Canada & The Cold War Chapter 8-9 Social Studies Canada and the Creation of NATO Shortly after WW2 it became evident that the Allies had split into 2 opposing camps: The Soviet Union and the West The West began to understand that the Soviets were trying to spread Communism across the world In order to stop this spread, an alliance was needed, and in 1949 NATO was formed NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization Comprised of 12 nations: Canada, United States, Belgium, Great Britain, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway and Portugal The main purpose of NATO was the idea of collective security, where all members of the alliance agree that an attack on any one nation in the alliance, means and attack on all members. The members of NATO hoped that this would discourage the aggression of the Soviet Union
NATO: 1949-1990 Warsaw Pact In response to the creation of NATO, in 1955 the Soviet Union created its own military alliance, the Warsaw Pact. Warsaw Pact was made up of 8 countries: Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania and the Soviet Union. Much like NATO, the Warsaw Pact was formed with the same sense of collective security between its member naitons. Warsaw Pact 1955-1990
Canada Becoming a member of NATO showed the world that Canada was a strong ally of the United States and other Western nations. It also showed that Canada would play a significant role in world affairs in the post-ww2 era. Being a member of this military alliance meant that Canada would station members of its Armed Forces (Air Force, Army, Navy) in Europe and around the world. Canadian Forces - NATO Majority of Canadian troops, about 5000, were stationed in Western Germany, the 4 th Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group Canada also had 4 separate Air-Bases in Germany and France, totalling 12 Fighter Squadrons Canadian Navy also participated; the group being called Standing Naval Force Atlantic. They patrolled the Atlantic Ocean in order to make sure shipping lanes were clear and to stop possible Soviet naval action.
NATO Today Even though the Cold War has ended, NATO still exists, and Canada is still a strong member of the group. NATO has taken on more members since the end of the Cold War, some of them being old members of the Warsaw Pact. NATO no longer works to stop the spread of Communism or Soviet aggression. It now works to protect ethnic minorities and to prevent international terrorism. NORAD Canada understood that with the increased sophistication of nuclear arms, they would become a key location in any war between the Soviet Union and the United States. The quickest way for the Soviets to attack the US was to travel across the Arctic Ocean. Because of this, Canada and its vast northern territory would be of great importance. It was agreed that Canada would work with the United States to provide air defense and early warning radar NORAD (con t) This unified system of defense was called the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD), and was begun in the late 1950 s. This would mean that Canada and the US would share in the air-defense of the entire continent of North America. But, with a huge difference in the size of their Air Forces, the United States would be defending Canadian air-space to a greater extent.
NORAD Controversy This decision was seen as problematic to many Canadians. They believed that Canada was giving up some of its independence; major decisions about the defense of Canada could be made at NORAD Headquarters, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, US. As part of the radar defense set up by NORAD, 63 radar stations were built in the Canadian Arctic, known as the Distant Early Warning Line (DEW Line) These stations would, as the name implies, detect Soviet bombers and give an early warning, to give American and Canadian fighters time to intercept them. NORAD and Canada These stations would be run by both American and Canadian personnel Their construction provided a great deal of employment to Aboriginals in the North, but this also angered some Aboriginals, as many of their people moved away from traditional hunting lifestyle/economy Their construction also led to the disruption of wildlife patterns, creating even more problems for the Aboriginals
NORAD Today These radar sites are now obsolete and have been officially closed since 1993 The alliance between the US and Canada in Air Defence still exists, but under a new name: North American Aerospace Defence Command Canada also is considering to assist the US in its Star Wars program. Detectors in space would identify incoming missiles and alert Interceptors, who would destroy the missiles before they could strike Many Canadians are still divided on the systems effectiveness and necessity Igor Gouzenko This man, a clerk in the Soviet embassy in Ottawa, became the first person to make Canadians aware of the Cold War, in 1945. He asked Canada for political asylum or protection and told the government that the Soviet Union had set up spyrings in Canada, even while they were allies in WW2, with the purpose of finding out classified information Gouzenko and his family were forced to take on new identities in fear of reaction by the Soviets
Diefenbunkers A nickname given to a series of nuclear fallout shelters built by the Canadian government under Prime Minister John Diefenbaker These bunkers would be used to shelter top military and government officials in the event of a nuclear attack The main bunker, used to protect the Federal Government, was 4 stories underground and 9290 m² in area. It housed a war cabinet room, a CBC radio station, and a Bank of Canada vault. These Diefenbunkers are now used as Museums, to show the fear of nuclear attack for Canada during the Cold War
CF-105 Avro Arrow Canada, in the late 1950 s, entered the arms race of the Cold War by designing and building what was then understood to be the most advanced fighter/interceptor in the world. Initially believed to cost $2 million per plane, costs rose to nearly $10 million. Even though it was highly advanced, Canada was unable to get any buyers for the plane outside of Canada, even among its military allies. The program was eventually cancelled by the government in February of 1959. CF-105 Avro Arrow (con t) People believed that with the launching of Soviet satellites into space, were fighter-jets now obsolete? Canada, at this time, also did not want to spend a great deal of money on defence. Also, the United States wanted support for its own aerospace industries. All completed planes, parts, and plans were destroyed by the government. Most of the gifted scientists who worked on the Arrow were now out of work. Most went either to the US to help develop NASA, or to France to help design and build the Concorde supersonic airliner.
The CF-105 Avro Arrow