Division of GermanyWhere: Germany, EuropeWest Germany is formed after UK, France and the US agree to join their occupation zones together

East Germany (German Democratic Republic) was formed by Stalin (U.S.S.R.)

COLD

WAR

HOT

SPOT

Berlin Blockade and Berlin Airlift

The city of Berlin was also divided, but lay within the borders of East Germany

West could only get in through certain highways, railways and corridors

Western powers decided to introduce a new currency into W. Germany. Soviets refused to accept it in Berlin

Soviets blockaded the corridors, so no supplies could get into W. BerlinAllies countered with a massive airlift that supplied Berlin for 15 months!Soviets realized blockade wasn’t working.Results:

-Two separate gov’ts for Berlin-Western Allies created NATO

StatisticsCargo (short tons)

  Flights Total Food Coal Other

USA 189,963 1,783,573 296,319 1,421,119 66,135

UK 87,841 541,937 240,386 164,911 136,640

France 424 896 Unkown unknown unkown

Total 278,228 2,326,406      

This battle, and one of the greatest humanitarian aviation events in history saved over 2.5 million people without firing a single

shot.

What: Berlin Wall, 1961this barrier was built by the Soviets, intended to stop the massive migration of East Berliners to the West (for jobs, defections, etc)it became one of the biggest symbols of the Cold War, and didn’t come down until 1989defectors trying to get “over the wall” would often be shot

The Korean War (1950-53)Where: North and South KoreaWhat:Korea was divided after Japan’s defeat in WWIINorth became communistSouth became democraticIn 1950, the North invaded the South

Kim II-Sung (leader in the North) Syngman Rhee (leader in South)

The UN sent in a force of troops representing 32 countries, including CanadaOver 26 500 Canadians served, 1 000 wounded and 400 were killedEven when armistice was signed in 1953, the two sides remained divided

What it meant for Canada:Loss of troopsShowed our support of the UN and our willingness to fight to support those goals

The Suez Crisis, 1956Where: Suez Canal, dividing Egypt from Saudi Arabia

What: The Suez Canal, opened in 1869, was strategically important as a trade route to India, but eventually more important as a link to the valuable oil countries of the Middle East.

Egyptian president Gamel Abdel Nasser seized this trade route from Britain and FranceIsrael saw this as a direct threat from EgyptBritain and France joined with Israel to attack EgyptSoviet Union sided with Nasser

Egypt’s Nasser with U.S.S.R.sKhrushchev

Pearson won a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in 1957

What it meant for Canada:Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent refused to side with Britain and FranceCanada’s Minister of External Affairs, Lester B. Pearson, went to the UN and suggested the creation of an emergency body The United Nations Emergency Force went to the Suez to keep the combatants apart while a settlement to the crisis was worked out

Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962Where: island of Cuba, Caribbean Sea

What: Cuba’s leadership changes when Castro’s rebels overthrow the government. The US backs an anti-Castro invasion which fails (“Bay of Pigs”),Encourages Cuba to turn to the USSR for support US and USSR were stockpiling their nuclear weapons.US spotted Soviet missiles in Cuba through aerial surveillanceThis now gave the US only a few minutes of advance warning from a Soviet attackUS set up a naval blockade around Cuba, defying Soviet ships to continue bringing their missiles into Cuba

Soviets continued on their path, protected by submarinesEveryone was sure this would lead to nuclear war

From left to right: Cuba’s Fidel Castro, US’s J.F. Kennedy and U.S.S.R.’s Nikita Kruschev

At the last minute, Khrushchev agrees to dismantle missile bases in exchange for a US promise not to invade Cuba and for the US to dismantle missile sites in Turkey.

What it meant for Canada:-- US expected Canada to support its stance against USSR and Cuba-- PM Diefenbaker did not “jump on board”-- US planes armed with nuclear weapons were not allowed to land at Canadian bases-- The prime minister’s stance harmed the relationship we had with the U.S.

NO US PLANES IN MY CANADA

The Vietnam War, 1954-1975Where: North and South VietnamWhat: The Indochina War between France and the Communist Vietminh ended with the defeat of the French in 1954.

The country was divided between Communist North and the anti-communist (partly democratic) South

North Vietnam leader – Ho Chi Minh South Vietnam leader Ngo Dinh Diem

The US supported the South, USSR supported the NorthThe US believed that if the North won, the “domino theory” would result, nearby nations would fall to communismLyndon B Johnson increased the number of US troops in Vietnam from 15 000 (1963) to 543 000 (1969)

“Hey, hey LBJ… how many kids did you kill today?”

This was the first televised war, and protest in America grew as they witnessed the failures in Vietnam

The Tet OffensiveUS soldiers had massacred women and children in the village of My Lai

The Viet Cong launched a massive offensive, attacking cities throughout South Vietnam

US presidency changes hands, as Nixon promised to remove troops out of VietnamThe US completely withdrew by 1973Vietnam was taken over by the communists of the North

President Richard Nixon

What it meant for Canada:*Some Americans did anything they could to avoid the “draft”… so they fled to Canada. (“Draft Dodgers”)*Many anti-communists fled Vietnam and arrived as refugees in Canada*Some Canadians profited from sales of goods for the war*“Better dead than RED” was a popular saying a the time, but not widely agreed upon*During the war, PM Pearson publicly criticized the war and was publicly scolded by then president Johnson (See Page 145 of Counterpoints)