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Igor Gouzenko
In 1943 Igor Gouzenko came to Ottawa as a codeclerk in the Soviet Embassy. On September 5 1945 he defected to Canada, bringing with him documents as proof that the Soviets were spying on Canadians and Americans. Although initially most of the authorities he visited turned him down, he was eventually found credible by the Solicitor General's secretary.The information shocked North American, and is quickly diminished relations between North American and the USSR.This was the spark of the Cold War. -
The Berlin Airlift
The Berlin airlift took place from June 27, 1948 to May 12, 1949. Berlin was divided into Soviet and Ally control. The Soviets created blockades around the city, preventing necessities from entering, in the hope that the Allies would be forced to abandon West Berlin. America, Canada and other democratic countries were forced to fly some 277,000 flights to supply necessities to West Berlin. By May 12, 1949, the Soviets lifted the barrier, but Canada/other countries were not happy with the USSR. -
Period: to
The Cold War
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The Korean War
After the WWII, Korea was split into two sections, one run by the USA and one run by the USSR. Joseph Stalin ordered North Korea (which was under communist rule) to attack the democratic Southern part of Korea. South Korea was soon to overcome the North, and pushed into their lines. The Chinese attacked American troops because they were worried the US would invade China.This forced the US to retreat back to South Korea.Throughout the confict Canada played a large role with the UN in the crisis. -
The Colombo Plan
Colombo Plan for Co-operative Economic Development in South and Southeast Asia was established following a Jan 1950 meeting of commonwealth foreign ministers in Colombo, Ceylon, to stop the poverty upon which communist political movements in Asia were thought to feed. Canada's participation grew rapidly through the plan as Canada was one of the original countries to join. The Colombo plan is still in action today. -
Avro Arrow
The Avro Arrow began development in April of 1953 and was a supersonic, long ranged interceptor. Its role was to protect against the threat of Soviet bombers attacking North America over the Arctic. The project was abruptly cancelled February 20th, 1959 for many debatable reasons such as rising cost, and the lowered threat of Soviet attack by bombers. -
Distant Early Warning Line
In northern Canada, the Distant Early Warning Line (DEW Line) was established by the American and Canadian governments, to give warning of Soviet bombers heading over the North Pole. The DEW Line consisted of 58 radar stations with over lapping radar coverage and the ability to detect aircraft and missiles within their areas of surveillance.The line was a very important contribution by Canada in the Cold War, and was essential to preventing soviet attack. -
The Suez Crisis
Head of Egyptian government, Gamal Abdel Nasser, decided to charge countries to use the Suez canal- a vital shipping route. He needed funds for the dam he wanted to build on it. The US and Britain promised to give the money to Egypt to build the dam, but retracted their offer. Israel, Britain and France all attacked Egypt which was soon defended by the USSR. The conflict nearly caused a nuclear war but the UN, thanks to tremendous Canadian efforts, was prevented. -
Hungarian Revolution
The Hungarian Revolution was a revolt against the People's Republic of Hungary, and its communist government. The revolt was successful and fighting began to stop by the end of October, but Soviet troops were sent in to intervene. By November 10th over 2500 Hungarians and 700 Soviets were killed. Over 200 000 Hungarians fled as refugees from Hungary, and 37 000 came to Canada, mostly to Toronto. -
Bomarc Missile Crisis
In the fall of 1958, Prime Minister Diefenbaker decided to obtain Bomarc missiles from the US. 56 missiles were deployed to Ontario but were soon rejected due to the fact that the Canadian government didn't make it clear what missiles they wanted, and received nuclear war heads. In 1963 the Liberals' returned to power and on 31 December 1963 the missiles were obtained this time, but later would be withdrawn. -
Rise of the Berlin Wall
After WWII, Germany was separated into four parts. Allied powers joined together, forming West Germany. The USSR held East Germany. As tensions between the USSR and Countries like the US, Britain, Canada and France raised, a wall was formed to separate the democratic Western Germany and the communist Eastern Germany. This event created Canadian and allied tensions to rise against the Soviet Union. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The US detected a Soviet ballistic missile on a launching site in Cuba. For days the U.S. and the Soviet Union were on the brink of war. The USSR finally agreed to remove the missiles in return for a secret commitment from the U.S. to withdraw its own missiles from Turkey and to never invade Cuba. To Kennedy’s annoyance, Canada refused to put its troops on alert, as Diefenbaker/Kennedy relation was uneasy. The incident increased tensions during the Cold War and fueled the nuclear arms race. -
Cyprus Peacekeeping
In 1964, Canadian peacekeepers began their mission on the island of Cyprus, involving the conflict between the Turkish and Greek inhabitants of the nation. In total, over 25 000 Canadian Forces members served in Cyprus, with the loss of approximately 125 Canadians. Canada was involved for 29 years, until 1993, making it one of Canada's longest peacekeeping missions. -
SALT Agreement
(Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty) Negotiations between the U.S. and the Soviet Union aimed at limiting the manufacture of nuclear missiles. The first round of negotiations began in 1969 and resulted in a treaty (signed in May 1972) regulating antiballistic missiles and freezing the number of intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles. It was signed by Leonid Brezhnev and Richard Nixon in 1972. A second agreement would later be arranged from 1972 to 1979. -
The Summit Series
This hockey tournament was between Canada and the USSR. Canada won the series in the 8th game with a late goal by Paul Henderson. Although the event created a rivalry between Canada and the Soviet Union, it gave the countries a chance to temporarily forget about the Cold War, and focus on the hockey series. It’s said that 3 of 4 Canadians were watching game 8, and much of the world was also glued to their television. The series gave people a chance to focus on something other than the Cold War. -
Nicaragua
In 1979, the Sandinista movement overcame the Somoza dictatorship. The US made an effort to overthrow the government. The US provided arms/training to the Somoza dictatorship, creating a movement known as the Contras which waged a guerilla war against the Sandinistas. The Nicaraguan government brought charges in the World Court against the U.S. and won but the US was too powerful to charge. Sandinista rule soon ended and the US withdrew its efforts. Canada helped to rebuild the Nicaraguan econ. -
Afghanistan 1980's
Afghanistan suffered a civil war after the USSR withdrew its occupation in the early 1980's. The UN general council attempted to find ways to end the war, but were unsuccessful. The war had devastating effects, resulting in over 4.5 million refugees and having over half of the population displaced. The war crippled the country's economy. In 1987, an agreement was signed to remove foreign troops from Afghanistan. -
1980 and 1984 Olympic Boycotts
The 1980 summer Olympic Games, held in Moscow, Russia were boycotted by Canada, and 64 other countries. The boycott occured because of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan about a year earlier. There was an Olympic Boycott Games held in Philadelphia for boycotting countries. In response to this, the USSR and 17 other communist supporting countries boycotted the 1984 Summer Olympic games in Los Angeles, California. -
Strategic Defense Initiative "Star Wars"
SDI was proposed by US President Ronald Reagan to use ground and space based systems to protect the United States from attack by strategic nuclear ballistic missiles. The initiative focused on strategic defense rather than the prior strategic offense doctrine of mutual assured destruction (MAD). The ambitious initiative was widely criticized as being unrealistic, even unscientific and would re-ignite "an offensive arms race". It was soon derided, largely in the mainstream media, as "Star Wars". -
Gorbachev Revolution- Perestroika
In the 1980's the soviet economy was falling apart. When Mikhail Gorbachev became head of the USSR, he implemented his plan of 'Glasnost and Perestroika' which lasted from 1985 to 1991. The goal was to create a semi-free market system, reflecting successful capitalist practices in the economies of Canada, Japan, and the United States. Unfortunately, it didn't work out. Glasnost and Perestroika did later, however, help cause the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The fall of the Berlin wall was probably what most signified the end of the cold war. Thousands of East Germans travelled to the west when the "iron curtain" was finally lifted between Austria and Hungary, and soon all travel restrictions were lifted in Germany from the change of government. The first border opening occurred at Bornholmer Strasse.
