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The United Nations is created
50 countries, the Soviet Union, the US, and Canada, met in San Francisco to create the United Nations. The UN had four goals: keep world peace and prevent new wars, encourage cooperation among nations, defend human rights and help promote equality, and improve the standard of living for all nations. Canada is the sixth largest UN troop contributor, more than 1000 personnel deployed. Tens of thousands of Canadians served in 30 different UN missions, and more than 100 lost their lives doing so. -
World War II Ends
Canada after the second World War faced a much different situation than it did from WWII. For example, due to the strong Canadian economy, the government was able to provide financial services to Canadian veterans. In 1948, Canada was able to give $2 billion to Western Europe through the Marshall Plan. After the war, Canada experienced dramatic growth in both it's mining and oil industries and also in construction. There we social changes aswell such as: baby boomers, the Imm. Act of 1952 etc. -
Creation of NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was formed on April 4 1949. NATO was designed almost solely for mutual defence. Each member state contributed to NATO's defence force. The members agreed that an attack one one member would be considered an attack on them all. (I couldn't find much) -
Communism take control of China
In October 1949, led by Mao Zedong, communists take over the government of China. Being pushed by the United States, the United Nations refused to acknowledge Communism as China's government, thereby allowing the former government to hold one of five permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council. While some countries, including Canada, recognized the communist government as the official government of China, others such as the United States, refused to do so. -
The Korean War
In 1945, soon after the Japanese surrendered, Korea was divided. The North became communist, and the South, democratic. In 1950, with the support of Soviet-built tanks and aircrafts, over 100,000 North Korean troops invaded South Korea. The Korean War was significant for Canada because it showed that Canada supported the United Nations was willing to fight to support those goals. Over 26,500 Canadians served in the UN action in Korea. In total, 1,000 Canadians were wounded, and 400 were killed. -
Vietnam War
Vietnam may have been America's war but Canada was heavily involved; for and against. Canada harboured roughly 30,000 American draft dodgers and helped supervise ceasefires. But at the same time, about 30,000 Canadians volunteered to fight in Southeast Asia. And there was Canada's involvement in secret missions, weapons testing and arms production. -
Lester Pearson diffuses the Suez Crisis.
The Suez Canal is a vital trade route of which Egyptian President Nasser seized from Britain and France. Because of this, Britain and France joined with Israel to attack Egypt. The Soviet Union sided with Egypt and demanded that they withdraw. Canada's Minister of External Affairs, Lester Pearson, went to the UN and suggested creating a UNEF that would keep the combatants apart while a settlement was worked out. As a result, battle forces were withdrawn and replaced with UN Peacekeeping Forces. -
Berlin Wall is built.
E. Germany was rapidly losing its labor force and its population. Having already lost 2.5 million people by 1961, E. Germany desperately needed to stop this mass exodus. The obvious leak was the easy access E. Germans had to W. Berlin. On the night of Aug.12 1961, trucks with soldiers/construction workers entered E. Berlin. They began constructing the first version of the Berlin Wall. Whichever side of the border one went to sleep on the night of Aug. 12 they were stuck on that side forever. -
The Cuban Missile Crisis
Through aerial surveillance, the United States was able to spot Soviet missiles in Cuba. The United States set up a naval blockade around Cuba; defying Soviet ships to continue bringing in missiles. This could have lead to a nuclear war. Fortunately as a result of the blockade, the Soviet ships turned back but the crisis wasn't over. American President Kennedy and Soviet leader Krushev, negotiated in which the Soviets promised to remove the missiles if the Amercans promised not to invade Cuba. -
The USSR invades Afghanistan
Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan to preserve a shaky Communist government, but after failing to put an end to guerrilla resistance, they withdrew in February 1989. A cutoff of military and economic aid from the collapsing Soviet Union led to the Afghan government's fall to a resistance coalition in April 1992. -
Berlin Wall is Torn Down
When the Berlin Wall fell, all around the globe intangible walls of communism fell aswell. The wall had been the symbol of the Cold War, so when that symbol of oppression was gone it sent a shock wave of relief to everyone. After Sov. President Gorbatchev visited W. Germany in 1989, Hungary opened it's border with Austria. This allowed E. Germans to flock to the West. Finally, due to protests, travel restrictions were lifted. Shortly after, border gates opened and people flooded into W. Berlin. -
Jeff was born
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Creation of the WARSAW Pact.
The Warsaw Pact is the name commonly given to the treaty between Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, E. Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the Soviet Union, which was signed in Poland in 1955 and was officially called 'The Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance'. It was also developed in response to NATO in 1955. It was actually a military treaty, which bound its signatories to come to the aid of the others, if any one of them be the victim of foreign aggression.
