The Importance of the Six Day War

Could you envision an event that affected the world during its time, but also the rest of the Twentieth Century? The Six Day War was such an event that not only was a defining moment of the nineteen-sixties, but also the rest of the century. The Six Day War was the third major Israeli-Arab conflict of the century, but arguably the most important. The opposing forces consisted of Israel against the Arab alliance of Egypt, Syria, and Jordan. Each side could be said to have played a surrogate role in the Cold War. The United States was in an alliance with Israel, while the Soviet Union was allied with the Arabic countries. Although the war lasted a short time (June 5th, 1967-June 11th, 1967) its effects were massive. The Six Day War was one of the most important wars of the 20th Century because it established Israel as a superpower, reshaped the borders of the Middle East, and it allowed them to gain control of Jerusalem.

Events Leading Up To The War

As with all conflicts, there were series of events that lead to the war. Israel and its neighboring Arab countries have always had tensions. Most recent to the Six Day War was the Suez Crisis in 1956. After the United States rescinded their proposal to fund the Aswan High Dam, Egypt’s new leader, Gamal Abdel Nasser, decides to nationalize the Suez Canal on July 26th, 1956. This caused a stir among the British, the French, and the Israelis. On October 26th, 1956, the Israeli army strikes first followed up by the British and the French. Eventually, they take control of the Suez Canal. The Soviet Union sees this as a threat to their ally, Egypt, and their leader, Nikita Khruschev, threatens to nuke Western Europe. The United States quickly come in and warn the three countries to gi...

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