However, the Suez Crisis can not be seen as the sole reason for the decolonisation of the Empire, because it was inevitable following World War Two because Britain’s economy could no longer sustain investment in countries such as India which were no longer making a profit for Britain, and only being kept due to the prestige attached. The British economy was ruined after the War as nearly the entire treasury was spent on the war and German bombing in 1940 destroyed large parts of the her industry. The poor state of the economy can be seen by the desperate need for American aid and the rationing, which was still in place in the 1950s.
Education improved in these countries, as did the desire for independence, especially after soldiers from the Empire fought side by side with British soldiers in the two world wars. Due to Britain’s desperation for allies during World War Two, in exchange for the sending of soldiers from the Empire, they agreed that independence would be granted after the war because the politicians of the colonies argued that if they were good enough to fight and die alongside British soldiers, they deserved their independence. Therefore, it can be seen that decolonisation was being thought and planned well before the Suez Crisis. With the independence movements throughout the Empire, came more problems with fighting in Independence between Muslims and Hindus in which hundreds of thousands were killed and in Kenya with terrorist attacks from the Mau Mau.
The Crisis seriously damaged Anglo-American relations because Britain and France had gone against the UN in attacking the Canal. The US ending of Lend-Lease and the harsh loan negotiated by Keynes made Britain heavily reliant on USA for economic reasons, as well as the military and diplomatic reasons and therefore, to improve relations following the crisis, decolonisation could be seen as appeasement by granting “self-determination” as America was opposed to the idea of the Empire.
The US ending of Lend-Lease and the harsh loan negotiated by Keynes made it harder for the British to stand economically without the USA and it became clear in the 1940s and 1950s that the UK was dependent on the USA for economic and military survival and so, as America was opposed to the idea of Empire, it may have been necessary to simply sacrifice our empire for the sake of the “special relationship”. MacMillan’s “wind of change” speech in February 1960 was seen by some as a sign to British colonies in Africa that independence was available. This could be seen as an attempt by MacMillan to improve Anglo-American relations ruined by the Suez Crisis, by giving up her Empire.
It can be seen that Suez was a very important factor in Britain’s rapid decolonisation between 1956 and 1964, and it was the cause of many spin-offs factors. However, it was not the sole reason with the rising nationalism and violence attributed with it, the Empire’s failure to generate enough profit and the state of the British economy following the huge expenditure of the war effort.