Which leader nationalized the Suez Canal in 1956, instigating an international crisis?

Colonel Nasser, formally Gamal Abdel Nasser, nationalized the Suez Canal in 1956, triggering the Suez Crisis. On July 26, 1956, Egypt’s president announced that the Suez Canal Company would become state-owned and that its revenues would help finance the Aswan High Dam.

The canal had been operated by a largely British-French company, and Nasser’s decision challenged the lingering influence of the former colonial powers. Britain and France, in coordination with Israel, attacked Egypt later that year. Israel invaded the Sinai Peninsula, while British and French forces intervened near the canal.

International pressure, especially from the United States and the Soviet Union, forced the attackers to withdraw. The crisis demonstrated that Britain and France could no longer freely dictate events in the Middle East. Egypt retained control of the canal, and Nasser emerged as a major symbol of Arab nationalism. “Colonel Nasser” is the conventional quiz answer, although he is also widely identified as President Gamal Abdel Nasser.