Historical General
Assembly, Emergency
Special Session 1956
Background Guide
Dalton Model United Nations IV
Saturday, April 23rd, 2016
Table of Contents
Topic A: The Suez Crisis•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 3
Topic B: The Hungarian Revolution••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 7
Endnotes••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 11
2
Topic A: The Suez Crisis
Setting the Stage
Maritime de Suez (The Universal Company of the Maritime Suez Canal) was
founded. The Vice Roy invested in the
Company the power to cut the canal and
operate it for 99 years, after which time
control of the canal would revert back
to the Egyptian government. The Company originated as a private Egyptian
company, but the shares were held pre-
The Suez Canal was the first canal to provide a direct link between the
Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea;
however, it was by no means the first
artificial canal to be built in Egypt. Inscriptions from tombs in Ancient-Egypt
reveal that there once was a network
of inter-connecting canals throughout
Egypt as far back as 2260 BC, but historians debate whether these actually
linked the Mediterranean and the Red
Sea.
The modern conception of a canal
linking the Mediterranean and the Red
Sea appeared during the time of Napoleon Bonaparte’s conquest of Egypt. Napoleon wished to destabilize the British
economy, which was heavily reliant on
trade, and he believed that by building
a canal he could effectively monopolize
European-Asian trading (1). The project
began in 1799, under the direction of
Charles Le Pere, but it was soon abandoned due to drastic miscalculations of
the water levels of the Mediterranean
and the Red Sea. After many failed attempts by French scientists to revitalize interest in the Suez Canal project, in
1854 the French diplomat and engineer
Vicomte Ferdinand Marie de Lesseps
succeeded in interesting the Vice Roy of
Egypt (Said Pasha) in the project. After
much negotiation and debate, in 1858
La Compagnie Universelle du Canal
c/o The Central Intelligence Agency
dominantly by the British and French.
The project underwent considerable financial difficulties before even
beginning construction. This is because
the original cost estimate of 200 million
francs was not only difficult to amass, it
was also insufficient to fund the entire
project (2).
The actual construction of the canal began in on April 25th, 1859. Construction was originally done by hand
and with shovels, with peasants being
drafted as forced labour (3). After three
years, in 1862, the first part of the canal
3
Topic A: The Suez Crisis
was finished. However, in the following years, troubles plagued the project
including climatic difficulties, early labour troubles and a cholera epidemic
in 1865. The construction of the canal
took ten years, as opposed to the originally estimated six, but on November
17, 1869, the Suez Canal was opened for
navigation (4).
the power of the Egyptian government.
Because the Suez Canal Company was
controlled by French and English, the
nationalization of the canal effectively
took control of the canal away from England and France and gave all jurisdiction over the canal to Egypt. The Suez
canal was a vital part of European trade
routes, as it allowed commerce to travel
c/o VOX
efficiently from Asia to Europe. Without
The Suez Crisis
it, European merchant vessels would
have to travel around Africa to export
On July 26, 1956 the president and import goods (5).
of Egypt (Gamal Abdel Nasser) nationalized the Suez Canal. In doing so he Along with the nationalization of
transferred control of the economical- the Suez Canal, a primary factor in the
ly important canal away from the Suez Suez crisis was the American and British
Canal Company and brought it under decision to not fund Egypt’s construc4
Topic A: The Suez Crisis
Military Action
tion of the Aswan High Dam, as they
had previously promised to do. This
decision was based primarily on the
growing ties between Egypt and communist Czechoslovakia and the Soviet
Union. In response, President Nasser
instated martial law in the canal zone,
and threatened to impose tariffs on European ships coming through the canal.
Nasser believed that in doing this, the
tariffs would fund the Aswan High Dam
project, as well as sending a strong message to the West.
On October 29th, 1956, Israeli
troops invaded Egypt, defeating Egyptian troops and advancing towards the
canal. Under the pretense of trying to
maintain peace in the realm Britain
and France demanded that both Israeli
and Egyptian troops withdraw from the
area. However, following their plan, Israeli troops remained, forcing Egyptian
troops to remain as well. Britain and France feared that
Nasser would eventually close the canal to Europe, cutting off shipments of
petroleum. Petroleum was one of the
most valuable commodities shipped
through the Suez Canal, as it was a primary source of energy for England and
the United States (6).
The United States, wary of war
breaking out between Europe and this
emerging, influential Middle Eastern
power, attempted to facilitate a diplomatic resolution to the crisis. However, when the attempts to solve the
crisis diplomatically failed, Britain and
France began to prepare military action
in secret. Israel became a strong ally,
as it was already hostile towards Nasser due to his blockage of the Straits of
Tīrān and the numerous raids into Israel by Egyptian-supported commandos.
c/o BBC News
On November 5th and 6th, Britain and France landed their own troops
near the Suez Canal, claiming that they
were enforcing the cease-fire which was
ordered by the United Nations. This action was met by much dissent from the United Nations member
states, especially the United States, who
was concerned about Soviet threats of
intervention. The United States’ diplo-
5
Topic A: The Suez Crisis
matic relations with Britain and France
temporarily soured, as a consequence
of their prominent disapproval of military action in the region. • What responsibilities does the General Assembly Emergency Special Session
have regarding global trade? Should it
specifically facilitate global trade?
On December 22, the United Na- • What are some concrete measures to
tions evacuated British and French ensure peace in a region through which
troops from the region. Israeli troops there are many vital trade routes?
remain in the region (7).
Committee Action
Delegates are encouraged to find
solutions to the Suez Crisis, potentially through such actions as negotiating
with Egypt to instate certain rights of
transit or forming a coalition to reinstate the powers of European nations
over the Suez Canal. Delegates are encouraged to remain cognizant of the political, economic and demographic realities facing their own countries, while
trying to find a solution to this crisis.
Questions to Consider
• How should the General Assembly
Emergency Special Session address
conflict between countries, especially
when the outcome will affect the global
economy?
• How should internal disputes be resolved for the best interest of the region?
How can one balance the needs and desires of individual member nations with
those of the group as a whole?
6
Topic B: The Hungarian Revolution
Setting the Stage:
et troops and hundreds of tanks were
placed Hungary. The Communist Party
At the end of World War II, many banned religion in Hungary and imprisnations, including Hungary, found oned the Hungarian leader of the Cathothemselves under new leaders and polit- lic Church, Cardinal József Mindszenty,
ical regimes. From 1919 to 1944, Admiral Miklós Horthy, a known fascist who
killed and deported Jewish Hungarians
to Nazi Concentration camps throughout WWII, ruled over Hungary (8). The
Soviet Union’s so-called “liberation”
of Hungary after WWII resulted in the
establishment of a new Marxist-Leninist coalition government. The government was aided by the Államvédelmi
Hatóság (AVH), the state police force
Citizens knocking down a statue of Stalin in
within Hungary. The AVH murdered
a city center of Budapest.
and tortured everyday citizens to instill
fear and discipline while earning three in 1949. These acts sparked even more
times what a working class Hungarian hatred and backlash from the citizens of
earned (9). By 1950, Hungary was fully Hungary as the population was primariintegrated into the U.S.S.R’s economic ly Catholic (10).
and political systems, effectively falling
After the death of Joseph Stalin
under the Soviet Union’s sphere of in- in 1953, Mátyás Rákosi, the dictator
fluence.
put into power by Stalin, was replaced
by Imre Nagy (11). Nagy was a reformRise of a Revolution:
ist, and was reinstated at the peak of
During this time, the AVH also the nation’s turmoil as a gesture from
forcibly relocated thousands of Hungar- the Soviet government that they were
ians and initiated a series of “purges” to aware of the Hungarian’s needs. Howrid the nation of anti-communist influ- ever, Kákosi remained General Secreences. The Soviet Union took food and tary of the Party and had Nagy removed
other commodities from the nation, from office in April of 1955.
which resulted in food shortages and
On May 14th, 1955, the Soviet
low wages for citizens across the coun- try. Simultaneously, thousands of Sovi- Union created the Warsaw Pact, which
formally bound Hungary to the Soviet
7
Topic B: The Hungarian Revolution
Union. However, after a summer of violent uprisings and protests, by October
of 1956, Hungarians were rallying for
separation from the Soviet Union. On
October 23rd, students in Budapest put
on a peaceful demonstration in support
of Poland’s fight for autonomy from the
Soviet Union. The students and workers
issued their Sixteen Points of national policy demands, which included the
Over the next few days, Soviet
soldiers clashed with Hungarian protestors in a series of violent conflicts. Imre
Nagy had mass support throughout the
revolution and promised free elections
and an end to collectivization (13). After the old government was overthrown,
Nagy announced a immediate ceasefire
on October 28th and the dissolution of
the AVH. He authorized the immediate
removal of all Soviet troops and the establishment of a new government under the leadership of Nagy (11). Police
attacked the demonstrators, who lashed
back by tearing down any symbols of
Soviet rule, and continuing to express
favor for free elections, national independence and the return of Imre Nagy
to power (12).
release of many political prisoners, including Cardinal Mindszenty, and asked
Khrushchev to withdraw all Soviet
troops.
On November 1st, Nagy announced in a radio address that Hungary was to withdraw from the Warsaw
Pact and become a Neutral state (14).
Soviets perceived this as a breach in
8
Topic B: The Hungarian Revolution
rity Council Meeting in order to address
the uprising in Hungary. The Council
met on the 28th of October but no action was taken until November 2nd.
In this committee, the U.S. proposed 2
draft resolutions asking the U.S.S.R to
cease intervention by invoking the ‘
Uniting for Peace’ resolution (16). Both
of these draft resolutions were not
passed since the Soviet Union had veto
power in the security Council, making
it highly unlikely that a solution would
be reached through this meeting of nations. The Security Council recognized
this and called upon a Special Emergency Session of the General Assembly to
address the Hungarian revolution (17).
Soviet defense and an event that could
lead to further revolt from its satellite
nations. Hungary was one of many nations that made up the Soviet Union’s
buffer of allied states in Eastern Europe, which protected against Western
attack. By November 3rd, Soviet troops
had closed the nation’s borders and had
Budapest surrounded. The Temporary
Revolutionary Government of Hungary was assembled on Soviet soil across
the Hungarian Border. The Soviet Union
continued to react to Nagy’s statement
violently, attempting to chase him
down. Nagy eventually found refuge
at the United States Embassy in Yugoslav. By this time, 200,000 Hungarians
had fled to the West while the Soviet
Union, led by János Kidár, the former
First Secretary of the Communist Party,
returned to Budapest. Over the next 5
years, 2,000 individuals within Hungary
were executed and 25,000 were imprisoned (15).
For Our Committee:
As the Hungarian conflict between the people and the Soviet Union
continues, delegates are faced with
the multitude of outcomes from the
conflict. Under pressure by the Soviet
Union, the Hungarian government under Nagy claimed that all events that
occurred after October 22nd fell under
Hungary’s national sovereignty and jurisdiction, alerting the U.N. that they
wanted no discussion of those events
within the international community. In
an effort to dispel suspicions of Soviet rule in Hungary, the Soviet powers
International Measures:
within the government began to project
that the nation
The United Kingdom, the United felt they were not in need of internaStates and France had called for a Secu9
Topic B: The Hungarian Revolution
tional intervention or assistance, as
Nagy did (18). By the end of this committee session, over 180,000 Hungarians will have fled to Austria and 20,000
to Yugoslavia, creating a huge influx in
population and turmoil in both those
and many other nations (19).
The Emergency Session is also
faced with how to respond to the
U.S.S.R’s violations of the
Geneva Conventions and the Paris
Treaty, as well as a multitude of other
human rights violations, through the
denial of political independence, and
support of brutality and unjust imprisonment and deportation. Since the Security Council was unable to decisively
enact any legislation, the main goals of
the Emergency Session are to restore
stability and introduce efforts to rebuild
Hungary’ national infrastructure.
Further International Context:
Before going into the Emergency
Session, further international context is
imperative. The Suez Crisis and Tripartite Aggression in Egypt caused strong
Western powers to neglect addressing
the situation in Hungary until the 1st of
November.
States’) attention during the beginning
of the Hungarian Revolution. No nation intervened in the conflict directly
for fear of disrupting alliances. Furthermore, the rebellion was not seen as a
direct international threat in contrast
to the Suez Crisis (11). The Hungarian
Revolution did result in a shift in trust
and exposure of weakness in the Eastern Bloc that nations of this alliance
should address.
Questions to Consider:
• To what extent can the U.N. get involved in assisting the Hungarian Revolution even though the government
formally declared and asked for sovereignty in the matter?
• How can the Emergency Session attempt to address both the Suez Crisis
and the Hungarian Revolution? How do
the two issues fit into each other? .
• Are there ways to address the conflict
without intervening militarily? What
would be the ramifications of possible
economic threats or sanctions?
Most nations outside of the Soviet Union were keen to assist Hungary
by opposing the U.S.S.R’s efforts to hold
power. As mentioned. the Suez Crisis
held many large nations such as Britain
and France’s (and indirectly the United
10
Endnotes
1. Suez Canal Authority. “Suez Canal History.” [accessed November 17, 2015]
http://www.suezcanal.gov.eg/sc.aspx?show=8
2. Fisher, William. “Suez Canal.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 2015. http://www.britannica.com/topic/Suez-Canal
3. The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. “Suez Crisis.” Encyclopedia Britannica,
2014. http://www.britannica.com/event/Suez-Crisis
4. Ratner, Michael and Carol Glover. “U.S. Energy: Overview and Key Statistics.”
Congressional Research Service, 2014. https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R40187.
pdf
5. The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. “Suez Crisis.” Encyclopedia Britannica,
2014. http://www.britannica.com/event/Suez-Crisis
6. Békés, Csaba, and János Rainer. “The 1956 Hungarian Revolution.” National
Security Archive. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2015.
7. Ray, Rob. “Erratum: The Hungarian Revolution.” The World Today 13.3 (1957):
102. Web.
8. Békés, Csaba, and János Rainer. “The 1956 N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2015.
9. http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/modern-world-history-1918-to-1980/
the-cold-war/the-hungarian-uprising-of-1956/
10. Madden, Christopher. “Allamvedelmi Osztaly Security Department. Global
Security Organization, n.d.
11. Pine, John. “Soviet Invasion of Hungary.” Global Security. N.p., n.d..
12. Madden, Christopher. “Allamvedelmi Osztaly AVO / Allamvedelmi Hatosag
AVH.” State Security Department. Global Security Organization, n.d.
13. Pine, John. “Soviet Invasion of Hungary.” Global Security. N.p., n.d..
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Endnotes
14. Racz, Barnabas. “Letter from Senator Wyden to US Trade Representative, Ambassador Kirk, Raising Questions about ACTA.” Electronic Frontier Foundation.
N.p., 02 Mar. 2010.
15 Ray, Rob. “Erratum: The Hungarian Revolution.” The World Today 13.3 (1957):
102.
16. http://dailynewshungary.com/szijjarto-hungarians-in-1956-incomparable-to-current-mass-migration/
17. ”Refugees: Where Are They Now?” United Nations High Commission for Refugees. 144.3 (2006) UNHCR. Web.
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