<P> By the late nineteenth century , technological advances and commercial pressure allowed construction to begin in earnest . Noted canal engineer Ferdinand de Lesseps led an initial attempt by France to build a sea - level canal . Beset by cost overruns due to the severe underestimation of the difficulties in excavating the rugged Panama land , heavy personnel losses in Panama due to tropical diseases , and political corruption in France surrounding the financing of the massive project , the project succeeded in only partially completing the canal . </P>
<P> By the late nineteenth century , technological advances and commercial pressure allowed construction to begin in earnest . Noted canal engineer Ferdinand de Lesseps led an initial attempt by France to build a sea - level canal . Beset by cost overruns due to the severe underestimation of the difficulties in excavating the rugged Panama land , heavy personnel losses in Panama due to tropical diseases , and political corruption in France surrounding the financing of the massive project , the project succeeded in only partially completing the canal . </P>
what nation had tried to build a canal prior to the attempt by the united states
what nation had tried to build a canal prior to the attempt by the united states
France
France