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Quebec's Padlock Law
Quebec's padlock law was an act of the province of Quebec , passed by the Union Nationale government of Maurice Duplessis, intended to prevent the dissemination of communist propaganda. This was significant because it was the first noticable attack on cummunism after the World War II. -
Spies in Canada: Gouzenka Affair
The Gouzenka Affair was a Royal Commision appointed by William Lyon Mackenzie King, to investigate the allegations set forward by Igor Gouzenka that a spy ring of Canadian Communists were handing over secret and top secret information to the Soviet Union. This was significant to Canada because Igor's whistle-blowing could possibly stop their top secrets from being spread to the enemy. -
Berlin Blockade
The Berlin blockade was an attempt by the Soviet Union to physically block all supply lines to West Berlin so that the allies were unable to give food and supplies to the people there. However, this failed because the allies organized an airlift to provide the supplies to those in Berlin that badly needed them. This is significant to Canada because they were part of the allies during this time. -
International Alliances: NATO
NATO stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organization. NATO is a defence pact created with the intention to protect its members against further soviet agression. This is significant to Canada because Canada was one of its founding members. -
The Korean War
The Korean war occured when Communist North Korea and China attacked Capitalist South Korea. Of all the member nations of the UN, only 16 helped aid the war effort in South Korea. Canada ranked 3rd in total aid to South Korea. This is significant to Canada because over 1000 Canadians were wounded and 406 were killed in this effort. -
Vietnam War and Draft Dodgers in Canada
Canada did not fight in the Vietnam War. They sent peace troops to Vietnam, but no combat troops. Many americans did not want to fight in the vietnam war. Because of this, they tried to immigrate to Canada so they would not have to fight in the war. These Americans were called draft dodgers. -
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UN Peacekeeping - The Suez Crisis & Pearson wins Nobel Prize
The Suez Cisis was a diplomatic military confrontation that the Soviet Union and United Nations played a major role in by trying to force Britain, Israel, and France to withdrawl. This is significant to Canada because they were part of the United Nations. A canadian named Lester B Pearson won the nobel peace prize in 1957 for organizing the United Nations Emergency Force to resolve the Suez Crisis. -
Sputnik
In 1957 the soviets launched the first Sputnik satellite. The rocket that put Sputnik in orbit around Earth could also be used to deliver a nuclear warhead to any spot in North America. This caused new political, military, technological, and scientific developments to be made by both the Soviet Union and North America, both trying to surpass eachother. -
NORAD and the DEW line
NORAD stands for North American Aerospace Defense Command. It was established in 1958 and is a joint organization between the United Staes and Canada. It provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and defense for the two countries. The DEW line stands for the Distant Early Warning line that was used to detect incoming soviet bombers during the cold war. It was used by the Arctic region of Canada to provide early warning of any sea-and-land invasion. -
Diefenbaker, Bomarc missiles, and nuclear warheads in Canada.
In 1958, the Progressive Conservative government of John Diefenbaker deployed 56 American-made Bomarc missiles in Ontario and Quebec. This started an on going contravercy on whether or not nuclear weapons should be carried by Canada. -
Avro Arrow
The Avro Arrow was a technically advanced fighter jet developed and built by Canadians. The diefenbaker government cancelled the Avro Arrows production in 1959. This caused 14.000 Canadians to become unemployed. -
The Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a 13-day confrontation between the Soviet Union and Cuba against the United States. It is generally regarded as the moment in which the Cold War came the closest to turning into a nuclear conflict. This is significant to Canada because if the Cold War had gone nuclear, they would have been involved and many Canadian lives would be lost. -
Canada-Soviet Hockey Series
In September 1972, a hockey series was organized between the top Russian team and a Canadian team composed of NHL players. In the final game of the series, Canada scored a goal in the last few minutes and won the series against Russia. This gave Canada a tremendous boost of national pride. -
The Fall of the Berlin Wall
When the Berlin Wall was opened in November 1989, it marked for many the symbolic end of the Cold war. This affected Canada because it meant that the war that they were involved in was finally over. -
The Fall of the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union finally collapsed in 1991, shortly after Mikhail Gorbashev had resigned as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. This was significant to Canada because it stopped communist influences made by the Soviet Union on the rest or Europe.
