Timeline: The Suez Crisis

Learn what events lead to the Suez Crisis, which was an invasion of Egypt in late 1956.

1922

• Feb 28: Egypt is declared a sovereign state by Britain.
• Mar 15: Sultan Faud appoints himself King of Egypt.
• Mar 16: Egypt achieves independence.
• May 7: Britain is angered over Egyptian claims to sovereignty over Sudan.

1936

• Apr 28:  Faud dies and his 16-year-old son, Farouk, becomes King of Egypt.
• Aug 26: Draft of Anglo-Egyptian Treaty is signed. Britain is allowed to maintain a garrison of 10,000 men in the Suez Canal Zone and is given effective control of Sudan.

1939

• May 2: King Farouk is declared the spiritual leader, or Caliph, of Islam.

1945

• Sept 23: Egyptian government demands complete British withdrawal and the cession of Sudan.

1946

• May 24: British premier Winston Churchill says the Suez Canal will be in danger if Britain withdraws from Egypt.

1948

• May 14: Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel by David Ben-Gurion in Tel Aviv.
• May 15: Start of the first Arab-Israeli War.
• Dec 28: Egyptian premier Mahmoud Fatimy is assassinated by the Muslim Brotherhood.
• Feb 12: Hassan el Banna, leader of the Muslim Brotherhood is assassinated.

1950

• Jan 3: Wafd party regains power.

1951

• Oct 8: Egyptian government announces that it will eject Britain from the Suez Canal Zone and take control of Sudan.
• Oct 21: British warships arrive at Port Said, more troops are on the way.

1952

• Jan 26: Egypt is placed under martial law in response to wide-spread riots against the British.
• Jan 27: Prime Minister Mustafa Nahhas is removed by King Farouk for failing to keep the peace. He is replaced by Ali Mahir.
• Mar 1: The Egyptian Parliament is suspended by King Farouk when Ali Mahir resigns.
• May 6: King Farouk claims to be a direct descendant of the prophet Mohammed.
• July 1: Hussein Sirry is new premier.
• July 23: Free Officer Movement, fearing King Farouk is about to move against them, initiate a military coup.
• July 26: Military coup is successful, General Naguib appoints Ali Mahir as prime minister.
• Sept 7: Ali Mahir again resigns. General Naguib takes over the post of president, prime minister, minister of war and commander-in-chief of the army.

1953

• Jan 16: President Naguib disbands all opposition parties.
• Feb 12: Britain and Egypt sign a new treaty. Sudan to have independence within three years.
• May 5: Constitutional commission recommends 5,000-year-old monarchy be ended and Egypt become a republic.
• May 11: Britain threatens to use force against Egypt over the Suez Canal dispute.
• June 18: Egypt becomes a republic.
• Sept 20: Several of King Farouk's aides are seized.

1954

• Feb 28: Nasser challenges President Naguib.
• Mar 9: Naguib beats off Nasser's challenge and retains the presidency.
• Mar 29: General Naguib postpones plans to hold parliamentary elections.
• Apr 18: For a second time, Nasser takes the presidency away from Naguib.
• Oct 19: Britain cedes Suez Canal to Egypt in new treaty, two year period set for withdrawal.
• Oct 26: Muslim Brotherhood attempt to assassinate General Nasser.
• Nov 13: General Nasser in full control of Egypt.

1955

• Apr 27: Egypt announces plans to sell cotton to Communist China
• May 21: USSR announces it will sell arms to Egypt.
• Aug 29: Israeli and Egyptian jets in fire-fight over Gaza.
• Sept 27: Egypt makes deal with Czechoslovakia -- arms for cotton.
• Oct 16: Egyptian and Israeli forces skirmish in El Auja.
• Dec 3: Britain and Egypt sign agreement granting Sudan independence.

1956

• Jan 1: Sudan achieves independence.
• Jan 16: Islam is made state religion by act of Egyptian government.
• June 13: Britain gives up Suez Canal. Ends 72 years of British occupation.
• June 23: General Nasser is elected president.
• July 19: US withdraws financial aid for Aswan Dam project. The official reason is Egypt's increased ties to USSR.
• July 26: President Nasser announces a plan to nationalize Suez Canal.
• July 28: Britain freezes Egyptian assets.
• July 30: British Prime Minister Anthony Eden imposes an arms embargo on Egypt, and informs General Nasser that he can not have the Suez Canal.
• Aug 1: Britain, France, and the US hold talks on escalating the Suez crisis.
• Aug 2: Britain mobilizes armed forces.
• Aug 21: Egypt says it will negotiate on Suez ownership if Britain pulls out of the Middle East.
• Aug 23: USSR announces it will send troops if Egypt is attacked.
• Aug 26: General Nasser agrees to five nation conference on Suez Canal.
• Aug 28: Two British envoys are expelled from Egypt accused of spying.
• Sept 5: Israel condemns Egypt over Suez crisis.
• Sept 9: Conference talks collapse when General Nasser refuses to allow international control of the Suez Canal.
• Sept 12: US, Britain, and France announce their intention to impose a Canal Users Association on the management of the canal.
• Sept 14: Egypt now in full control of the Suez Canal.
• Sept 15: Soviet ship-pilots arrive to help Egypt run the canal.
• Oct 1: A 15 nation Suez Canal Users Association is officially formed.
• Oct 7: Israeli foreign minister Golda Meir says the UN failure to resolve the Suez Crisis means they must take military action.
• Oct 13: Anglo-French proposal for the control of the Suez Canal is vetoed by the USSR during the UN session.
• Oct 29: Israel invades the Sinai Peninsula.
• Oct 30: Britain and France veto USSR demand for Israel-Egypt cease-fire.
• Nov 2: UN Assembly finally approves a cease-fire plan for Suez.
• Nov 5: British and French forces involved in the airborne invasion of Egypt.
• Nov 7: UN Assembly votes 65 to 1 that invading powers should quit Egyptian territory.
• Nov 25: Egypt begins to expel British, French, and Zionist residents.
• Nov 29: Tripartite Invasion is officially ended under pressure from UN.
• Dec 20: Israel refuses to return Gaza to Egypt.
• Dec 24: British and French troops depart Egypt.
• Dec 27: 5,580 Egyptian POWs exchanged for four Israelis.
• Dec 28: Operation to clear sunken ship in Suez Canal starts.

1957

• Jan 15: British and French banks in Egypt are nationalized.
• Mar 7: UN takes over the administration of the Gaza Strip.
• Mar 15: General Nasser bars Israeli shipping from Suez Canal.
• Apr 19: First British ship pays Egyptian toll for use of the Suez Canal.