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The Korean War
It all started when North Korea (communist) attacked South Korea. 16 of the UN members aided South Korea to stand up for communist aggression. Canada ranked 3rd in total aid and Canadian troops were asked to stay untill 1955 to maintain truce. -
Quebec's Padlock Law
The Padlock Law is an act to protect the province against communistic propoganda. It was passed on by Mauricec Duplessis. This Act did not allow any person to promote comnunicsm ro bolshevism. It took away the freedom of speech of individuals. The Act gave power to the police and was one of the restrictive laws in Canadian history. It was given its name as in locking a building (connected to closing publishers, newspapers, broadcasts, etc..) -
Gouzenko Affair
GouzenkoIgor Gouzneko was born into the Soviet Union and was the Soviet Embassy in Ottawa. However, he learned that there were spies in Canada, and one of the biggest mission was to steal the secrets of the atomic bomb. Disappointed, he decided to defect to Canada when his family is about to be sent back to Russia. He offered secret documents about the Soviet spy network to Canada. Eventually, Gouzenko and his family lived in hiding. He was viewed as a courageous figure from the Canadians -
Berlin Blockade
Berlin CrisisThe Soviet Union broke their agreement with the allies and attempted to force the allies to give up the western part of Berlin. They physically blocked all supply lines to west Berlin, leaving the citizens to starve. However, the allies organized an airlift system for supplies. -
NATO
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) was formed with the western Europe countries as a defence pact intended to protect members from the Societ aggression. In 1955, the Societ Unions organized countries (Warsaw Pact). They focused on building their military, or in other words, an arms race.They developed powerful hydrogen bombs, which Canada saw as insanity and Canadians, concerned of their safety, refused to allow nuclear weapons on Canadian soil in 1962. -
Vietnam War and Draft Dodgers in Canada
Canada was a member of the International Commission for Supervision and Control at the start of the Vietnam war, and therefore tried to maintain neutrality. However, the Canadian negotiators were on the side of the Americans. American draft dodgers would flee to Canada for immigration to avoid conscription. Draft Dodgers were those who practiced an intentional decision not to comply with military conscription policies of one's nation. -
The Suez Crisis
The Suez Canal in Egypt was an important waterway. The Egyptian leader, General Nasser, decided to take over full control of the Canal Zone. That worried the French and British owners of the canal since it meant loss of power and wealth, as well for the governments. The Israeli forces supported by the French and English troups attack Egypt to seize control of the canal. The Soviet Union threatened to aid Egypt. The NORAD partners agreed with the Soviets that attacking on Egypt was wrong. -
Sputnik and Canada's Space Program
SputnikThe Soviets launch their 1st Sputnik satellite. The rocket they used to upt sputnik in orbit was seen as a threat since it could be used to deliever nuclear weapons. The Americans feared this and made long-range missiles. America imposed naval blockade to stop Soviets from delievering missiles and war heads to Communist Cuba. The Canadian government suggested that missile bases should be inspected rather than a blockade. The Soviet ships turned back and the Cuban Missile crisis was over. -
Pearson Wins the Nobel Prize
When the Suez Crisis was slowly becoming a serious international conflict, Lester Pearson found a solution. Lester Pearson was Canada's secretary of state for external affairs. His plan was to stop all shooting and create a special UN peacekeeping force to monitor and patorl. Canada provided 800 soldiers. Pearson won the Nobel Prize for peace which was a great honour for Canada. -
Diefenbaker, Bomarc Missiles and Nuclear Warheads
Shortly after Diefenbaker stopped the Avro Arrow, he ordered ready-made American Bomarc missiles for Canada's defence. However warheads were not allowed into Canada which limited American control of when Canadian missiles would be used. Diefenbaker argued that the Arrow was unecessary due to the missile program. -
NORAD and DEW line
The North American Air Defence agreement was signed by Canada and the United States to defend each other. Canada allowed the Americans to make the Distant Early Warning system which is used to detect approaching enemy aircrafts and missiles. The government received many criticism from Canadians who believed that their defensive plan was completely in American hands and our independence was lost. Some Canadians predicted that nuclear wars would be fought in Canada due to this strategic plan. -
Avro Arrow and its Cancellation
The Avro Arrow was a technically advanced fighter jet developed and built by Canadians. It was made to protect and fight the threat of the Soviet Union's long-range bombers travelling across North America and Europe. When the Diefenbaker took over the government, he cancelled the Avro Aroow, since it was costly and he felt is was unecessary. This left 14 000 Canadians unemployed. -
The Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a major confrontation of the Cold War by the Soviet Union and Cuba on one side and the United States on the other. The Soviets had missile sites on the island of Cuba. United States feared this since missiles could be launched to hit any major city in America from Communist Cuba. However, the Soviet Union withdrew their nuclear missiles from Cuba and the crisis ended with the agreement with the USSR that the US would never invade Cuba without direct provocation. -
Canada-Soviet Hockey Series
HendersonCanadian amateur hockey teams playing in the Olymipic and World Championships were not able to win. However, in 1972, Canada composed a team of NHL players and went against the top Russian team. The Russians had equal score with the Canadians and the in the final game, Paul Henderson scored the winning goal to break the tied game and give Canada the series. -
The Fall of the Berlin Wall
Berlin WallThe border separating Western from Eastern Germay was oppened. The East Germans escaped to West German. People still on the East Germany protested to go to the West. People started to physically demolish the wall and lastely destroyed it completely (3 decades). -
The Fall of the Soviet Union
The declaration of the dissolution of the Soviet Union acknoweldged the independence of all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union, following the creation of the Commonwealth of Indpendent States. This self-destruction of the Soviet Union was caused by the crippling economy due to overspending on military expenses. People in the Soviet Union demanded the end of a one-party system. The new leader banned the Communist Party and created a loose Commonwealth of Independent States.
