Eden 1955-57 Flashcards
What triggered the Suez Canal conflict?
Colonel Nasser nationalised the Suez Canal in attempt to raise finance, despite England owning 40% of the Canal. This threatened essential oil supplies from the Middle East.
What happened with the Suez Canal crisis?
Plan was to Israel to attack Egypt, then Britain and France once the Israelis reached the Canal, would assault the Canal region from the North under the pretence of bringing about a ceasefire.
What was the international response to the crisis?
America condemned the 3 countries
Soviet Union condemned the Anglo-French
Britain were humiliated
UN passed resolution 118 calling for peace to be restored
What minimised the Cold War impact of the crisis?
Hungarian Crisis
How did the British people respond to the crisis?
Opposition among the British people - Gaitskell and Bevan made withering attacks on what they described as Eden’s ‘mad venture’
What were the social impacts of the Suez crisis?
First anti-war protests, suggesting clear opposition to the Conservative Party among the British people.
How were the social impacts of the Suez crisis minimal?
The relative socio-economic prosperity of the 1950s meant that many within the society had “never had it so good”. They were therefore willing to overlook this blunder, hence re-election in 1959.
What were the economic impacts of the crisis?
Initial international run on sterling that threatened Britain with economic collapse with no prospect of the USA being willing to bale Britain out, however proved to be short lived fears.
What evidence suggests the Suez crisis had minimal economic imapct?
British economy continued to grow at an average of 2.3% until 1964
When did Eden resign and under what pretence?
January 1957, for “ill-health”
What was the political impact of the Suez crisis?
Eden acted as a scapegoat and was replaced by Harold “Supermac” Macmillan, who won the next election in 1959 increasing seats from 60 to 100
Proved Britain couldn’t act independently from America
What were the long term impacts of the Suez Crisis?
Heightened the consequences of the Profumo Affair
Macmillan would soon allow US nuclear submarines to operate out of Scotland
What is government by clique?
Where control of government spending is given to people close to the leader i.e. friends etc.
How was government by clique impacted by Suez?
People began to becoming increasingly distrustful of it. Furthermore, failure to bring down “government by clique” arguably worsened the British economy, with Britain’s GDP growth rate being less than France, Germany and Italy.
