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Quebec's Padlock Law
An act in Quebec that prohibited individuals from advertising Communism or Bolshevism in any way, whether it be through brouchures, pamplets, etc. Penalties for breaking this law included private property being suspended for up to a year by the government, and the culprits being jailed for up to thirteen months. This law was often critisized because it clearly defied human rights, such as the freedom of speech and expression. -
Spies in Canada: Gouzenko Affair
Gouzenko's Interview
Igor Gozenko, a soviet spy assigned to Ottawa in 1943, defected to Canada in 1945 after he heard that he and his family were to be sent back to Russia. He exposed the work of Soviet spies and various top-secret soviet documents in return for permanent protection under the Canadian government. -
Berlin Blockade
Berlin airlift Utilizing the Berlin Blockade, the Soviet Union attempted to force allies to give up the rights to western Berlin by blocking much-needed supplies from reaching western Berlin. The blockade failed because the allies had an airlift to provide food and other supplies to the residents of West Berlin. Canada refused to provide planes for the allied airlift, although Canadian pilots helped out. -
International Alliances: NATO
"The Big Picture" NATO, aka the North Altantic Treaty Organization, is an intergovermental organization in which member countries are sworn to mutually protect eachother against an attack by an external country. Canada was a member of this international organization. -
The Korean War
Korean War Memorial SongA war between the Replublic of Korea (south korea), and Democratic People's Republic of Korea (north korea). North Korea was supported by the communist countries such as China and the U.S.S.R, and South Korea was supported by the U.N. Canada ranked 3rd in its assistance to South Korea's war effort, providing 25,000 soldiers. 1000 were wounded, and 406 were killed. -
Warsaw Pact
A treaty signed by several communist countries in which they promise to mutually protect eachother from external attacks. This organization existed during the cold war. -
UN Peacekeeping: The Suez Crisis
The Suez canal was an important waterway because it connected the Mediterranean and Red Seas en route to the Indian Ocean. It was used by many countries, such Britain, France, and the middle eastern civilizations. During late 1956, Egyptian leader General Nasser wanted to take full control of the Canal, and was opposed by the French, Isreali, and British, who sent soldiers to seize control of the Canal. -
Vietnam War
Short informational songThere is much debate over the exact date on which this war between America and Vietnam officially started. This was a highly unpopular war, as it resulted in deaths of over 60,000 american soldiers, and around 2 million vietnese. Canada did not play significant role in this war effort. -
Draft Dodgers in Canada
Draft Dodger RagDraft Dodgers were americans who wished to escape conscription by escaping to Canada during the vietnam war. 20,000 to 30,000 Americans escaped to Canada during the war era. -
Diefenbaker: Bomarc missiles and nuclear warheads in Canada
Great speechesJohn Diefenbaker was the prime minister of Canada from the years 1957 to 1963. He represented the conservatives, and improved living conditions in Canada by cutting taxes and raising old age pensions. In the place of the Avro Arrow, which he deemed too expensive, he introduced American-made Bomarc missiles for Canada's defence. The diefenbaker government stated that nuclear Warheads were not allowed into Canada, -
DEW line
The Canadians permitted the Americans to install The DEW line, or the Distant Early Warning system, which was a high-powered radar antennae at many stations along the line. The stations along the the DEW line could pick up enemy aircraft and missiles from 4800 km away. If any unknown object was detected, the people at the stations would alert the NORAD headquarters. -
NORAD
Documentary Norad stands for North American Air Defence. NORAD was an organization that made Canada and the United States agree to defend each other from any aerospace or maritime threat. -
Sputnik
Launch of SputnikPart of the arms race in the Cold War. Although the Sputnik was not a problem, the rocket that put it into orbit posed a threat because it could be used to shoot a nuclear warhead to North America. -
Lester Pearson wins the Nobel Prize
A breif documentaryDuring a UN meeting in 1957, Lester Pearson, Canada's secretary of state of external affairs. found the solution to the Suez Crisis. His proposal was that a special UN peacekeeping force should be made to monitor the withdrawal of the invading armies and to patrol the borders. His proposal was accepted, and Canada provided 800 soldiers. Lester Pearson was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his contributions in ending the Suez Crisis. -
Avro Arrow
A delta-winged interceptor aircraft, created by Avro Canada. It was, at the time, a very advanced aircraft, and was able to fly at Mach 3 speeds at very high altitudes. -
Avro Arrow's Cancellation
The Avro Arrow was cancelled because prime minister Diefenbaker thought that the plane was too expensive to mas produce, and the money spent on the plane could be much better spent elsewhere. To replace the plane, Diefenbaker introduced american-made missles to defend Canada. -
Canada's Space Program
Alloute's Lauch- Skip to 50 sec. for launch footageOver the couse of the Cold War, Canada had launched 5 satillites into space, and was one of the first countries to launch a man-made satallite into space. Also, George Klein, a Canadian inventor, invented the STEM, which was used on almost all of the democratic-side satellites that were launched into space throughout the cold war. Canada's first satillite, the Alouette I, was launched into space on September 29, 1962 -
Cuban Missile Crisis
American spy planes had discovered the construction of U.S.S.R missile sites in Cuba. From the island, the missiles could be accurately launched to any location in North Amerca. U.S presedent Kennedy quickly implemented a naval blockade around Cuba to halt Soviet ships from shipping the missiles and warheads. The Canadian government was opposed to this plan, and wanted the missile sites to be inspected by promessionals. In the end, the Americans kept the blockade until the Soviet ships retreated -
Canada-Soviet Hockey Series
The Canada-Soviet Hockey Series,aka the summit series, this was an eight-game series of ice hockey games between Canada and the U.S.S.R. Canada ended up winning the series. This was more than just a sporting game. This event took place in the peak of the cold war, and aroused a strong sense of nationalism on both sides. -
The Fall of the Berlin Wall
A short summaryCommunism was begginning to weaken in the years prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall. Then, suddenly, the communist leader announced that all citizens of Eastern germany were allowed to relocate to Western Germany.Guards in Eastern Gernmany were letting people cross the Berlin Wall, and finally escape their side. Soon, people started chipping away at the walls, and keeping pieces that would soon become collectables. -
The Fall of the Soviet Union
History of Soviet Union in a songSoviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev handed over the nuclear codes to Russian president Boris Yeltsin after he resigned. The soviet flag was taken down from the Kremlin, and in its place, the Russian flag was raised. The union lost power and began its decline when political unrest arose.
