Transcript Canada and the Cold War

CANADA AND THE COLD WAR
1945-1991
The End of WWII - 1945
• During WWII, the USA and USSR had
been allies against Germany and Japan
• With the Axis powers defeated, these
two countries began to look at each
other as future enemies
The Cold War Begins
• The USA and USSR, the world’s two
economic and military superpowers,
were threatened by each other for a
number of reasons
American Fears
1. USSR’s Communist Ideology
• Govt. controlled all industry and trade
• No political opposition allowed
• USSR set up Communist governments
in “liberated” Eastern European
countries like Poland, Hungary, and
East Germany
• Communism would later spread to
places like China, Cuba and Angola –
‘Domino Effect’
American Fears (cont.)
2. Soviet Military Strength
– USSR had the largest armed force in the
world at the end of WWII
– While most nations reduced their armed
forces to peace-time levels, the USSR
maintained a large military – 2.5 million
soldiers in Eastern Europe after the war
– Soviet Red Army troops could easily
invade Western Europe through
Germany
Cold War: Harry Truman --- Foreign Policy
U.S. followed a policy of CONTAINMENT- do not
let Communism spread, resist it! (Truman Doctrinehelp “free peoples” resist Communism)
Harry Truman
(1945-1953)
Soviet Fears
1. Invasion
• Russia had been invaded in WWI and
WWII by European forces
• These invasions contributed to heavy
casualties in both wars
• Soviet leaders sought to control
Eastern Europe so it could serve as a
buffer zone to prevent future wars on
Soviet soil
Soviet Fears (cont.)
2. Nuclear War
– The USA had dropped the A-bomb on
Japan as a show of strength to the USSR
– Soviet leaders knew the Americans had a
major advantage because they were the
only country to possess atomic bombs at
this time
– The USSR would detonate its first A-bomb
in 1949
– Soon, a nuclear arms race began
Effects of the Atomic Bomb
Canada and the Cold War
• Canada was thrust into the Cold War world quickly and
unexpectedly. In September 1945, a young Russian
named Igor Gouzenko walked into the newsroom of the
Ottawa Citizen newspaper and announced he had
proof of a widespread Soviet spy ring operating in
Canada.
• Gouzenko's allegations were a wake up call for Canada
and the rest of the world. The event would cause a
chain reaction of anti-Communist sentiments
throughout the West
• Conservatives thought Communism should be
outlawed in 1949
• P.M. Louis St. Laurent refused, noting that such tactics
were the trademarks of dictatorships, not democracies
Canada and NATO
• In 1949, NATO (North Atlantic Treaty
Organization) was created as a military
alliance to prevent Soviet expansion
• Members: USA, Canada, Britain, others
NATO FLAG
Canada and NATO (cont.)
NATO Agreement
– Any attack on one NATO member was
considered to be an attack on all
– Tactical nuclear weapons could be used
if conventional weapons failed
– As a last resort, total nuclear war would
be waged
– USSR created the Warsaw Pact in 1955,
an alliance of E. European Communist
countries designed to rival NATO
Canada and NATO (cont.)
Canada’s commitment to NATO
– Had to keep Cdn. troops based in Europe
– Cdn. ships and planes tracked Soviet subs
– Cdn. forces participated in regular military
exercises with NATO allies
– Canada adapted its defence policy to
those of its allies
– All this meant that, to some extent,
Canada’s autonomy was sacrificed
Canadians were in Germany as part of our
NATO commitment in western Europe
• From 1951 to 1994,
over 400,000
Canadians lived in
Germany as members
or dependants of the
Canadian Forces
Europe.
• The image to the
right are some of
the facilities used by
Canadians at the
base in Lahr,
Germany.
Cold War: Defined
NATO- North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Defensive alliance between U.S. and Western Europe (1st
time U.S. entered into peacetime military alliance)
• Timeline of Nuclear proliferation
North American Defence
• To protect against direct Soviet air
attacks, the US built three lines of radar
stations across Canada b/w 1950-57
• The Pinetree Line, Mid-Canada Line,
and DEW (Distant Early Warning) Line
were designed to give the USA time to
launch a counterattack if Soviet longrange bombers were attacking over the
North Pole
N. American Defence (cont.)
• These radar stations were manned by
US military personnel on Cdn. soil
• Many Canadians feared this also
compromised Canada’s autonomy, but
most accepted this as the price of
better security against a Soviet attack
The DEW Line
• The Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line began on
the 15th of February 1954 when US President
Eisenhower signed the bill approving the
construction. It, was designed and built during
the Cold War as the primary line of air defence
warning of "Over the Pole" invasion of the North
American Continent.
• The actual construction of the 58 sites took
place between 1955 and 1957. Many tons of
supplies and equipment were moved to the
Canadian Arctic by air, sea and river barge. One
such carrier, the USAF 62nd Airlift Wing, moved
over 13 million pounds of materiel in this
monumental effort. The DEW Line was declared
fully operational on 31 Jul 1957, and has
remained in operation for more than 30 years.
(ref: USAF Museum "This week in Airforce History)
N. American Defence (cont.)
The DEW at Hall Beach, NWT (photo by Sergeant Jim
Smith/courtesy Canadian Forces).
A DEW Line station in
northern Canada
North American Defence Cont.
• Canadians tracked Soviet submarines in the
North Atlantic from military facilities in
Halifax. Beacons were placed on the ocean
floor. These are now used to track the
migration of whales.
• Uranium City, Saskatchewan mined weapons
grade uranium for use in nuclear weapons.
This site is still extremely radioactive.
• Nuclear weapons were placed here for
approximately twenty years. The mid 1960’s
to the mid 1980’s.
N. American Defence (cont.)
• The development of
ICBMs
(intercontinental
ballistic missiles)
meant nuclear
missiles launched
from the USSR
could reach North
American cities
within 30 minutes
N. American Defence (cont.)
• In 1957, NORAD was
created to counter
possible Soviet
attacks on N. America
• It included joint fighter
forces, missile bases
and radar stations all
controlled by a central
command station built
in Cheyenne Mountain,
Colorado
Civil Defence
Canadians prepared
for nuclear war by:
– Building bomb
shelters
– Teaching students
to “duck and cover”
– Formulating the
Tocsin B crossCanada evacuation
plan
– Building the
Diefenbunker
– Duck and Cover
with Bert the Turtle
Civil Defence (cont.)
• In reality, the best
deterrent against
nuclear attack was
the threat of all-out
nuclear war
• Later, both the USA
and USSR would
follow a policy of
M.A.D. (Mutually
Assured
Destruction)
The Creation of the U.N.
• The United Nations was created in 1945
in response to WWII and the League of
Nations’ inability to maintain collective
security and secure world peace
United Nations (cont.)
UN Security Council
– 5 permanent members
– 10 non-permanent with 2 year terms
– Decisions require support of 9 members, but 5
permanent members can veto
– Use of vetoes between 1945 and 2007:
•
•
•
•
•
USSR/Russia – 123
USA – 82
Britain – 32
France – 18
China – 6
Cold War Confrontations
Korean War (1950-53)
• Between N. Korea (with help from USSR &
China) and S. Korea (aided by US & UN)
• USA considered use of atomic bomb
• Canadian troops served in UN force
Canada’s Role
Canada’s
RoleininKorea
Korea
•Nearly
25000
Canadians
saw
action
in Korea
•Nearly 25000
Canadians
saw action
in Korea
before
the
before
the truce of 1953
truce of 1953
•Canada
ranked
in total
aidKorea
to South Korea
•Canada ranked
3rd in 3rd
total aid
to South
•Only 16 members of the U.N. aided the war
•Only 16 members of the U.N. aided the war effort in Korea
effort
in Korea
•Canada asked
to keep
Korea until
1955 to help
•Canada
asked
totroops
keepintroops
in Korea
until
maintain
uneasy
truce
1955
toanhelp
maintain
an uneasy truce
THE COST IN HUMAN LIFE
Casualties in the Korean War
4,500
30,000
NK & Chinese soldiers
and civilians
70,000
SK civilians
500,000
SK soldiers
780,000
USA soldiers
Other UN soldiers
Peacekeeping milestone Canada
• In 1956, Egypt seized control of the Suez Canal and
soon Britain, France and Israel became embroiled in a
conflict with Egypt. The world seemed on the brink of
war.
• At the United Nations, Canadian Minister of External
Affairs Lester B. Pearson proposed deployment of an
international peacekeeping force to stabilize the
situation while Britain and France withdrew their forces.
• Pearson emerged from the Suez Crisis as hero, winning
the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in resolving the
conflict.
• Although Canada made other attempts to have a voice
in international matters, for the most part, it was drawn
into the American sphere for much of the Cold War.
Cold War Confrontations
The Suez Crisis (1956)
• Israel (aided by USA) and Egypt (aided
by USSR) were at the brink of war
• Canadian Lester Pearson proposed a
UN peacekeeping force be sent in to
mediate
• RESULT: Pearson won Nobel Peace
Prize and Canada gains reputation as
peacekeeping nation
The Avro Arrow
• Growing concerns in Canada over the Soviet Union’s
military intentions caused Canada to re-examine its
defensive preparedness – fear of attack over the Arctic
• 1953 the Liberal government hired the A.V. Roe
company to research and develop a new supersonic,
twin engine two seat interceptor jet with a range of 1000
kms and a top speed over 1.5 mach
• 11 sleek, beautiful prototypes were built but costs
skyrocketed, in excess of $250 million
• The launching of the Soviet satellite Sputnik made some
people believe that planes would be obsolete in the face
of missile technology
• In Aug 1958 the new Conservative government decided
to accept US Bomarc missile system as a partial
replacement of the Avro and decided to cancel the Arrow
• Tremendously controversial decision as great national
pride in the new plane and significant money investment
gone
Cold War Confrontations
Construction of the Berlin Wall (1961)
• Built to prevent people from fleeing
communist East Germany to capitalist
West Germany
• Came to signify the Cold War divisions
The Berlin Wall
Cold War Confrontations
The Cuban Missile
Crisis (1962)
• Oct. 1962 US planes
took photos of
Soviet-installed
nuclear bases in
Cuba
• US set up a naval
and air blockade of
Cuba in response
Cold War Confrontations
Cuban Missile Crisis (cont.)
• Was essentially a game of “nuclear
chicken” where the USSR blinked first
Cold War Confrontations
Cuban Missile Crisis (cont.)
• US expected Canada to provide
unconditional support
• PM Diefenbaker refused to:
– place Canada’s NORAD forces on alert
– allow US planes w/a-bombs to land
RESULT: Canadian independence
preserved, but relations with USA were
damaged
Canada and the Cuban Missile Crisis
Kennedy, Khrushchev, Diefenbaker
Cold War Confrontations
Vietnam (1965-1973)
• USA and US-supported dictatorship in
south fought communists in north who
were supplied weapons and training by
USSR and China
• US troops used napalm and bombing
raids on civilian targets
• Despite superior weapons, the US was
unable to win the war
Vietnam
Vietnam was the first war recorded by American media
Cold War Confrontations
Vietnam (cont.)
• War was unpopular in
US --- hippies
• Many draft dodgers fled
to Canada
• Many Vietnamese fled
to Canada in the 1970s
• PM Pearson’s criticism
of the US led to
problems
Cold War Confrontations
Afghanistan (1979-88)
• USSR invades Afghanistan to restore
communist government
• US funds and arms anti-Soviet rebels
(Taliban) to fight communism
• Often called the USSR’s version of
Vietnam due to cost of war, in money
and life, and loss to an “inferior” foe
Trudeau and the Cold War
• Pierre Eliot Trudeau served 4 terms as PM
(1968-1979, 1980-1984)
• Changed Canada’s defence policies:
– removed nuclear weapons from Canada’s NATO
forces in Europe
– dismantled BOMARC missile sites
– removed all nuclear warheads from Canadian soil
by 1984
– cut Canada’s European NATO force in half
– set Canada up as middle power promoting peace
Pierre Elliott Trudeau
The End of the Cold War
The Cold War ended with the collapse of
the USSR in 1991 due to:
– Economic strain of arms race with USA
– New social, political and economic reforms
showed the people that the govt. wouldn’t
use force to repress their rights anymore
– Eastern European countries demanded
change and overthrew communist govt.’s
USSR collapsed as member states (Ukraine,
Lithuania, etc.) declared independence
The Fall of the Berlin Wall (1989)
A New World Order?
• With the collapse of the USSR, the USA
was the sole remaining “superpower”
• After the US led UN forces in the first
Gulf War vs. Iraq (1991), President
George Bush (Sr.) declared a “new
world order” with the UN serving as a
global peace force under US guidance
New World Order (cont.)
• Today, many question
the purpose of the UN
after failures in
Yugoslavia, Somalia,
Rwanda and more
• UN authority was
undermined further by
the American war on
Iraq in 2003, an attack
launched without UN
support