subsequently grant the Suez Canal to Egypt, who re-opened the canal in April 1957. The failure of the ‘Suez Crisis’ resulted in the resignation of Sir Anthony Eden as prime minister and left Britain and its empire at a political crossroads.

Seventy years on, join David Charlwood to learn more about these events and to reflect upon the profound echoes of the Suez Crisis in today’s world.

About the speaker

David Charlwood obtained a History degree from Royal Holloway, University of London. His research has been published in the 'British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies', he has written for 'BBC History Magazine' and has also been a contributing historian for the BBC and Channel 4 television, most recently for 'Suez: 24 Hours That Broke the British Empire', which aired in 2026. He is the author of 'Suez Crisis 1956: End of Empire and the Reshaping of the Middle East'.