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Carsten Koopman
Mr. De Visser
History 10
June 2, 2017
This quote is from Canadian Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson. Although this
quote may not be directly linked to the Suez Crisis, it shows the want for peace on
all levels. After World War II, The world was in shock that they had just made it
through another enormous conflict. Many thought that World War II was the war to
end all wars. In the years following this war, many conflicts ensued. The United
Nations, which took the place of the League of Nations, had their hands full. One of
these quarrels was the Suez Crisis. Although Canada wasnt directly involved in the
Suez Crisis, they showed great leadership and independence while posing a useful
solution.
After World War II, the Jewish Holocaust survivors were given a homeland to
call their own. This created a whole lot of tension in the Middle East. This kind of
tension closely resembled the unrest in the Balkans leading up to World War I. The
conflict that would arise in Egypt over the Suez Canal had the possibility to light the
powder keg of the Mediterranean and send the world into another global conflict.
How could a world, that just came out of two massive wars, both within half a
The Suez Crisis broke out in October of the year 1956. This disagreement
threatened to send the world into another war (Quinlan, Baldwin and Mahoney 222).
The whole conflict started when Egyptian President Gamel Abdel Nasser took over
and nationalized the British and French companies that built the Suez Canal back in
November of 1869 (Tattrie) (History). This aggressive act angered the France and
Britain as the canal was the key to obtaining oil from the Middle East. This canal
connected the Indian Ocean to the Red Sea and the Mediterranean (Quinlan,
Baldwin and Mahoney 169). Oil was an essential resource in making many different
things, including war machines and cars. It was crucial to keeping a military strong,
Britain and France saw the Egyptians move as aggressive and planned to
take back what they saw as rightfully theirs. Britain and France requested that
Canadians and the Americans join them and their actions against Egypt. When
Canada and the United States refused the French and English teamed up with Israel
and planned to take out Egypt. Their plan was to send Israel to invade Egypt. When
the United Nations told the countries to stand down, Israel would accept but Egypt
would not. This would give Britain and France the go ahead to attack Egypt. Britain
would start and keep up an intense bombing campaign around the canal without
Canada or the United States knowledge. This deceitful action threatened a long-
standing alliance between the French and British with Canada and the United States
(Quinlan, Baldwin and Mahoney 170). This would topple the Egyptian Government
and The French and British could reclaim the Suez Canal.
They started this complex plan on October 29, 1956. Egypt was backed and
being supplied by the Soviet Union who threatened nuclear strikes against Britains
capital London and the French capital of Paris. Canada, the United States and the
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Soviet Union all demanded that Britain and France back down. With all these nations
now involved, it seemed like the world was on the brink of a third world war
With the tension of another global conflict running high, the United Nations
Lester B. Pearson, along with the rest of Canada, wanted to find a peaceful
solution with as little fighting and casualties as possible. Pearson headed the way
for the United Nations first peacekeeping mission. The force that was sent was long
and it only had one task, to make peace until a diplomatic solution could be
reached. According to Historica Canada, Pearson made his case for a peace and
police force, saying: Peace is far more than ceasing to fire (Tattrie). The United
Nations held a vote on the 4th of November, 1956. 57 of their members voted in
favour of the peacekeeping operation. Britain and France ignored the vote and
decision of the United Nations and landed in the Canal Zone anyways (Tattrie). The
United Nations wanted all foreign troops out of the area so their peacekeepers could
move in to bring and maintain the peace. Egypt denied the involvement of
Canadian forces because their crest closely resembled that of the British. So,
throughout the peacekeeping mission Canadians helped mostly with logistics and
the Suez Crisis was a large step in to cementing their nation as free and
independent from Britain. Canada refused to side with the British all throughout this
conflict, and without the help of Canadians, the crisis could have turned in to a
To sum it up, the Suez Crisis, although a mostly unknown and dark period in
time, left a footprint on the world. In the years following the conflict, the United
Nations have sent out many more peacekeeping missions to many parts of the
world including Cyprus, Sudan, Congo and a lot of others. So, if it werent for a
Canadian man, with a want for peace, the world could have been and could be in
Aristotle
Works Cited
Quinlan, Don, et al. The Canadian Challenge. Don Mills: Oxford University Press,
2008.