Suez: Britain's End of Empire in the Middle East

By Keith Kyle

Book Overview

This title includes a new Foreword by WM. Roger Louis. On 26 July 1956, the British Empire received a blow from which it would never recover. On this day, Egypt's President Gamal Abdul Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal Company, one of the gems of Britain's imperial portfolio. It was to be a fateful day for Britain as a world power. Britain, France and Israel subsequently colluded in attacking Egypt, ostensibly - in the case of Britain and France - to protect the Suez Canal but in reality in an attempt to depose Nasser. The US opposition to this scheme forced an ignominious withdrawal, leaving Nasser triumphant and marking a decisive end to Britain's imperial era. In this, the seminal work on the Suez Crisis, Keith Kyle draws on a wealth of documentary evidence to tell this fascinating political, military and diplomatic story. Including new introductory material, this revised edition of a classic work will be essential reading for anyone interested in the history of the twentieth century, military history and the end of empire.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1848855338
• ISBN13: 9781848855335
• Release Date: February 2011
• Publisher: I. B. Tauris & Company
• Length: 712 Pages
• Weight: 1.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.0" x 6.1" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Worth the effort

A great many critics (here, too) claim Kyle has written a book that is very much hampered by his excruciating tendency to relate the most obscure details. While this is true, it in no way detracts from the merits of this great book. It may not be the most pleasant read on the 1956 Suez Crisis, but it is hard to find any other account that is as complete as Kyle's. For scholars and students Suez: Britain's End of Empire in the Middle East contains a wealth of useful information. If readers want personal colour (or, in Shuckburgh's case, to be distracted), they should read Shuckburgh's diary (note his words on his garden flowers), Nuttings account or Eden's biography by Rhodes James.