In short
In October 1956, Britain and France launched a military invasion of Egypt to reclaim control of the Suez Canal after President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized it. The operation exposed deep rifts within the Western alliance, triggered Soviet threats, and ultimately accelerated the end of European colonial power in the Middle East.
How it unfolded.
The five-minute version
What actually happened.
Franco David Shea is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for the Super League Greece 2 club Nestos Chrysoupoli.
Year by year.
Across 2 years, 8 pivotal moments.
Timeline
How it actually unfolded.
Anglo-Egyptian Agreement signed
Britain agrees to withdraw its forces from the Suez Canal base by 1956, formally ending 72 years of occupation.
Nasser nationalizes the Suez Canal
President Gamal Abdel Nasser announces nationalization of the Suez Canal Company in a speech at Alexandria, seizing assets worth $100 million. The move triggers outrage in London and Paris.
Israel launches Sinai Campaign
Israeli forces cross into the Sinai Peninsula, providing the pretext for Franco-British intervention under a secret protocol agreed at Sèvres.
Britain and France issue ultimatum
Both nations demand Egypt and Israel cease fire within 12 hours. When rejected, RAF and French aircraft begin bombing Egyptian airfields.
Anglo-French amphibious landings
British and French forces land at Port Said and advance down the canal. Soviet Premier Nikolai Bulganin issues nuclear threats against Britain and France.
UN Security Council calls for ceasefire
The U.S. and Soviet Union join forces to demand immediate cessation of hostilities; U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower refuses to support British and French operations.
Britain and France announce ceasefire
Facing U.S. economic pressure (threat to sterling reserves), UN condemnation, and Soviet nuclear threats, both nations halt combat operations.
Last British and French troops withdraw
Final foreign combat forces depart Port Said. The UN Emergency Force assumes peacekeeping duties; Nasser retains control of the Canal.
The numbers.
6 numbers that anchor the scale.
By the numbers
The countable parts.
Date of nationalization
0 July 1956
Invasion launch date
0 October 1956
Duration of major combat
0 days (29 October – 6 November 1956)
Canal revenue seized
$0 million annually (approximate)
British and French forces deployed
~0 troops
Estimated Egyptian military casualties
~0–3,000
The chain begins -
The chain of consequence.
Impact
What followed.
The Suez War marked a hinge moment in global power. It demonstrated that the U.S. could override its closest allies, showed the Soviet Union's willingness to threaten nuclear escalation, and signaled the irreversible decline of European imperial authority in Asia and Africa. The crisis redrew the Cold War map and handed Nasser a symbolic victory that reshaped Arab nationalism.
Captured in time.
Captured before it changed
The web as it looked, the day it happened.
Wayback Machine snapshots of the pages people actually loaded that day. Click any card to open the archive at full size.
Sources & citations.
Sources
Where this came from.
Every claim on this page traces to a public, license-clean source. We don't asterisk well.
Wikipedia
1 source- 1.Franco Shea
en.wikipedia.org