Canada and the Cold War
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
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.
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.
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.
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: “It’s War! It’s
Russia!”.
• 18 people were arrested with 8 eventually
convicted of spying - likely trying to get Atomic
Bomb secrets.
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.
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
Cold War - Canada’s 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.
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
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
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
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
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)
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
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?
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?
Cold War - NORAD
• Both sides soon developed Inter-Continental
Ballistic Missiles (ICBM)
• Launched from silos or subs into space
could reach one another’s cities in less than
30 minutes
• DEW lines were rendered obsolete
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?
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
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)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.