Suez watershed. The strait, because of which the British Empire finally collapsed 70 years ago

A British Centurion unloads at Port Said during Operation Musketeer.

Source: Wikipedia, License: Creative Commons

In the fall of 1956, Britain, France and Israel, secretly from the United States, conspired to overthrow Egyptian President Nasser. The operation was called “Musketeer” - and it was almost a success: the landing force captured Port Said, the Egyptian Air Force was destroyed, and the path to the south was open. But it was at the moment of military triumph that the pound sterling collapsed, and the United States refused to save its allies from financial disaster. Konstantin Gaivoronsky - about what actually stopped the operation and how in one week in November 1956 two European empires turned into minor powers.

On July 26, 1956, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser gave the most famous speech of his life to a crowd of thousands:

“Britain once took away our rights by force... The income of the Suez Canal Company in 1955 reached $100 million. Of this amount, we, who lost 120,000 people killed during the construction of the canal, receive only three million... We will eradicate this injustice by restoring our rights to the Suez Canal.”

As he spoke, the Egyptian military occupied the company's premises, announcing to stunned employees that the canal was being nationalized.

“We will build a high dam in Aswan and once and for all destroy the traces of occupation and exploitation,” Nasser continued.

It was no coincidence that he mentioned the future Aswan Dam here. It was the largest project in the world at that time, costing $1 billion, 17 times the size of the largest pyramid.

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