The Cold War

The Formation of the United Nations

Jan 1, 1942

The United Nations was created when 26 nations came together during World War Two to replace the League of Nations. Each country brought representatives to work together to fight against the Axis powers of World War Two. It officially became known as the United Nations when US President Roosevelt first used the term on January 1, 1942. It played a major part in keeping the peace during the Cold War. Canada is a member of the United Nations.

The use of the Atomic Bomb

Aug 6, 1945

There were two uses of the atomic bomb in warfare; both were used by the United States against Japan in World War Two. The first nuclear bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and the second was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. The atomic bombs created huge explosions, and the aftermath was devastating. Canada helped to create the bombs by supplying uranium from Elliot Lake.

The Gouzenko Affair

Sep 5, 1945

The Gouzenko Affair occurred on September 5, 1945. That night, a man who worked for the Soviet embassy in Ottawa, named Igor Gouzenko, stole many secret documents. He went to the RCMP headquarters and exposed the Russian’s documents that proved there were Russian spies throughout Canada’s top secret facilities. Gouzenko helped Prime Minister King make 12 arrests to be made in order to cleanse the country of Russian spies.

The Formation of NATO

Apr 4, 1949

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) was formed on April 4, 1949 by twelve nations across the world that got their militaries together in case of an attack from the Soviet Union. Canada was one of the countries involved, as well as Belgium, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and the US. In 1952, Greece, Turkey and Germany joined. General Dwight Eisenhower was named the Supreme Commander of NATO in December 1950.

Korean War

Jun 25, 1950

• The Russians had occupied North Korea and the United States had occupied South Korea, leaving the North communist and the South democratic with a lot of conflict between the two. On June 25, 1950, North Korea’s military attacked South Korea. When the United States got involved to help South Korea, Canada also helped South Korea by supplying over 26 000 soldiers. The war ended on July 27, 1953, when the Armistice at Panmunjom was signed.
  

The Warsaw Pact

May 14, 1955

The Warsaw Pact was a mutual defense treaty between eight communist states of Eastern Europe in existence during the Cold War. The Warsaw Pact was formed on May 14, 1955 and ended on July 1, 1991. The member states of the Warsaw Pact were Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, the Soviet Union and Albania. Canada was not involved in the Warsaw Pact.

Vietnam War

Nov 1, 1955

The Vietnam War started on November 1, 1955, and was fought in Laos and Cambodia as well as Vietnam. Much like the Korean War, this war took place between North Vietnam which was communist and supported by the USSR, and South Vietnam which was supported by the US. Again, Canada helped by sending 30 000 troops to South Vietnam. The war ended on April 30, 1975 when Saigon fell to North Vietnam and the South was defeated.

Suez Crisis

Jul 26, 1956

The Suez Canal was in Egypt and was a great source of oil for Europe. On July 26, 1956, the Egyptian President Abdul Nasser decided to take control of the Suez Canal and began to run the canal as a business. Since they had sided with the USSR, Britain got angry, and they got France and Israel on their side of the issue. Britain and France attacked in October, and Russia backed up Egypt. Canadian Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson was the man who solved the crisis when he proposed for the Briti

The Cancellation of the Avro Arrow

Feb 20, 1958

The Avro Arrow was a Canadian high performance delta wing interceptor with Mach 2 capabilities. It was canceled shortly after production on February 20, 1958 while Diefenbaker was prime minister, also known as “Black Friday” because the government had spent over 10 million dollars on the project and did not want to put forth the rest of the money to complete it. There was also speculation that there was pressure from other countries that did not want Canada to compete with their similar planes.

Formation of NORAD

May 12, 1961

NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) is both a United States and Canadian organization. NORAD’s purpose is to provide aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and defence for the two countries. NORAD was formed on May 12th 1961 and its Headquarters for the Canadian region is at CFB Winnipeg, Manitoba and Canada is in involved by providing surveillance and control of Canadian airspace.

Cuban Missile Crisis

Oct 16, 1962

The Cuban Missile Crisis happened from October 16, 1962, to October 28, 1962, in Cuba and the Caribbean Sea. Cuba (backed by the USSR) had an extensive supply of nuclear warheads from the Soviet Union and pointed them at the United States, threatening an attack. It was the first documented instance of the threat of mutual assured destruction (MAD) between The Soviet Union and the United States. Canadian Prime Minister Diefenbaker was supportive of the United States and put Canadian troops on

The SALT Treaty

Nov 24, 1974

The SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks) were a series of negotiations that lead to a treaty between Russia and the United States. The negotiations started in 1972 in Finland, but the treaty was signed on November 24, 1974. There were two major negotiations: SALT 1 and SALT 2, both of which lasted several years. The negotiations were on the subject of armament control, so that both powers would agree to keep peace by limiting what kind of weapons they could produce and use.

Strategic Defence Initiative

Mar 23, 1983

The Strategic Defence Initiative was put into place by the United States under President Ronald Reagan beginning on March 23, 1983. It put into place an anti-missile system to guard against attacks from the Soviet Union. The US spent over 30 billion dollars on the initiative with many far-fetched plans, but eventually gave it up because it was too complex. Many people thought it went against the SALT Treaty, but Canada backed the United States in their decision.

Fall of the Berlin Wall

Nov 9, 1989

After the Second World War, Germany was divided by Soviet occupation in Eastern Germany and Allied occupation in Western Germany. The USSR put up a wall dividing the East and the West overnight on August 12-13, 1961. It was taken down on November 9, 1989 and signified the fall of communism in Germany.

Breakup of the Soviet Union

Dec 26, 1991

The Breakup of the Soviet Union signified the end of the Cold War, because the communist countries had been defeated. It happened in December 26, 1991, when the Soviet Union broke up into fifteen countries. Canada itself did not have any involvement, but all of the countries that broke up the Soviet Union joined the United Nations.