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The United Nations is created
The Second World War proved only too clearly that the League of Nations had failed in its objective which was to keep peace. The League had no military power of its own and its most influential members were not committed to the concept.But by April 1945 countries led by Britain, the Soviet Union and the US including Canada met in San Francisco to create the UN. The UN promoted ides of peace and social and economic progress which remained as the basic goals of this new world organization. -
World War II ends ( Surrender of Japanese Forces)
The surrender of the Empire of Japan on September 2, 1945. This brought world war II to a end, Production shifted from addressing the needs of the wartime economy, to supply a booming nation with new and affordable consumer goods. Amidst this period of renewed confidence and optimism, there was also a new threat coming to Canada. The US and the Soviet Union were embroiled in a "war" that did not involve combat intstead it was fought with propaganda, spying and politics. Now called the Cold War. -
Creation of NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization or NATO is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty. This event prompted the Americans to make a peacetime military commitment to Europe which waws the Berlin Blockade. For the Allies this was -
Communist take control of China
On this day Mao procalimed the birth of the People's Republic of China. Mao delievered his speech from the Gate of Enternal Peace, the entrance to the Forbidden City. Mao stood before a huge portrait of himself. "Stand up, those who refuse to be slaves". When Mao and the Communists took over China in 1949 the country ended up being in terrible shape. Roads, railways, farms and facotires were in a shocking state of disrepair and treasury was bankrupt after its entire gold reserves were taken away -
The Korean War
During WWII Korea was held by Japan. After the Japanese surrenderd in 1945, Korea was divided. The North soon became comminist and the South, democratic. When the North Korean troops refused to withdraw, the US demanded that the UN come to defend South Korea. By the time the war was over in July 1953, although both sides agreed to armistice, Korea remained divided between the North and South. -
Vietnam War
In 1954 Vietnam was divided between the North, held by the Communist government led by Ho Chi MInh, and the South wihch was anti-communists and partially democratic. South Vietnam was supported by the US and soon the fighting escalated to include Communist countries that supported the North, and non- Communist countries. Finally in 1973 a cease fire was reached, and in 1975 the last of the Americans left Vietnam. All of Vietnam quickly came under the onctrol of the Communists from the North. -
Creation of the WARSAW pact
The Warsaw Pact was developed in response to NATO in 1955, as a defensive alliance of the Soviet Union and its satellite states. -
Lester Pearson diffuses the Suez Crisis
In 1956, Egyptian President Nasser seized the Suez Canal from Britain and France. So in response Britain and France joined with Israel too attack Egypt. Lester Pearson, acting as Canada's minister of External Affairs, went to the UN and suggested creating the UNEF that would keep the combatants apart while a settlement to the Suez Crisis was worked out. As a result battle forces were withdrawn and replaced with UN peacekeeping forces. Lester Pearson won the Nobel Peace prize for his effoerts. -
Berlin Wall is built
There were two major reasons for the building of the Berlin Wall was economic and political problems. Too many well education people moved from East Germany, and some worked in West Berlin and lived in East Berlin so money was lost by this. And also when the West side interfered with the East side. These are two major contributors to why the Berlin Wall was built. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
In 1962 the US spotted Soviet missiles in Cuba through aerial surveillance. The US set up a naval blockade around Cuba. The crisis intensified as Soviet ships steamed toward Cuba. President Kennedy and Soviet leader Khrushchev wrote letters to each other in which the Soviets promised to remove the missiles if the Americans would issue a promise not to invade Cuba. Nuclear war was averted. -
USSR invases Afghanistan
The Soviet intervention in Afghanistan was a costly and, ultimately, pointless war.On the evening of the 27th of December 1979, the Afghan government was effectively decapitated.The Afghanistan Commission agreed to send Soviet special forces (spetznaz) months before the conflict erupted and to President Boris Yeltsin’s great surprise in 1992 Soviet advisers remained behind in Kabul, after the last troops had supposedly withdrawn in 1989. -
Berlin Wall is torn down
The Berlin wall represented the imprisonment of the people of East Germany. when it was built it was done to stop an ever increasing number of people leaving the communist side of occupied Germany.This had the effect of permanently breaking up family's, friendships, as well as driving home the fact that Germany was not a united nation. The moment the East German government lost the power to enforce the existence of the wall the people literally ripped it down reuniting Germany again.
