History Exam Notes PDF

Review of Post WW2 1. Politically The Yalta Conference: Germany is divided into 4 occupied Zones Definition: The meeting between the “Big Three” (US, Britain & Soviet Union) that took place after WWII to discuss the reorganisation of Germany and Europe. The Marshall Plan Definition:The econo...

Review of Post WW2 1. Politically The Yalta Conference: Germany is divided into 4 occupied Zones Definition: The meeting between the “Big Three” (US, Britain & Soviet Union) that took place after WWII to discuss the reorganisation of Germany and Europe. The Marshall Plan Definition:The economic recovery plan proposed by the US to help Europe rebuild after World War II Food, equipment and raw materials were sent to Europe WW2 was fought on moral principles – freedom/equality/ democracy The United Nations (1945) Definition: An intergovernmental organisation established after WWII whose goals are to maintain international peace and security, promote social progress, better living standards and human rights Established in April 1945 by “Big Five” nations – Soviet Union, United States, Britain, France, China Role of Canada Canada under PM Mackenzie King was a “middle power” – it wasn’t included in the “Big Five” King wanted to make sure that smaller nations could contribute effort and money to security operations, and then be consulted about said operations as a result Other middle power countries included Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands Cold War The Road to the Cold War Even though US and Russia had fought side by side against Hitler, there were basic differences in outlook Russia was communist: a far left-wing political ideology where the government controls property and businesses, basic freedoms are controlled by the government USA was democratic: a government system that promotes freedom of their citizens, capitalism, and individual rights During World War 2 The Russian army had invaded countries of Eastern Europe Stalin had promised to withdraw troops from these countries when the war ended He refused Stalin used his army to force these nations to turn communist 1) Stalin set up countries as a defensive wall in case Russia faced an attack from the west 2) Russia had suffered great losses of men and material in WW2, and the countryside was destroyed – by controlling nations on her borders, Russia hoped to ensure next war would be fought in these countries Countries in Eastern Europe became Russian Satellites Russia sealed off these nations from contact with the free nations of the world Travel into the free world became difficult Trade was cut off with non-communist nations News from outside the communist world was not allowed to enter these countries The Iron Curtain Definition: the political boundary dividing Europe into separate areas and Stalin’s efforts to block contact with the West “From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent” On March 5,1946, Winston Churchill first referred to a Communist “iron curtain” across eastern Europe USA and USSR knew that an all-out war would destroy both countries so a new type of struggle started – COLD WAR: A period of tension between the US and the Soviet Union characterised by threats (nuclear warfare) and propaganda The superpowers never directly fought each other, but fought wars in other countries usually with a clash of two ideologies – communism vs. democracy Truman Doctrine Truman stressed the duty of the US to combat totalitarian regimes worldwide. Definition:The Doctrine was a shift in American foreign policy to a policy of containment of Soviet expansion. Historians often use it to mark the starting date of the Cold War NATO (1949) Definition: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was established as an international organization for defense collaboration which attempted to align nations opposed to Soviet expansion. The agreement stated that if any member of NATO was attacked by a communist state, all the members of NATO promised to help Warsaw Pact (1955) Formal name is the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance Definition: Similarly, the Warsaw Pact was signed by eastern European nations in an effort to combat western alliances. Duck and Cover: Preparedness measures in response to a potential nuclear attack Canada and the Cold War In October of 1945, 51 different countries signed a charter that established the United Nations in San francisco california. This event is historically significant because it signified peace between all 51 countries and secondly the Un has helped many countries develop. Canada's Involvement Canada agreed to take in refugees and helped develop buildings like schools, dams, and roads in many countries. Nato & Warsaw Pact Prime Minister St. Laurent saw Canada as a "power of the middle rank" and his government expanded Canada's international role accordingly. He believed that although Canada had a close relationship with both the United States and Britain, it could nevertheless act independently of these two nations. As a middle power, Canada was in the position of effectively representing the interests of smaller nations. St. Laurent was an enthusiastic supporter of Canada's participation in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the United Nations (UN). In 1949, Canada joined with the United States, Britain, and other Western European nations to form NATO, a military alliance. An 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 weapons, that is, short-range nuclear weapons such as artillery shells or bombs. As a last resort, they would be prepared to wage total nuclear war. Since the United States was by far the most powerful member of the alli-ance, much of NATO's activity served American policy first and foremost. Canada's close ties with the United States made maintaining an independent foreign policy very difficult. When NATO admitted West Germany as a member, the Soviet Union initiated the Warsaw Pact, a military alliance with Eastern European communist countries, to counter it. Much of the northern hemisphere was now effectively divided into two hostile camps. Armies constantly practised for war and added to their arsenals of weapons. Everywhere, spies and counterspies probed for weaknesses in their enemy's security-searching for secrets, carrying out assassinations, and promoting revolutions and counter-revolutions. Canada's Commitment to NATO Canada made a serious commitment when it joined NATO. It agreed to keep a full army brigade and several air squadrons in Europe, mostly in West Germany. It built and supplied military bases overseas. Canadian ships and aircraft tracked the movements of Soviet submarines. Canadian forces participated regularly in military exercises with Canada's allies. Perhaps most significantly, by joining NATO, Canada had to adapt its defence policy to those of its allies. Canada's Involvement Quadrants and military bases were set up in europe. Canada had the responsibility of tracking what the soviet union was up to NORAD and North American Defence In 1958, Prime Minister Diefenbaker signed an agreement with the United States committing Canada to the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD). (NORAD was originally called North American Air Defence Command; it was renamed in 1981) This meant that Canada and the U.S. had become part of a joint coordinated continental air defence against the threat of attack from the Soviet Union. Canadian and American fighter forces, missile bases, and air-defence radar were controlled from a command station deep within Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado. NORAD had a force of 1000 bombers at its disposal at any one time, some of which were always in the air armed with nuclear weapons. A Canadian command post, under joint control, was established deep inside tunnels at North Bay, Ontario. When the Cold War began, it looked like Europe would be the battleground between West and East. However, when long-range bombers were developed that could carry warheads to distant targets, North America also became vulnerable. To protect against direct Soviet attack from the air, the United States built three lines of radar stations across Canada between 1950 and 1957—the Pinetree Line, the Mid-Canada Line, and the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line (see map below). These stations were designed to detect a surprise Soviet attack over the North Pole, giving the United States time to launch a counterattack. The DEW Line, and other radar stations, compromised Canadian sov-ereignty. For the first time, the U.S. stationed military personnel in Canada, alarming many Canadians. To visit the DEW Line, Canadian members of Parliament and journalists had to fly to New York and gain security clearance from U.S. authorities. Canada's involvement with NORAD The radar detection was set up i northern Canada so Canada would be hit before the US. The Korean Conflict Though the threat of nuclear annihilation kept the major powers from open war, both sides supported their own interests in the developing world. The Second World War had left the Asian country of Korea divided. The Soviet Union and communist China supported North Korea, a communist state. The United States supported South Korea which had a fragile democracy. In 1950, war broke out when North Korea invaded South Korea. The United Nations called on its members to assist South Korea. (The The Soviet Union was boycotting the UN at the time because it refused to give communist China a seat. Therefore it could not exercise its right to veto.) Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent sent thousands of Canadian troops and three naval destroyers to Korea. The UN force, led by American General Douglas MacArthur, tried to drive the invaders back over the border into North Korea. Meanwhile, Lester Pearson, Canada's Minister of External Affairs, urged all sides to agree to a ceasefire. At one point, the United States considered using the atomic bomb, but luckily, it did not. In addition, General MacArthur made plans to invade China. Had either of these things happened, a third World War would likely have resulted. Although a ceasefire was reached in 1953, the war had increased tensions between the West and the communist nations. Global attention returned to this part of the world in the 1960s when American involvement in Vietnam escalated. (You will read about the Vietnam War in Chapter 7.) Sandwiched between the Second World War and the Vietnam War, the Korean conflict is often called "Canada's forgotten war." Canada sent more than 25 000 soldiers to fight in Korea. More than 1500 were seriously wounded and another 516 died. The Korean War has technically not ended: the Republic of Korea (South) and the Democratic Peoples' Republic of Korea (North) have yet to sign a peace treaty. Canada’s involvement with the korean war More than 25,000 Canadian troops were sent over to fight but in the end the borders stayed the same and the lives lost were basically pointless. This disagreement demonstrated the tension between political ideologies. It also showed canada's commitment to the US. The Suez Crisis and Pearson's Nobel Peace Prize A crisis over the Suez Canal in Egypt gave Canada another chance to take a leading role at the United Nations. The Suez Canal links the Mediterranean and Red Seas and provides the shortest sea route from Europe to the Indian Ocean. It was opened in 1869 and was privately owned by British and French investors. In 1956, Egypt's president, Gamal Abdel Nasser, took over the canal and threatened to ban ships travelling to and from Israel. In response, Israel, Britain, and France planned "Operation Musketeer" to regain control of the canal. Ignoring a UN Security Council resolution to cease hostilities, they landed troops in the canal zone. The Soviet Union immediately offered Egypt financial and military aid. The United States was angry with its allies, Britain, France, and Israel, for not consulting the U.S. government before attacking Egypt. Nevertheless, the United States threatened retaliation against any Soviet involvement. Canadian public opinion on the crisis was divided. The Conservative Party and many other Canadians felt it was their duty to support Britain. Liberal Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent, however, denounced the British and French military intervention. Once again, Lester Pearson went to the United Nations to try to work out a solution. He proposed that a multinational peacekeeping force be created and installed in the war zone to maintain ceasefires and oversee the withdrawal of troops. The United Nations agreed, and the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) was formed and sent to the Suez area to bring hostilities to a peaceful end. The force, under the command of a Canadian general, was chosen from countries not directly involved in the conflict. The UNEF remained stationed on the Israel-Egypt border until 1967. In the following years, Canada gained a reputation as an impartial and peace-loving country, willing to pay the costs of sending peacekeepers to troubled areas of the world. In 1998, the United Nations celebrated 50 years of peacekeeping around the world. During that time there were 49 peacekeeping operations; 36 of which were created by the Security Council between 1988 and 1998. Canada's involvement to the suez crisis The Canadian prime minister suggested that the UN create an emergency peace keeping force and so UNEF was composed of countries that were not a part of the disagreement and they kept the peace in Egypt at the time. The Cold War and Post-War Diplomacy In 1945, a Russian citizen, Igor Gouzenko, was working as a clerk at the Soviet embassy in Ottawa. In September of that year, Gouzenko went to the Ottawa Journal with documents proving that a Soviet spy ring was operating within the Canadian government. When no one at the newspaper believed him, Gouzenko took his pregnant wife and child in tow and brought the documents to the offices of the RCMP, the Department of Justice, and the prime minister. Still no one believed him-until Soviet agents broke into his apartment. Finally Gouzenko and his family got protection from Canadian authorities. Canadian officials informed the British and American governments of the spy ring. In February, 1946, the RCMP made several arrests. The spy ring was likely trying to discover information about the atomic bomb, but it appeared that the Soviets had learned very little. The Gouzenko affair brought Canadians into the new reality of the post-war world— the period of intense hostility and suspicion known as the Cold War. Canada's involvement to the suez crisis The Canadian prime minister suggested that the UN create an emergency peace keeping force and so UNEF was composed of countries that were not a part of the disagreement and they kept the peace in Egypt at the time. The cuban missile crisis October of 1962 U.S.S.R placed nuclear missiles on military bases in Cuba and the US felt threatened. The US asked Cuba to remove these missiles and they said no because the U.S.S.R was helping them so then the US placed an embargo in cuba The missiles were however eventually removed from Cuba but the embargo is still there to this day Canada's involvement Canada harmed their relationship with the US when they did not immediately send troops over to help fight and troops were eventually sent but the damage to the relationship was already done