The Cold WarThe Cold War

IntroductionIntroduction Europe was in ruins, Germany no

longer existed, Italy was crushed, and Britain was now in obvious and serious decline.

With the end of WWII, a bipolar world emerged.

 There no longer existed a group of 5 or 6 great powers; there were two new superpowers, the United States & the Soviet Union.

This new power structure formed the basis of the Cold War.

The Cold WarThe Cold War       An ideological struggle (of ideas)

between the US & USSR.       Fought using propaganda,

espionage, & econ and poli pressures.       It was a fight for power and

influence on a global scale.       Characterized by the fear of a

nuclear war, as both sides raced to build nuclear weapons.

2 concepts in understanding the Cold War: containment & the domino theory.

International ConcernsInternational Concerns        Containment – American strategy

was to contain communism, by preventing it from spreading

       In order to do so, US tried to win non-aligned countries over to their “camp”, while USSR tried to do the same

US’s Policy of containment (Truman Doctrine) provided econ aid and military support to people threatened by communism

       Domino Theory – fear that one country being pulled into communism, then all surrounding countries would follow

       USSR feared encirclement by capitalist countries would pose a threat of counter-revolution within USSR

       Stalin was able to quickly establish Soviet-style communist regimes in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Poland, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia (satellite states)

       Western capitalists feared the part of communist ideology that was aimed at world revolution

       Churchill declared that an Iron Curtain had fallen across Europe

Canadian ConcernsCanadian Concerns       The Gouzenko Affair – young

soviet asked Canada for political asylum (protection from the USSR) in return for giving the Can gov’t documents that proved that the USSR was operating 2 spy rings in Canada. It hit home that there was potentially a communist threat in Canada.

The Red Scare – in response to fear, the RCMP carried out illegal and secret inquiries regarding potential commies in Can. Potential immigrants were denied entry and known communists were deported.

GermanyGermanyThe allies agreed to split Germany into 4 zones;

each occupied by Britain, France, US, and USSR.3 agreed to join sections together –West GermanyStalin (USSR) created the German Democratic

Republic – East GermanyWith war agreements, Berlin was also divided into

4 zones; Berlin is situated well within E. GermanyWestern nations were permitted to West Berlin

through E. Germany on specific highways, railways, and air corridors.

Germany TodayGermany Today

WestWestGermanyGermany & & East East GermanyGermany

Berlin districts (1945-1990): West Berlin   American SectorI    KreuzbergII   NeuköllnIII   TempelhofIV SchönebergV  SteglitzVI  Zehlendorf   British SectorA  TiergartenB  CharlottenburgC  WilmersdorfD  Spandau  

French Sectora  Reinickendorfb  Wedding

French

British

American

Russian

Berlin Wall 1961Berlin Wall 1961

Berlin Wall 1974Berlin Wall 1974

EastWest

Berlin November 10th, 1989Berlin November 10th, 1989Border crossing point at Bornholmer StrasseBorder crossing point at Bornholmer Strasse Every single car from the East is welcomed after  Every single car from the East is welcomed after

opening the border opening the border 

The Arms RaceThe Arms RaceMain feature of the Cold War: nuclear arms race“racing” to develop more atomic bombs, and to improve

nuclear technology.With the launch of the first satellite by the Soviets in 1957, it

became the space raceBoth powers tried to maintain a balance of power:

1. nuclear parity – equality of numbers – if one attacked the other, they would be attacked in return2. MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) – knew that when used, they would annihilate entire areas causing both from going to war.

Only works when both have same weapons - race

NATO & The Warsaw PactNATO & The Warsaw Pact        North Atlantic Treaty Organization -

born out of need of a stronger and permanent military presence to prevent Soviet expansion in Europe. Formed in 1949, each member state contributed to NATO’s defence force, and members agreed that an attack on one member would be considered an attack on them all.

       Canada’s Commitment?        The Warsaw Pact – was developed in

response to NATO in 1955, as a defensive alliance of the USSR and its satellite states.

       NORAD –

http://www.visionbox.com/our-work/mobile-development-example.aspx?id=NORAD-Tracks-Santa

Korean WarKorean War

       During WWII Japan controlled Korea; After WWII Korea was divided (North – communist, South – democratic)

       1950 North invaded South supported by USSR

       US demanded UN come to the defence – 32 countries sent troops, led by Americans

       26,500 Can served – 1,000 wounded & 400 killed

       both sides agreed to an armistice and remained divided

        

Significant for Canada because it showed that Canada supported the UN and was willing to fight to support those goals. Also, demonstrated to the world that members of UN (unlike League of Nations) were willing to take action

The Suez Crisis (1956)The Suez Crisis (1956) P. 200

Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)       US & USSR stockpiled nuclear

weapons in various countries around the world.

       In 1962, US spotted Soviet missiles in Cuba with aerial surveillance.

       A Soviet nuclear attack was now possible in a few minutes from 30 minutes.

       US set up naval blockade around Cuba to stop Soviet ships from bringing missiles into the country.

      

Concern that crisis would turn to nuclear war intensified as Soviet ships sailed towards Cuba protected by submarines, but ships ultimately turned back.

       Soviets promised to remove the missiles if the Americans would issue a promise not to invade Cuba.

       Nuclear war was averted.

LIFE IN CANADA DURING LIFE IN CANADA DURING THE THE

1950s & 1960s1950s & 1960s

Economic Changes in CanadaEconomic Changes in Canada        Soldiers returning from Europe faced a

much different situation than did those who returned from WWI.

       Due to the strong Cdn economy, the gov’t was able to provide financial services to Cdn veterans: information, counselling, and financial aid to help them adjust to life back in Cdn (Ex. Low interest rate program to purchase home sponsored by gov’t).

       (1948) gov’t gave $2 billion to Western Europe through Marshall Plan – plan devised by US to send food, equipment, and raw materials to Europe to help with the process of rebuilding.

       Dramatic growth in mining and oil industries. In 1947, Imperial Oil discovered the Leduc oil field near Edmonton. First major oil field developed in Alberta and because of this the Prov economy became the strongest in Canada over the next 5 decades.

       Major construction boom – houses, schools, factories, and new technologies:

CANDU nuclear reactor (1952) Alouette I (1962) – First Cdn satellite Urbanization – by 1970s 2/3 of pop lived in

towns or cities, but many people who worked in the cities still wanted to take advantage of a quieter lifestyle, so large housing developments sprung up on the outskirts of major cities (suburbs). Commuting became very popular and as a result, the new and used car market exploded and provided a huge boost to the petroleum industry.

Social Changes in CanadaSocial Changes in Canada 1.   Baby Boomers

       As soldiers returned home from WWII, many couples decided to have children. They no longer faced the uncertainty of service overseas, and were financially stable as a result of the booming econ (Baby Boom)

       Cdn’s pop soared from 12 million (1946) to 18 million (1961)

2. Changing Immigration Policy

       Displaced Persons – people forced from their homelands due to WWII or due to Soviet expansion arrived in Cdn

       Immigration Act of 1952 – PM Louis St. Laurent set up the Dep of Citizenship and Immigration (1948). The Act gave extensive powers to the Minister of Immigration and it was decided that the practice of barring immigrants from entering Cdn based on ethnic origin would continue.

       Demand for immigrant labour in the 50s was high, and Cdn’s doors swung open to accept new immigrants

3. Social Welfare       Social Security – Unemployment Insurance

Act was passed in 1940 and family allowances or “baby bonuses” were introduced in 1945

       Cdn gov’t had begun to accept social security as a gov’t responsibility

       The Colombo Plan – 1950s, Cdn gov’t implemented a foreign aid initiative to build factories and infrastructure in Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka (Commonwealth countries)

Cdn joined La Francophonie (link between French colonies, facilitating social and cultural exchanges and trade) and gave development aid to West Africa. Also helped to develop the ACCT (the agency for cultural and technical co-operation, in which states and gov’ts could co-ordinate their actions. Represents 600 million people, and includes countries in most continents