Chapter 8 : Canada in the World

8.1 The Cold War

After World War 2, a “cold war” existed between the ideologies of communism (Soviet Union) and capitalism (U.S. and its allies)

The Cold War was “cold” because there was no actual war or attacks directly against each other. It was a tense exchange of words and threats.

The Cold War was divided into 2 main camps :

United States vs Soviet UnionCanada CubaGreat Britain ChinaWestern Europe Eastern Europe

Causes of the Cold War

1. Ideology

2. Actions of the Soviet Union

3. Arms Race = the development of Nuclear Weapons

1. Ideology means different values and ideas about political and economic systems.

Each side believed their ideology was superior and should be spread around the world. Likewise, they believed they should prevent the spread of the rival system

Political Systems :United States Soviet Union

-Democratic - Totalitarian

-free and fair elections - control by 1 political party

- personal freedoms - devoted to empowering working people

Economic Systems :United States Soviet Union

-Capitalist - Communist

-Private ownership of - state ownership or control business and industry of business

2. Actions of the Soviet Union

- After WW2, the Soviet troops remained in the countries they liberated and set

up pro-Soviet govt’s there.

- East Germany became known as the German Democratic Republic

Other European countries that came under the Soviet sphere of influence included :

Albania Poland BulgariaHungary Romania CzechoslovakiaEstonia Latvia Lithuania

The U.S. and its allies protested against these actions but did nothing to stop it.

The Soviet Union wanted a buffer zone between them and the West. These satellite states would be where the battles would take place if war broke out with the West and not in the Soviet Union itself.

The term “Iron Curtain” became widely used to describe the boundary between Communist and non-Communist countries in Europe.

3. The Arms Race : Development of Nuclear Weapons

Both powers tried to protect themselves from being attacked by the other by building more sophisticated weapons and defence systems. This created more fear and suspicion between them.

The Cold War lasted until 1989. There were 6 major events that almost sparked another world war:

1. Berlin 1948-492. Hungary 19563. Cuba 19624. Vietnam 1963-755. Czechoslovakia 19686. Afghanistan 1979-89

Hot Spots in the Cold War

1. Berlin 1948-49After WW2, Germany was divided into occupation zones by the Allies. Berlin was inside the Soviet zone but the city was itself divided among all the Allied powers.

The Soviets wanted the other Allies out of Berlin and made it very difficult for them by not allowing the Allies land access to transport goods into their sections of the city.The U.S. started 24 hour air supply of food and fuel for Berliners.The Soviet Union reopens land access to Berlin in May of 1949

2. Hungary 1956

The people of Hungary removed their pro-Soviet government and made liberal reforms.

The Soviet Union sent in 200 000 troops to invade Hungary and crush resistance.

The Allies provided verbal support only – but no military help.

3. Cuba 1962

Cuba’s communist gov’t, led by Fidel Castro, came to power in 1959.In 1961 The US supported an invasion of Cuba by Cuban exiles known as the “Bay of Pigs” invasion. It failed.In 1962, Soviets helped Cuba develop nuclear weapons. These were discovered raising fears of a possible nuclear strike against the U.S.

The U.S. ordered a quarantine (blockade) of Cuba to prevent Soviet ships from delivering missiles. The Soviets ignored the blockade and continued toward Cuba. The U.S. threatened war. Soviets backed down after the US promised not to invade Cuba. This was known as the Cuban Missile Crisis.

4. Vietnam 1963-75

After WW2, France tried to re-establish its colonial rule over Vietnam after Japan left.The Vietnamese wanted their independence and fought the French. The French lost.Consequently, in 1954, Vietnam was divided between communist North Vietnam and non-Communist South Vietnam. North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam trying to reunite the country under 1 gov’t.

The US sent troops to help South Vietnam. By 1969, at the war’s peak, over 543 000 US troops in Vietnam. Due to the huge anti-war protests in the US & the fact they couldn’t win, the US withdrew its troops in 1975.North Vietnam defeated South Vietnam as 1 communist country

5. Czechoslovakia 1968

The Czechs began to reject communist gov’t in favor of a more democratic system. This was known as the “Prague Spring” .

The Soviets invaded Czechoslovakia and restored communism. The Allies condemned the action in words but took no military action against them.

6. Afghanistan 1979-89

Civil war broke out between a communist gov’t and Muslim guerillas (unofficial soldiers).

Soviet Union sent in troops to aid the communist gov’t. Consequently, the US sent aid to the Muslim guerillas. The Soviets did not win and withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989.Civil war cont’d until 1996 when the Taliban took control of the country.

8.2 CANADA AND THE COLD WAR - To deal with concerns about the spread of

communism, Canada and other Allied countries formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). This was designed to provide collective security.

Collective Security means that all countries are pledged to come to the aid of the other countries in their alliance if they are threatened or attacked

The members of NATO include :Canada United States BritainBelgium Denmark IcelandFrance Italy NorwayLuxembourg Netherlands Portugal

In response to NATO, the Soviet Union created the Warsaw Pact. This was a military alliance between communist countries in eastern Europe. These include :Albania Bulgaria CzechoslovakiaEast Germany Hungary PolandRomania Soviet Union

Canada allied itself with the U.S.Canada’s commitment to NATO was very strong.

Canadian troops at an air force bases in southern GermanyCanadian navy protected shipping lanes in the Atlantic (Standing Naval Force Atlantic)

After the Cold War, Canada’s commitment to NATO continues.

NATO’s focus has changed since the end of the Cold War. It is now focused on protecting ethnic minorities and preventing international terrorism.

North American Air Defence Command (NORAD)

As the Cold War continued, Canada’s far north was of great strategic importance because Canada was directly between the Soviet Union and the U.S.

Canada and the US built a series of 63 radar across called the Dew Line across the Canadian Arctic.DEW line stands for Distant Early Warning.

This caused much controversy in Canada because many Canadians felt that major decisions regarding our defense was being made by the U.S. instead of ourselves.

The Dew Line brought thousands of jobs for Canadians. However, after the Cold War ended, the radar stations were closed and abandoned.

Many Inuit lost their jobs and their traditional way of life was also negatively affected by the disruption to the wildlife patterns in the region.

Canada and the US alliance continues today. In 1990 Canada participated in the first Gulf War .In 2003, Canada did not participate in the second Iraqi war because it was not sanctioned by the United Nations.

Today Canada must decide it’s role in the US Strategic Defense System (Star Wars).

This is a protective shield over North America from a missile attack. Detectors in space notify land-based interceptors and are destroyed in space long before they can land.

8.3 CANADA AND THE UNITED NATIONS Canada sought peace and security

after WW2 in 2 ways : 1. Military alliances 2. Active participation in the United

Nations

Canada was 1 of the 50 countries to create the UN after WW2. Its 4 goals are :1. To work collectively to bring an end to war2. To encourage cooperation among nations3. To improve standard of living4. To promote basic human rights

Canada supports the UN in humanitarian, social, and economic ways but its best-known contribution is as peacekeepers.

The Korean War ( 1950-53 )

On June 25, 1950, North Korea’s communist gov’t invaded South Korea. Consequently, the UN sent in troops from 16 different countries (Canada sent 16 000 troops) to support South Korea.

In 1953, a ceasefire was signed. A demilitarized zone or buffer zone was set up between North and South Korea to avoid further conflict.This demilitarized zone, along the 38th Parallel, is the most heavily defended border in the world

THE SUEZ CRISIS The Suez Canal was the busiest ocean-to-

ocean waterway in the world. Britain and France considered European control of the canal vital to world trade.

In 1956, the Egyptian gov’t nationalized the canal which is in Egypt and thus took control away from the British and French.

As a result, the British and French tried to convince Israel to attack Egypt with their support. Then they could “intervene” in the dispute and reclaim ownership of the canal.

The Soviet Union threatened nuclear action against Paris and London if their aggression continued.The US were in a difficult decision – they knew nothing about the plan to attack Egypt but were allied to Britain and France if the Soviets attacked them.

A Canadian, Lester B. Pearson, won the Nobel Peace prize for his solution to the problem. He sent in a UN peacekeeping force between the 2 sides to keep them apart while the dispute could be settled peacefully.

Most Canadians support Canada’s role in peacekeeping :

-Well trained- gain prestige & influence by performing UN duty we are a “middle power” with influence over others feel proud as good global citizens

Canada is 7th largest provider of money to the UN

Canada also participates in other organizations :

- The Commonwealth- La Francophonie- Organization of American States- World Trade Organization

Canada usually acts either bilateral (with another country) or multilateral (with other countries). It rarely acts on its own (unilaterally)