Canada and the Cold War

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Canada and the Cold War
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Key Terms

• Communist
• Capitalist
• Cold War
• Superpowers
• Gouzenko Affair
• Red Scare
• United Nations
• NATO
• Warsaw Pact
• DEW Line
• NORAD

• Commonwealth of Nations
• Colombo Plan
• The Korean War
• Suez Crisis
• Cuban Missile Crisis
• Avro Arrow
• The Nuclear Issue
• Vietnam War

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Cold War - Definition

• A war with no direct military conflict but a
  conflict waged through various other means
  including
• espionage
• propaganda
• economic warfare
• surrogate wars
• the space and arms race.

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Cold War - Origins

• After WWII, two Super Powers emerged - the United
  States and the Soviet Union (Russia). They
  engaged in a Cold War from 1945 - 1989.
• The United States was a CAPITALIST country. This
  meant that private individuals invested in
  businesses trying to make a profit.
• The Soviet Union was a COMMUNIST country. This
  meant that the government controlled the economy
  by owning the means of production and
  distribution such as farms, factories, stores and
  railroads.

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Cold War - Origins

• Canada was involved in the Cold War as an ally to
  the United States. Our alliance with them evolved
  naturally because of our geographic proximity,
  history of co-operation, similar
  economic and political systems, and integrated
  cultures.

6
Cold War - The Gouzenko Affair

• The Cold War was brought home to Canada by the
  Gouzenko Affair.
• Igor Gouzenko, a clerk at the Soviet Embassy in
  Ottawa exposed a Soviet spy ring in Canada in
  1945. Newspaper headlines read Its War! Its
  Russia!.
• 18 people were arrested with 8 eventually
  convicted of spying - likely trying to get Atomic
  Bomb secrets.

7
Cold War - The Red Scare

• The Americans, too were afraid of Communism and
  Communist spies.
• Senator Joseph McCarthy lead a witch-hunt which
  tried to expose spying in America.
• Long lists of potential communists were accused
  and interrogated and eventually found guilty -
  even if evidence was only a set of flimsy
  rumours.
• The convicted lost their jobs and futures.

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Cold War - International Organizations

• Canada was involved in a wide variety of
  international organisations.
• Some were aimed at maintaining peace.
• United Nations
• Others were for defence or waging war.
• NATO NORAD
• One was to maintain independence from the USA.
• Commonwealth of Nations

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Cold War - Canadas Red Scare

• In Canada, artists, peace activists, union
  leaders and intellectuals were labelled security
  risks and investigated by a special branch of
  the RCMP.
• Some organisations refused to hire people who had
  been blacklisted.

10
Cold War - United Nations

• Formed after WWII
• goal of Collective security
• 51 original members, including Canada
• focus on negotiation and mediation
• but given 3 powers
• condemnation - through speeches / resolutions
• sanctions - urging members to suspend trade
• military - send in armed forces if necessary

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Cold War - United Nations

• Limited Success Resolving Conflicts
• Why?
• No permanent armed force
• charter forbids interference in internal
  matters - only between nations (ex. Cannot stop
  genocide or civil war)
• now, over 190 members - difficult to reach
  agreement

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Cold War - United Nations

• Limited Success Resolving Conflicts
• Why?
• Security Council
• 5 permanent members USA USSR France Britain
  China and ten other nations for two year terms
• any permanent member can veto any resolution
• thus, conflicts between major powers cannot be
  resolved through UN

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Cold War - United Nations

• Successes
• assistance after natural disasters
• building schools roads dams
• development aid
• as of 1999 Canadians had been involved in every
  single UN Peacekeeping operation
• more than 100 Canadian soldiers have died in
  peacekeeping operations

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Cold War - NATO

• North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
• a military alliance of Western nations set up in
  opposition to the Soviets in 1949
• Where force threatens it must be kept at bay by
  superior force. (WLMK)

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Cold War - NATO

• North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
• Canada had to agree to meet military commitments
  to NATO
• Canadian soldiers were permanently stationed in
  Europe in a state of war readiness
• all members agreed that nuclear weapons could be
  used if necessary in war against Soviets
• total nuclear war, it was agreed was only
  acceptable as a last resort

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Cold War - Warsaw Pact

• Formed in 1955
• made up of largely Eastern European nations
  allied with the Soviet Union
• a response to NATO
• Who was the aggressor NATO or Warsaw Pact?

17
Cold War - NORAD

• Integrated defence of North America from attack
  by Soviet missiles
• DEW lines - lines of distant early warning radar
  stations were set up across the Arctic in 1950
  and 1957
• American military personnel were stationed on
  Canadian soil for the first time
• Was the security gainde worth the loss of
  independence?

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Cold War - NORAD

• Both sides soon developed Inter-Continental
  Ballistic Missiles (ICBM)
• Launched from silos or subs into space could
  reach one anothers cities in less than 30
  minutes
• DEW lines were rendered obsolete

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Cold War - NORAD

• The North American Aerospace Defence Command
  (NORAD) was established in 1957
• a system including fighter forces, missile bases,
  and air defence radar
• controlled by and American general based in
  Colorado
• moon or missiles?

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Cold War - Commonwealth of Nations

• Clearly, NATO and NORAD were controlled by the
  USA
• Canada joined the Commonwealth to link itself to
  other nations of the world - separate from the
  USA
• focus was not military
• rather, trade and aid

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Cold War - Commonwealth of Nations

• Colombo Plan, 1950
• provide aid to less developed countries
• experts gave technical assistance
• overseas students encouraged to travel to Canada
  (doctors engineers public administration)
• a nuclear reactor was sent to India for peaceful
  purposes - oops...
• Canadians used the Commonwealth as a forum to
  promote justice and human rights (ex. Spoke out
  against Apartheid in South Africa)

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Cold War - Origins

• Canada was involved in the Cold War as an ally to
  the United States. Our alliance with them evolved
  naturally because of our geographic proximity,
  history of co-operation, similar
  economic and political systems, and integrated
  cultures.

23
Cold War - Origins

• Canada was involved in the Cold War as an ally to
  the United States. Our alliance with them evolved
  naturally because of our geographic proximity,
  history of co-operation, similar
  economic and political systems, and integrated
  cultures.

24
Cold War - Origins

• Canada was involved in the Cold War as an ally to
  the United States. Our alliance with them evolved
  naturally because of our geographic proximity,
  history of co-operation, similar
  economic and political systems, and integrated
  cultures.

25
Cold War - Origins

• Canada was involved in the Cold War as an ally to
  the United States. Our alliance with them evolved
  naturally because of our geographic proximity,
  history of co-operation, similar
  economic and political systems, and integrated
  cultures.

26
Cold War - Origins

• Canada was involved in the Cold War as an ally to
  the United States. Our alliance with them evolved
  naturally because of our geographic proximity,
  history of co-operation, similar
  economic and political systems, and integrated
  cultures.