The Suez crisis of 1956 affected Anthony Eden’s belief that Britain was still an imperial power, it is arguable that the events that had taken place affected in some way the redefining of Britain’s international status. Britain was suffering deeply with the retreat from the empire; the Suez Canal was a key factor to Britain’s trade route. It was under Colonel Nasser the Egyptian independence was called for. In the 1959 General Election Conservatives found that Suez was a factor in their favour, and harmful to Labour and Labour MPs experienced difficulties with their traditional voters. The casualties on the Conservative side of those who had had the courage to stand against Suez were surprisingly few. The 1956 Suez Crisis is one of the most important and controversial events in British history since the Second World War. Not only did Suez result in deep political and public division in Britain, it also caused international uproar. It has come to be regarded as the end of Britain's role as one of the world powers and as the beginning of the end for the British Empire. In future British foreign policy would be conducted in concurrence with American diplomatic support.
Britain was faced with fierce competition economically from both Germany and Japan, the country needed change to happen in order for it to redefine its status as a powerful international role, for Eden this was the taking back of the Suez Canal. However we are left to question the success it had on Britain, the colonial tradition of Britain and France began to crumble after the Suez Crisis. The feeling of defeat by a former colony eventually led to the two nations giving up their African colonial empires. The long era of colonization was finally coming to a close. Some would argue that the Suez crisis was a significant event that highlighted Britain’s vulnerability and financial weaknesses. It is evidential that Britain