suez canal

After 10 long years and 1.5 million hard-workers, the largest canal of it’s kind was completed under the watch of French developer, Ferdinand de Lesseps.1 The Suez Canal is a 120 mile long and 670 feet wide man-made waterway that connecting the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. The Suez Canal was built under Napoleon’s rule2 in order to cut out a numerous amount of miles off of the sea passage from European to Asian markets. It created a passageway the made the journey around the Cape of Good Hope unnecessary.3 The Suez Canal amplified Western power and technology by transforming the globe.2 Because of the international reliance on the canal, control over the canal was constantly being fought over. The Suez Canal Crisis of 1956 was a battle defending the rights Great Britain felt they had over the Suez Canal Company and surrounding region that escalated into an international conflict tat could not be solved civilly without the help of United Nations.

European powers had an abundance amount of interest in Egypt. Financial interest helped these countries develop a relationship with Egypt. Therefore the shares of the canal were purchased by European superpowers.2 From 1882 to June 1956, Great Britain occupied Egypt allowing them to influence Egypt.4 On November 17th 1856, the Suez Canal opened its waterway to over 60 ships with many royal political figureheads with a $121 million celebration.2 Great Britain was suspicious as to why France was increasingly influencing this area. Initially, Great Britain denied the offers to buy shares of the canal from Egypt because of their suspicion toward France. By the 1870’s Egypt was in massive debt, therefore Egypt’s ruler, Ismail, was selling his countries shares of the canal. The British...

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...reased tremendously.8

The Suez Canal Crisis of 1956 showed the world that not every conflict should be solved with military force. Using military force during this crisis only made things worse. The only thing that these countries were concerned about was power. Power is the center of every government. Power is what makes the countries feel superior over one another. Throughout the whole crisis, Britain, Egypt and France were fighting over who had power over the canal and the most influence in the Middle East. Even after the crisis was over, power in the countries was still being fought over. The Suez Canal was so vital to the economies of European superpowers and the world that anything that would shut down the operation of the canal would affect the world greatly. The Suez Canal Crisis demonstrated to the world that comprise is key to living in a civil world.