19561957

1956–1957 was a period of significant upheaval in the Cold War era, characterized by geopolitical crises, decolonization, and rapid scientific and economic change. The years influenced international relations, domestic policy, and the trajectory of postwar modernization.

The Suez Crisis erupted in late 1956 when Israel, Britain, and France attacked Egypt after Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal; international pressure led to withdrawal and UN peacekeeping. The Hungarian Revolution was crushed by Soviet forces, underscoring limits of postwar liberalization in Eastern Europe. In the United States, Congress enacted the Interstate Highway Act, authorizing a vast system of highways that reshaped transport and growth.

Ghana gained independence on 6 March 1957, the first sub-Saharan African colony to do so. The Treaty of Rome, signed on 25 March, formed the European Economic Community. The Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 on 4 October, beginning the space age, followed by Sputnik 2 with Laika. The International Geophysical Year commenced in 1957 and would continue through 1958. In the United States, the Civil Rights Act of 1957 established a Commission on Civil Rights; the Little Rock crisis highlighted school desegregation.

Together these events mark a transitional period shaping Cold War dynamics, space exploration, civil rights, and decolonization in the late 1950s.