Canada and the
Cold War
Paper 3 Cold War and the Americas
- Using specific examples assess the success of regional
cooperation in the hemisphere since 1945.
- To what extent did either Canada or one Latin American
country develop a foreign policy independent of the United
States after 1945?
- In what ways, and with what results, did the Cold War
influence relations between Latin America or Canada with
the United States in the period 1945-1957?
- How far did the Cold War bring changes to either Latin
America or Canada in their relations with the United States?
- In what ways, and with what results, did the Cold War influence
relations between either Latin America or Canada with the
United States in the period 1945 to 1957?
- How did the Cold War change relations between the United
States and either Latin America or Canada between 1953–
1979?
- “During the Cold War, Canada and the United States had
disagreements about policies.” To what extent do you agree with
this view?
http://teachersites.schoolworld.com/webpages/ASchulzki/files/p
aper%203%20master%20list%202011.pdf
Define and account for the main fears of Canadians in the
decade after 1945.
To what extent did Canada and the USA disagree about
foreign policy during the period 1945-63.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police defended Canada against
the infiltration of communism’ to what extent do you agree with
this statement.
Why were there tensions between Canada and the USA in the
period 1961-1963?
Assess the impact of the Cold War on Canadian domestic life in
the period 1945-1963.
Canada, for the most part, would cooperate with the
United States and support the idea of containment, but
would struggle to defend its sovereignty and maintain its
own foreign policy.
At times, Canada would
fully cooperate with the
United States in its
struggle against
communist aggression.
At other times, Canada would try to distance itself
from the US, who it saw as the aggressor.
Canada would get its first taste of the Cold War in
1945.
Gouzenko Spy Affair
Igor Gouzenko, a Russian working at
the Soviet Embassy in Ottawa walked
into the newsroom of the Ottawa
Citizen and declared he had proof of a
widespread Soviet Spy ring operating
in Canada.
Involved Canadian, US and British Citizens.
“Wake up call” for
Canada and the West
Gouzenko demanded asylum,
but was almost turned over to
Stalin. Several were arrested.
Canada took part in the Marshal Plan (European
Economic Recovery Program) – $2 Billion in sales.
Canada and the Berlin Airlift
The British asked Canada to contribute planes
and crews.
It refused primarily on the
grounds that the operation
risked war and Canada had
not been consulted.
“Canada, upset at London’s presumption of automatic
Canadian support did not participate”
American officials began to question Canada’s
commitment to fighting the Cold War.
Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King was also
worried about his health and getting Canada involved
in another war.
King also wanted to avoid
another conscription crisis.
1949 - Canada joins NATO
Many Canadians wanted NATO to
not only to be a military alliance,
but an economic alliance.
How could nations unite for
defense, he asked, if they fought
trade wars against each other?
Norman Robertson, the Canadian High
Commissioner in London
Canada thus found itself in a difficult position,
caught between these two foreign policy
objectives.
Canada was a key founder of NATO, a military
alliance to stop Soviet aggression, but was also
committed to the idea of multilateralism and the
UN.
Canada participated in the Korean War but
tension developed between the US and Canada.
Korean War (1950-1953)
Canada was going to recognize Communist China
before the war started despite American protest.
Canada agreed that the
Soviet Union should be
contained, but it also
thought the United States
needed to be contained.
Canadian riflemen catch up on the hometown news while waiting for orders to
move up against the Chinese communist forces on the Korean front on Feb. 29, 1951.
(AP Photo) .
Americans thought
Canadians had no say in
how the Korean War was
fought since their
contribution was much
smaller.
However, since this was supposed to
be a UN mission, Canadian Prime
Minister felt that they had every
right to criticize the US.
Suez Crisis, 1956
Canada played an important part following the Suez
Crisis, sending in Peacekeepers.
However, as a member of the British Commonwealth,
many Canadians felt it should have shown more support
for Great Britain and recognized its contribution to the
world economy.
This "treasonable act" was probably one reason
for the defeat of the Liberals in the general
elections of 1957.
Canada’s Secretary of
State for External Affairs
“This is the most popular army in
history- an army which everyone
fights to get into”
Lester B Pearson,
Canadian Prime
Minister 19631968.
Avro Arrow
The Avro Arrow was a fighter plane
designed by Canadian Industry in
the 1950s.
The purpose was to
develop a fighter jet
capable of shooting
down Soviet bombers.
It could have been the fastest jet and put Canada on the
aerospace industry map, but the project was cancelled by
Prime Minister Diefenbaker in 1959.
It became a 400 million
dollar pile of scrap metal.
Estimates suggest that the
project would have cost
over 1 billion.
14,000 people were out of work.
The launch of Sputnik was
also a game changer.
The Avro couldn’t defend
against a satellite missile.
Bomarc Missile
After the cancellation of the Arrow, A brain drain
occurred.
Hundreds of scientists and engineers went south to
work for American aerospace and engineering projects.
Some project scientists committed suicide
Canada purchased
Voodoo Jets from the
United States instead.
The Voodoo were
replaced by CF-18s
in the 1980s.
CBC's "The Arrow"
The U.S. may have pressured Canada into canceling the Avro
Arrow project in 1959 because the high-tech jet was capable of
intercepting and exposing the secret U.S. spy planes, a new book
says. The Avro Arrow fighter jet was so technologically advanced
that it threatened both U.S. aerospace industry and the Central
Intelligence Agency's (C.I.A) secret U-2 spy missions, author Paul
Campagna said during a weekend speech to the Aerospace
Heritage Foundation.
The U.S. urged Canada to buy into its Bomarc missile system,
knowing the country couldn't afford both missiles and the Avro
Arrow program, Campagna said.
Nuclear Weapons
NORAD was created by the US
and Canada to protect North
American Airspace from a Soviet
Attack. North American Aerospace
Defense Command (1957)
The US wanted Canada to have nuclear weapons.
From 1963 to 1984, Canada fielded a
total of four tactical nuclear weapons
systems which deployed several
hundred nuclear warheads
Prime Minister Pearson agreed to
have them as a result of the Cuban
Missile Crisis.
Diefenbaker and
Kennedy
Diefenbaker was supportive of American action
during the crisis, but did not give them the
unequivocal support that Kennedy had expected.
Much to Kennedy’s annoyance, Diefenbaker
recommended that independent United Nations
inspectors should go into Cuba and survey the nuclear
sites.
Diefenbaker refused to put
Canadian troops on alert, and
deliberated for several days over
raising the military awareness
level to DEFCON 3 as Kennedy
had requested.
Personal animosity may have
influenced Diefenbaker’s delay
during the crisis, as relations
between the Canadian leader
and American President were
particularly uneasy.
Some blame Diefenbaker’s sour relationship with
Kennedy for the reason he lost the 1963 election to
Pearson and the Liberals.
The “Diefenbunker” was built from 1959-61. It was
meant to hold the Canadian Government in the event of
a nuclear attack.
http://gregmarkey.com/2011/02/14/the-diefenbunker-finding-history-underground/
Mackenzie King
1921-1930, 1935-1948
John Diefenbaker
1957-1963
Louis St. Laurent
1948-1957
Lester Pearson
1963-1968
Pierre Trudeau
1968-1984
Lester Pearson’s Social Reforms
After defeating Diefenbaker’s Conservatives in the
1963 election, Pearson was determined to introduce
social reforms he considered essential for Canada to
move forward as a modern democracy.
Many of these reforms were criticized due to the
climate of the Cold War.
There were some similarities between Canada’s
welfare state and Soviet style control.
- Canada Pension Plan
- Canada Assistance Plan
- Universal Healthcare (1966 Medical
Care Act)
- Canada Student Loan Program
Canada-United States Automotive
Agreement (Auto Pact)
In 1965, a landmark agreement with the United States
transformed Canada's tiny car-making industry into a
world leader.
The Auto Pact created
thousands of Canadian
jobs and was the backbone
for a generation of
economic growth.
But the Auto Pact also tied Canada's fortunes more closely
than ever to its southern neighbor.
New Canadian Flag
1965
Pearson instigated the ‘great flag debate’.
Symbolic of Canada becoming more independent of Great Britain and its colonial
ties.
Australia?
Sources…
http://www.journal.forces.gc.ca/vol12/no1
/41-granatstein-eng.asp
http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/wa
r-conflict/vietnam-war/canadas-secret-warvietnam/canadian-hawks-fly-south.html
Domestic Security
RCMP
Profunc – Prominent
Communist Functionaries
- Identified individuals who might be a threat during a war
with the USSR or a state of emergency.
- The plan was to imprison them and their families
during such an event.
- Focused on communist sympathizers and union
members
- charities, debating clubs, human rights organizations
Richard Cavell, Canadian Cold War historian said….
If one of the aims of the Cold War was to preserve
national identity…
For Canada, that threat was coming from the South of the
border, not from the Soviets.
Canadian Woman and the Cold War
During WWII, millions
of women were called
upon to work in
Canada’s factories to
work.
After the war, all political parties and religious
groups urged women to give these jobs up to men
and return to traditional roles.
Women that did not comply came under
suspicion.
The RCMP investigated these
woman and their possible ties to
left wing unions.
During the war, the RCMP investigated Tupperware
and tea parties. This increased after the war.
Feminism increased in the late 1950’s.
Women began complaining
about the rise in prices,
national healthcare system,
quality of housing.
RCMP investigated these
women who were angered
by social and employment
inequality.
RCMP investigated
humanitarian Dr. Lotta
Hitschmanova.
She formed the Unitarian Services Committee (USC)
Born in Czechoslovakia, she worked
closely with war refugees.
FBI told the RCMP that the Boston branch
was under “Red” control.
Unitarianism didn’t see
communism as a threat like
other religious groups so the
RCMP thought it might offer
communism a way into
Canadian society.