Cold War

1. International Conflicts Cold War

2. The Berlin Blockade and Airlift • After WWII, Germany was divided into 4 occupation zones controlled by • The USA • The USSR • Britain • France

3. Britain, France and the USA quickly joined theirs together to form West Germany. The Soviets kept control of their part of Germany by creating the Communist German Democratic Republic, or East Germany.

4. The city of Berlin was in East Germany, but it also was divided into 4 occupation zones. • This caused a problem for the USSR: • It meant that Capitalist nations had a stronghold deep within Communist Europe!

6. Result: • In June of 1948, the USSR decided to block all transportation corridors leading from West Germany to Berlin. • Purpose: To make it impossible for the USA and their allies to supply West Berlin, thus forcing them to abandon it! • This became known as the Berlin Blockade Crisis.

8. Reaction in the west: • Fearing the Domino Theory, the allies decided to begin a massive airlift to supply West Berlin. • For 15 months, West Berlin’s 2.5 million citizens were supplied by what became known as the Berlin Airlift!

11. End Result: • Eventually, the USSR realized that the blockade was not working, so it abandoned it. • This crisis showed the western nations how important it was for them to work together against the forces of Communism. • This is one of the main reasons why NATO was created!

12. The Korean War • After WWII, Korea was divided in two. • The northern half became Communist, while the southern half became Capitalist:

13. In 1950, North Korea used Soviet made tanks and aircraft to invade South Korea. • Result: • The South Korean government asked for help. • The USA demanded that the newly created United Nations (UN) come to the aid of South Korea.

15. Results: • A UN force made up of 32 countries was sent to Korea. • This force included 26,500 Canadians! • The UN force pushed the North Koreans back and almost captured all of North Korea! • Seeing this as a threat, Communist China came to the aid of the North Koreans!

17. So how did the Korean War end? • In 1953, an armistice was signed, and Korea remained divided between the north and the south. • No treaty was signed, so the two countries are technically at war with each other to this day.

19. Why is the Korean War significant? • For Canada: • It showed that Canada supported the UN and was willing to fight to achieve its goals. • It reinforced Canada’s position as a middle power. • For the UN: • It showed that members of the UN were willing to take serious action when required.

22. The Suez Crisis • The Suez Canal was built in the late 1800s. It serves as a link between Europe and the Indian Ocean:

24. Problem: • Although the Suez Canal is in Egypt, it was owned by British and French investors. • Result: • In 1956. Egyptian President Nasser seized the Suez Canal and nationalized it.

26. Reaction in Britain and France: • The canal is a vital trade route, so Britain and France decided they could not afford to lose it. • The also saw this as an opportunity to prove that they still mattered. • Result: • They joined with Israel to attack Egypt and take the canal by force!

28. Reaction in Egypt: • The Egyptians began to look for friends to support them – they didn’t have to look very far... • The USSR quickly sided with Egypt: • They demanded that the British, French and Israelis withdraw. • They offered financial aid and missiles to Egypt.

29. The role of the USA: • The Americans were angry because the British and the French had not consulted them before invading Egypt. • Still, they had no choice but to support their NATO allies: • They threatened to retaliate if the USSR became militarily involved!

30. What did this all mean? The world was on the verge of another world war, only this time both sides had nuclear weapons!

31. Result: • Canada came to the rescue! • Canada’s Minister of External Affairs, Lester Pearson, went to the UN to work out a solution: • A UN force, under the command of a Canadian general, went to Egypt to separate and mediate between the two sides. • The invading forces gradually withdrew and were replaced by UN peacekeepers.

33. Significance for Canada: • Lester B. Pearson was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957. • Canada gained an international reputation as a peacekeeping country. • Canada showed that it cared more about the preservation of world peace than it did about backing up its allies against the communists.

35. Significance for the UN: • The UN had once again proven that it was useful: • Its peacekeepers were able to stop a war and prevent it from spreading!

36. The Cuban Missile Crisis • During the Cold War, the USA and the USSR stockpiled nuclear weapons in various places around the world. • In 1962, the USSR tried to establish nuclear missile bases inthe communist island nation of Cuba

37. How did this lead to a crisis? • The USA spotted the Soviet missiles in Cuba through aerial surveillance (spy planes). • Missiles from Cuba could hit targets almost anywhere in the USA (and Canada) within a few minutes!

41. Why was this a huge problem for the Americans? • This affected the balance of power between the USA and the USSR because... • It meant that the USA would have very little time to respond to a Soviet nuclear attack! • By launching missiles from Cuba, the USSR might be able to destroy the USA before the USA has time to launch its own missiles!

42. How did the USA respond? • American President John F. Kennedy decided to set up a naval blockade around Cuba. • Purpose: To prevent Soviet ships from bringing in more missiles. • Problem: Soviet ships were already on their way to Cuba. As they got closer, the fear of nuclear war became very strong!

47. End Result: • The Soviets decided not to try and break the blockade. • The Sovietsagreed to leave Cuba. • The Americans agreed not to invade Cuba. • Who won? • Because the Soviets backed down, the western world (USA and NATO allies) saw this as a victory. • President Kennedy was seen as a hero.