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Quebec's Padlock Law
Quebec statute empowering the Attorney General to close any building used for propagating “communism” for a year. A judge could reverse this if the owner could disprove this. This law also gave Attorney General power to confiscate and destroy any printed matter propagating communism. Anyone doing this could go to jail up to a year without appeal. This law was taken down in 1957 by the Supreme Court. -
Spiesin Canada: Gouzenko Affair
Gouzinko was a trained intelligence worker for the Soviet Embassy. He had learned that there were several spies in Canada and decided to move there and tell them when he learned that he and his family were about to be sent back to Russia. He offered Canada secret documents exposing the work of the soviet spies and asked for the protection of him and his family in return but he was not taken seriously. -
Spies in Canada: Gouzenko Affair Continued
Canadian officials later got involved when the soviets tried to kidnap him. As a result of the information given, 18 of 39 spies named were convicted of criminal activities related to spying. This man was viewed to most Canadians as a courageous person. -
Berlin Blockade
The Berlin Blockade · 1948: Soviets broke an agreement with former allies.
· Attempted to force the allies to give up the established rights to occupy the western part of former Berlin.
· Attempted to physically block supply lines to West Berlin.
· Failed because allies organized airlifts to provide food and more to residents of West Berlin who badly needed the supplies.
· The blockade succeeded because of raising tensions. -
International Alliances: NATO
9. NATO and the Warsaw Pact · 19949 the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was formed when Canada and America became concerned about European security because the soviets openly committed to spreading communism as far as possible.
· · Founding 12 countries: Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and America.
· More joined since.
· Is a defence pact intended to protect members against further soviet aggression.
· Members pledged to defend other members. -
The Korean War
Korean War 1950 - 1953· 1950: communist North Korea, supported by communist China, attacked South Korea.
· America supported South Korea.
· UN Security Council condemned the attack and called on UN members to render every assistance to South Korea.
· Only 16 members aided. Canada ranked in 3rd.
· Nearly 25,000 Canadians saw action before the truce in 1953.
· Over 1000 Canadians wounded, 406 killed.
· Ensured the independence of South Korea but Canadian troops were asked to stay until 1955 to help maintain the truce. -
The Warsaw Pact
· Soviets, fearful of a NATO attack, organized the countries behind the iron curtain into rival alliance called the “Warsaw Pact.”
· Countries part of the pact: Albania, Bulgaria, Czech, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the Soviet Union.
· Because of NATO and the Warsaw Pact, a military arms race occurred.
· By early 1950’s both sides had created the hydrogen bomb and both kept producing mass amounts of nuclear bombs. -
UN Peacekeeping: The Suez Crisis and Pearson Wins Nobel Prize #3
• Called for an immediate end to all shooting and creation of special UN peacekeeping forces and to patrol the border areas
• Plan accepted and Canada provided 800 soldiers (largest contribution). Grew over time.
• Troops kept peace until asked to leave in 1967 by the Egyptian government.
• Lester Pearson was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1957 for his resolution of the Suez Crisis. Later became Prime Minister. -
UN Peacekeeping: The Suez Crisis and Pearson Wins Nobel Prize #2
• Israeli forces, supported by British and French troops attacked Egypt to seize control of canal.
• Soviets threatened to help Egypt.
• Even though NORAD were allied with Britain and France and supporters of Isreal, they agreed with Soviets that attack on Egypt was wrong.
• Solution found by Lester Pearson, Canada’s secretary of state for external affairs: Presented at emergence meeting for UN General Assembly. -
UN Peacekeeping: The Suez Crisis and Pearson Wins Nobel Prize #1
• Suez Canal in Egypt: Important water way connection the Mediterranean and Red Seas en rout to the Indian Ocean.
• Egyptian leader decided to take over full control of the Canal zone.
• For French and British owners of the canal this meant the loss of power and wealth.
• For government of France and Britain this meant the loss of strategic control in the region.
• France, Britain, and Isreal secretly agreed to regain control. -
Sputnik
SPUTNIK 1 CBS NEWS SPECIAL REPORT ON TV, October 6 1957 · 1957 soviets launched first sputnik satellite.
· America thought soviets had an advantage because of better missiles.
· America replaced old long-range bomber aircrafts with long-ranged intercontinental ballistic missiles.
· Soviets responded by doing the same.
· Canada responded by constructing Alouette 1, the first satellite made by a country other than the USSR or the United States -
Continental Alliances: NORAD and DEW Line
The Early Warning Radar System - A Cold War Legacy· Dew: high powered radar antennae stationed along DEW Line can pick up approaching enemy aircraft and missiles from 4800 km away.
· If unidentified object is detected, NORAD is alerted.
· NORAD is isolated under 400 m of granite, near Colorado Springs, Colorado.
· Controls response to defence weapons. -
Avro Arrow and its Cancellation
· Supersonic, intercepter, jet aircraft.
· Developed and built by Canadians.
· Replaced with ready-made Bomarc Missiles
· Cancelled because of the large cost. -
Continental Alliences:NORAD and DEW Line
The Early Warning Radar System - A Cold War Legacy· 1950’s North America needed better system of defence because of new long-range nuclear missiles.
· North America Aerospace Defence Command agreement was signed in 1958.
· Terms: Canada and America agreed to defend each other.
· Canada allowed America to build several defence installations in the Northwest Territories to create the Distant Early Warning system known as DEW Line. -
Diefenbaker, Bomarc Missiles and Nuclear Warheads in Canada
· Fall 1958: Pm Diefenbaker’s government made agreement with America to deploy 2 squadrons of Bomarc antiaircraft missiles into Canada.
· Fifty six missiles deployed under control of the commander in chief, NORAD.
· Canadian government did not make it clear that the missiles would be fitted with nuclear warheads.
· Became known in 1960 and gave rise to dispute whether Canada should adopt nuclear weapons. -
The Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis · In 1962 American spy planes had photographed the construction of soviet missile sites on the island of cuba.
· Communist Cuba could accurately hit North America.
· President Kennedy imposed naval blockade around cuba to stop soviet ships from delivering missiles.
· American school children were drilled for an attack and fallout shelters were maid.
· Canada suggested that sites should be examined by independent experts.
· Blockade remained and soviet ships turned back. -
Canada-Soviet Hockey Series
· Canadian amateur hockey teams playing in Olympic and World Championships had come close to winning for years but had not been able to defeat top European teams. Especially Russia.
· European style emphasized strong passing game, with set plays, that contrasted with more individual and rougher Canadian teams style.
· Canadians believed no European team could defeat Canadian team composed of NHL Players. -
Canada-Soviet Hockey Series
· 1972: series between top Russian team and top Canadian team was organized.
· Shock because Russia had equalled their performance with a series split of three equal wins.
· Final game in Moscow, Canada scored in last minute winning series.
· Huge boost for nations pride. -
Vietnam War and Draft Dodgers in Canada
· North Vietnam was supported by the communists
· South Vietnam was supported by the United States and other anti-communism countries.
· U.S. government viewed involvement in war as a way to stop communist takeover as part of their strategy of containment.
· North Vietnamese government and Viet Cong were fighting to reunify Vietnam under communist rule.
· Canada did not fight in this war. -
Vietnam War and Draft Dodgers in Canada
· Canada had an agreement making them help the United States.
· Canada helped aid South Vietnam and they would deliver secret messages between South Vietnam and America.
· Many Americans moved to Canada to evade The Draft or Conscription to avoid deserting the American Army if they were drafted.
· Approximately 20,000 to 30,000 draft-eligible American men moved to Canada during the Vietnam era. -
The Fall of the Berlin Wall
Nov. 10, 1989: Celebration at the Berlin Wall • The Soviet Union collapsed.
• The spokesman for East Berlin’s Communist Party announced a change in his city’s relations with the West.
• At midnight he said citizens of the GDR were free to cross the border.
• East and West Berlin came to the wall and broke it down and flooded through. -
The Fall of the Soviet Union
· A Few days earlier to Christmas Day 1991,the Russian Federation, Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzberkistan met and announced that they would no longer be part of the Soviet Union.
· They established a Commonwealth of Independent States instead.
· Only one of the Soviet Unions republic remained.
· The Soviets had fallen due to the great number of reforms that Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev had implemented.
