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World War 2 ends
On May 8, 1945, The Second World War came to an end in Europe. Germany and the Nazis surrendered, and Hitler committed suicide. Canada contributed with its military, and also supplied ally countries. -
The United Nations is created
World War II proved that the League of Nations had failed to keep peace. Towards the end of the war, countries wanted a new organization that would be stronger than the last one. 50 countries led by Britain, the Soviet Union, America, and Canada met in San Francisco to create the United Nations (UN). PM Lester Pearson played a key role in solving some of the problems faced in the UN. Canada is also a consistent active supporter of this organization -
V-J Day
Victory in Japan Day is the name given to the day when WWII ended in Japan. A significant event that led to this day was the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Canada contributed in many ways, whether it was helping with supplies, or helping with the military. -
Creation of NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is a military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty. NATO was the Democratic alliance of the Second World War. Canada was a part of this alliance, and was a huge contributor. -
Communists take control of China
On October 1, 1949, Mao Zedong, the new communist leader of China, proclaimed the birth of the People's Republic of China. Mao delivered his speech from the Gate of Eternal Peace, the entrance to Forbidden City, a symbol of ancient power purposely chosen to declare a new China. -
Korean War
After the Japanese surrendered, Korea became divided into two sides. The North is communist, and the South is democratic. Over 100,00 North Korean troops invaded the South in 1950. When they refused to withdraw, the US demanded that the UN would help South Korea. This was significant for Canada because is showed that Canada supported the United Nations and was willing to fight to support those goals. -
Creation of the WARSAW PACT
The Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty between eight communist states of Eastern Europe in existence during the Cold War. It was the enemy of NATO, and was led by the Soviet Union. This alliance was formed in Warsaw, Poland -
Vietnam war
Like Korea, Vietnam was also divided with the North being communist (led by Ho Chi Minh), and the south being anti-Communist and partially democratic. When the war broke out, the South was supported by the US. America was determined to stop all the communists. They wanted to "contain" the communism in Southeast Asia because they believed the domino theory would take effect. Many people moved to Canada because they didn't want to be drafted into the war. Vietnam is still communist to this day -
Lester Pearson diffuses the Suez Crisis
In 1956, the Egyptian President Nasser seized the Suez Canal from Birtain and France. The Soviet Union sided with Egypt and demanded that they withdraw. Canada's former Prime Minister, Lester Pearson, went to the UN and suggested to create a United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) that would keep the combatants apart while they worked out a settlement to this crisis. Battle forces were withdrawn and replaced with UN peacekeeping forces. Because of this, Lester Pearson won the Nobel Peace Prize. -
Berlin Wall is built
At the end of WWII, the Allies agreed to split Germany into four zones. Britain, France, the US, and the Soviet Union each had their own zone. Britain, France, and the US joined their zones to form West Germany. Stalin created the German Democratic Republic, which became East Germany. The Berlin Wall was built to signify the division of East and West Germany. This wall was a symbol of the Cold War. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
In 1962, American planes spotted Soviet missles in Cuba. a naval blockade had been set up around Cuba to prevent bringing in more missles. Everyone was concerned that this crisis would lead to a nuclear war. After the blockade, the Soviet ships turned back. Kennedy and Khrushchev wrote letters to eachother in which the Soviets promised to remove the missles if the US promised not to invade Cuba. -
USSR invades Afghanistan
This was a conflict between anti-Communist Muslim Afghan guerrillas (mujahidin) and Afghan government and Soviet forces. The Soviet invasion, which sparked Afghan resistance, intially involved an estimated 30,000 troops, a force that ultimately grew to 100,000. The mujahidin were supported by aid from the United States, China, and Saudi Arabia, channeled through Pakistan, and from Iran. Although the USSR had superior weapons and complete air control, the rebels successfully eluded them. -
Berlin Wall is torn down
Ronald Reagan challenged Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall as a symbol of increasing freedom. People came to the wall with sledgehammers in attempt to tear the wall down. They were successful in demolishing quite a bit of it. The tearing down of this wall was seen as the true end to the Cold War.
