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Important Dates
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Berlin Airlift
The Soviets, while attempting to push the West out of Berlin, halted all the passenger trains and traffic from entering the city, as well as other forms of transportation. The Western countries launched a military operation to bring supplies to the crippled city of Berlin. -
Korean War
In the Korean war, the Soviet-ruled North Korea decided to invade the democratic South Korea, thus failing to adhere to a U.S-Soviet agreement. This war ended in 1948 when the Soviet Union agreed to withdraw from South Korea. -
The Colombo Plan
The Colombo plan was created at the Colombo conference in Sri Lanka. The purpose of the plan was to create mutual bonds between many countries of the south pacific and asia, by providing foreign aid. Canada was one of the founding members of the Colombo Plan. -
Avro Arrow
The Avro arrow was a supersonic interceptor jet designed by the Canadian company Avro Canada. Its purpose was to protect North America from Soviet bombers equipped with nuclear missises. However, the Avro Arrow was canceled by Prime Minister John Diefenbaker. -
The Hungarian Revolution
The Hungarian was a revolt by the people of Hungary against their soviet rulers. Begginning as a demonstration, the revolt quickly escalated. This ended with the execution of many prominent Hungarian figures of authority. -
Suez Crisis
The country of Israel decided to invade Egypt in 1956. Although it was denied by the countries, evidence uncouvered suggested that the invasion had been planned by the French, British and Israli forces. The British Prime Minister anounced a cease fire on November 6th. -
The Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was constructed during the night by the Soviet Union. Its purpose was keep the communists of East Germany in their half of the country, and the capitalist West German people in their half. As a result the people on both sides of the wall experienced a large social divide from one another. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation between the alliance of Cuba and the Soviet Union, and the United States. It was triggered by the Soviets placing medium-range nuclear missiles in Cuba. On October 28th the Soviets decided to remov their missiles and return them to Russia. -
Cyprus Peacekeeping
Canadian forces underwent a peacekeeping mission in Cyprus, in an effort to resolve a conflict between the Turkish People and the Greeks. 125 Canadians lost their lives in this conflict. Canada withdrew from the island of Cyprus in 1993 -
SALT Agreement
The SALT (Strategic Arms Limitaitions Talks) were two sets of diplomatic discussions between the United States and the Soviet Union, discussing limitations on nuclear weapons for the two countries. These talks resulted in an agreement to limit nuclear weapons. However, the U.S. withdrew from the treaty in 1986. -
The Summit Series
The summit series was an ice hockey series between Canada and the Soviet Union. Canada expected an easy win, however Russia played hard and forced an eighth and deciding game. Canada won this game 6-5 by a goal from Paul Henderson. -
Nicuraugan Revolution
The Nicuraugan Revolution was was created in opposition to the Somozo dictatorship, which was in power in that time. They were replaced by a socalist party, called the Sandinista Liberation Front. This lead to the immigration of over 10,000 Canadian refugees to Canada -
Canada in Afghanistan
Following the withdrawal of Soviet troops, a civil war broke out in Afghanistan in the 1980's. The resulting war generated a staggering amount of casualties, and over 4.5 refugees. In 1987, foreign troops were finally removed from Afghanistan. -
Olympic Boycott
Canada, along with other democratic countries such as Japan and the United States, boycotted the 1980 summer olympics in Moscow in an effort to protest the Soviet Union's involvement in Afghanistan. The Soviets retaliated with a boycott of the olympics in Los Angeles in 1984. -
Star Wars
Star Wars was a defense initiative named after the popular film series, proposed by the American president Ronald Reagen. It focused on protecting North America from Russian Ballistic missile attacks, using space-bound mechanisms such as orbital missile stations. -
Gorbachev Revolution
The Gorbachev revolution occured after Mikhal Gorbachev entered into power in 1985. He proposed a new style of leadership that would reflect a more capitalistic style, with some independence for private companies. He served until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. -
The Fall of the Berlin Wall
The changing policies of governments, and the weakening of communism in key countries is seen to be what caused the end of the cold war. The fall of the Berlin Wall is seen to be a symbol for the end of this conflict, as the 'iron curtain dividing the two halves of Europe was finally destroyed.
