Ch 6-8 (Mostly Terms) Flashcards
Cold War
● The rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union
● Started after the end of WWII and lasted over 40 years
● It did not erupt into an open war
● The cause of the Cold War was because of the differing views that the two countries had on poltiical and economic systems.
○ Soviet Union was communist
○ US and most Western countries were capitalist
Igor Gouzenko
● A Russian clerk at the Soviet embassy in Ottawa
● He decided to defect from the Soviet Union to Canada
○ He had documents that proved the existance of a Soviet spy ring within the Canadian government.
○ He brought these documentsto the Ottawa Journal, but they didn’t pay attention to him.
○ The next day, he brought the documents to the RCMP, the department of justice, and the PM’s office who also did not believe him.
○ After his apartment was broken into by Soviet agents, the Ottawa police finally listened to his story.
○ Canadian officials informed the British and US governments of the Soviet spy ring.
○ He was given another indentity after the ordeal to protect him from the Soviets.
Superpowers
● Powers capable of inflicting massive destruction
● The Soviet Union and the United States were superpowers because of their military strength.
Capitalist
● Ecnomies were based on private enterprise, with individuals investing in business for profict
● Citizens had basic freedoms such a free press and freedom of speech
● The United States and most Western countries were examples of it
NATO
● North Atlantic Treaty Organization
● Formed in 1949
● A military alliance including Canada, US, Britain, and other Western European nations
● Any attack on one NATO member was to be treated as an attack on all
● NATO members agreed that, if conventional weapons were not sufficient, they would use tactical nuclear weapons (atomic bombs and artillery shells.)
○ As a last resort, they would be prepared to wage total nuclear war.
● Warsaw Pact was established by the Soviet Union as a result (USSR felt threatened by NATO).
Warsaw Pact
● Established by the USSR in 1955
● This alliance made up of Eastern European countries to protect these countries and the Soviet Union from attack
○ USSR felt threatened by NATO countries
NORAD
● NORAD - North American Air Defence Agreement
○ renamed in 1981 - North American Aerospace Defence Command
● Canada and the United States agreed to establish it in 1957 to meet the possible threat of Soviet attack on North America.
● Integrated the air-defence forces of the US and Canada under joint command
○ Included fighter forces, missile bases, and air-defence radar, which were were all controlled by a central command station, located deep within Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado
● Had a force of 1000 bombers at its disposal at one time
○ Some bombers were always in the air, armed with nuclear weapons.
● A separate Canadian command post, under joint control, was established deep inside tunnels at North Bay, Ontario.
United Nations
● Established in April 1945 by fifty one countries
● Based on the idea of collective security
○ Can impose moral, economic, and military sanctions upon aggressors
● Include General Assembly as a forum of discussion and Security Council as a body to maintain peace and security
● Founders of UN pledged to abolish disease/famine and to protect human rights.
○ Created various agencies like World Health Organization and UNICEF
○ Established the International Monetary Fund.
Security Council
● Body of U.N that’s responsible for maintaining peace and security
● Has 5 permanent members– all of which have veto powers.
○ Britain, France, USA, Russia/USSR, China
● Has 10 non-permanent members, each holding a 2-year term
WHO
● World Health Organization
● An agency created by UN to abolish disease and famine
● One thing they do to reduce illness is test water wells.
UNICEF
● United Nations Children’s Fund
● An agency created by UN to abolish disease and famine
IMF
● International Monetary Fund
● To stabilize the world economy by helping countries that face great debt and the collapse of their currencies
Korean War
● 1950-1953
● Korea was left divided after WWII
○ North Korea - Communist state supported by USSR
○ South Korea - Fragile democracy supported by USA
● Korean War began when North Korea invaded South Korea
● UN force (mostly Americans) was sent to force the invaders to retreat
○ Canada sent thousands of troops and three naval destroyers
● Lester Pearson, Canada’s Minister of External Affairs, urged all sides to agree to a ceasefire.
● USA considered using the atomic bomb on Korea, but did not end up using it.
● A ceasefire was reached in 1953
● Increased tensions between the West and the communist nations
Suez Crisis
● 1956
● Egypt took control of Suez Canal that was previously owned by British and French investors
○ The canal links the Mediterranean and Red seas, and provides the shortest sea route from Europe to the Indian Ocean.
● Israel, Egypt’s neighbouring country, felt threatened because Egypt could prevent ships to and from Israel from using the canal.
● Israel invaded Egypt, supported by Britain and France
○ They landed troops in the canal zone, despite the UN Security Council’s resolution to cease hostilities.
○ This was very controversial– USA was mad that they weren’t consulted with first. Canada’s opinion was divided.
● USSR responded by supplying Egypt with financial aid and missiles, immediately
● Pearson, Canada’s Minister of External Affairs, suggested that the UN send a Emergency Force to separate and mediate the enemies.
○ A Canadian general led the force, which was made up of countries not directly involved in the conflict.
○ Pearson won the Nobel Peace Prize for his success in defusing the crisis.
Louis St. Laurent
● Liberal PM
● Refused to outlaw communism, because he believed that outlawing an ideology is a tactic of a dictatorship– not a democratic country, like Canada
● Denounced British camp; French intervention during Suez Crisis, refused to support them
Lester Pearson
● Canada’s Minister of External Affairs during the Korean war and Suez Crisis
○ Later became prime minister.
● Went to U.N. during Suez Crisis told U.N. Emergency force to be sent to Suez Canal to separate and mediate between the rival armies
● Won Nobel Peace Prize for defusing the Suez Crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
● In 1959, Cuban rebels under the leadership of Fidel Castro, overthrew Cuba’s pro-U.S. leader in a revolution.
● USA reacted angrily by imposing trade/economic sanctions on Cuba
● In 1961, USA backed an invasion of Cuba by a group of anti-Castro Cubans.
○ Invasion was a failure; encouraged them to turn to USSR for support.
● In October 1962, US planes took photographs showing that the USSR was installing offensive nuclear missile bases in Cuba
○ Missiles launched from these sites were a direct threat to US security.
● US blockaded Cuba (naval and air)
● Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev refused to remove the missiles, at first.
○ USSR armed forces were put on full alert
○ Soviet ships streamed towards the US ships that were blockading the island
● At the last minute, Khrushchev agreed to dismantle the missile bases in exchange for a promise that the US would not invade Cuba
● The Cuban missile crisis was the event that could have turned the Cold War into a full on Nuclear WWIII. The air force was constantly in the air with bombs, able to drop them at any second. This crisis put the citizens all over the world into a state of panic.
Avro Arrow
● A state-of-the-art supersonic jet aircraft developed by Canada and the AV Row Company as a part of its military program in 1950s.
● Project was cancelled because when the superpowers developed long-range missiles, interceptor fighter planes like the Arrow became useless.
○ The project was also very expensive
● A popular opinion states that the Senior American officials wanted to kill the project because they could not build the fighter by themselves.
John Diefenbaker
● Became Prime Minister in 1957
● Did not get along well with John Kennedy (U.S. President)
● Canadian PM during Cuban Missile Crisis
○ Did not believe the US photographs of the USSR nuclear missile bases in Cuba.
○ Initially refused to place Canada’s NORAD forces on alert and did not allow US planes with atomic weapons to land at Canadian basis.
○ Eventually put Canadian troops on alert, but damages to Canada-US relations had already been done.
Nikita Khrushchev
● Soviet premier during Cuban Missile Crisis
○ Refused to remove missiles from Cuba, at first, but agreed to dismantle the missile bases at the last minute.
Vietnam War
● Vietnam was divided into two
○ North = communist supported by USSR and China
○ South = a dictatorship supported by US
● US was worried that if South Vietnam were to fall to communism, then other Asian states would also fall (domino effect)
● At first US only offered military advice and economic help, but started sending troops by the 1960s.
● In 1965, US President lyndon Johnson increased the number of US troops and authorized bombings on North Vietnam.
● Vietnam was the first war recorded by television cameras.
● In 1968, the public learned of the Tet Offensive and My Lai Massacre
○ My Lai Massacre - Mass killing of unarmed citizens in the city of My Lai (located in South Vietnam)
○ Tet Offensive - North Vietnamese attacked cities throughout South Vietnam and briefly seized the US embassy in the city of Saigon.
● The last US combat forces were pulled out of the war in 1973 and South Vietnam fell in 1975
● Prime Minister Lester Pearson criticized the US bombing campaign (Operation Rolling Thunder) in a speech at a university in Philadelphia.
Middle Power
● Not a superpower, but still has large/moderate influence and international recognition
● Canada was a middle power– Trudeau attempted to bridge gaps between East/West & North/South during the Cold War
Pierre Trudeau
● A liberal elected prime minister in 1968.
● Believed Canada’s foreign policy should be less dependent on U.S. approval
○ Officially recognized the communist government of the People’s Republic of China.
○ Did not wish to anger the USA.
● Wanted to scale back Canada’s participation in the nuclear arms race with the Soviet Union in the hope that this would ease Cold War tensions
○ From 1970-1972, nuclear missiles were removed from Canada’s NATO forces in Europe.
○ In 1984, the last nuclear warheads were removed from Canadian soil.
● Wanted to bridge the gaps between East/West & North/South during the Cold War
○ “Trade and aid” policy - prosperous nations of the North should be helping the poverty-stricken countries of the South to develop their economies and improve living conditions.
● Formed the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in 1968
● Formed the Foreign Investment Review Agency (FIRA) in 1973
Free Trade Agreement
● Agreement signed in 1989 between Canada & U.S. to allow goods produced in each country to cross border tariff-free
● Became a very controversial issue
NAFTA
● North American Free Trade Agreement
● Signed in 1992 between Canada, Mexico, and U.S.
○ Expanded on the free trade zone established in the Free Trade Agreement; NAFTA included free trade with Mexico
● Came into effect in 1994
Perestroika
● Associated with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev’s reforms near the end of the cold war
● A policy of reconstruction; political movement for reformation in the Soviet Union
Glasnost
● Instituted by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev near the end of the cold war.
● A Soviet policy of openness; allows for open discussions of political/social issues.
○ Censorship was loosened and greater freedom of speech was allowed.
Globalization
- Process which regions and countries in world are becoming interconnected
- A vast network of business, communications, and cultural links among countries.
Rwanda
● Canadians were also active in the central African country of Rwanda
● This small nation was torn apart by ethnic rivalries
● France and Belgium, the former colonial forces in the area, sent troops to try to control the slaughter
● A small detachment of UN peacekeepers was also sent under the command of Canadian Major General Romeo Dallaire
● When Dallaire realized the extent of the planned killings, he sent a series of urgent appeals to UN headquarters in NY
○ He outlined an ambitious military plan to halt the killing
○ He thought that the UN needed to send a huge multinational force to disarm the warring factions
○ For the plan to work, two things were required: speed and the support of the US, the only country that could provide enough troops at short notice
● The response from the UN and Washington was unenthusiastic
○ The US feared a defeat similar to that in Somalia
● In April 1994, the world was horrified to learn of a massive wave of killing in Rwanda
○ Within a few weeks, close to a million people had died, including many women, old people, and babies
Somalia
● In 1992, the UN launched “Operation Restore Hope” in Somalia
○ Somalia was an east African nation that had been ravaged by years of civil war (torn apart by ethnic rivalries) and starvation
● The mission was directed by the US, but Canadian forces joined those from other countries in distributing food and other essential supplies to the desperate local population
● Major crisis–One night, members of the Canadian Airborne Regiment arrested a Somali teenager found wandering in the Canadian base camp
○ During the night, the teen was tortured and beaten to death
● At first, a military inquiry found that only a few low-ranking officers had committed this terrible, racist crime
○ It later became clear that there had been a high-level attempt to cover up the incident
● Canadians were shocked by these events
● A serious shadow had been cast upon the reputation of Canada’s armed forces
FIRA
● Foreign Investment Review Agency
● Established by Pierre Trudeau in 1973
● Ensured that foreign establishment of business in Canada was beneficial to country
○ Blocked any foreign investment that seemed not to be in Canada’s interest
● Mulroney dismantled it and replaced it with Investment Canada
Displaced persons
● Person forced to leave their homes because of war, persecution or natural disaster.
● Refugees
● Includes concentration camp survivors and others uprooted by the war
● These people had no homes, possessions, or hope for the future
● Canada accepted 165,000 of them, settling them in communities across the country
○ Many newcomers had a hard time in Canada, as they spoke no English and were unable to practise their former trades/professions.
