International Conflicts

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

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.

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!

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.

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!

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!

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

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.

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!

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.

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.

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

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

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!

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.

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!

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

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.

Significance for Canada:  Lester B. Pearson was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in  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.

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!

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 in the communist island nation of Cuba

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!

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!

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!

End Result: The Soviets decided not to try and break the blockade. The Soviets agreed 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.

The Cuban Missile Crisis and Canada:  The USA expected that Canada would back them unconditionally during the crisis. BUT....  Canadian Prime Minister, John Diefenbaker, wanted the Americans to calm down.  He recommended that the UN send a fact- finding mission to Cuba to find out if the missiles were really there.

What did Diefenbaker want? Diefenbaker’s goal was to avoid dragging Canada into a war. Because of this, he did two more things to anger the Americans: He refused to listen to the American demand to put our NORAD forces on alert. He refused to allow American warplanes carrying nuclear weapons to land in Canada.

Result of Diefenbaker’s actions:  The Americans were furious!  They felt as though Canada had betrayed them in their time of need.  Canadian – American relations were damaged.  80% of Canadians opposed Diefenbaker’s actions.

The Vietnam War  Before WWII, Vietnam had been a French colony.  During WWII, it was taken over by the Japanese.  After WWII, when the French tried to take over again, the Vietnamese revolted.  Result: Vietnam ended up being divided in two, just like Korea.

North Vietnam: Communist dictatorship South Vietnam: Capitalist dictatorship Result: a war began almost immediately.

The Vietnam war involved other countries:  The USA supported South Vietnam.  The communist countries (USSR, China) supported North Vietnam.  By the early 1960s, the USA was sending troops to Vietnam.

Why did the Americans get involved in a war so far away from their own country?  They felt they had to stop North Vietnam from taking over South Vietnam.  Why?  Because they were afraid of the Domino Theory  Result: By 1969, over 500,000 American soldiers were in Vietnam.

The Impact of Television:  This was the first major war that was recorded by TV cameras.  Result: Americans watching at home were able to witness:  The USA’s inability to win the war  The growing number of American casualties  The massacres being committed by American soldiers  The destruction that was taking place in Vietnam

Results:  The American people began to turn against the war.  Protests became very common, and sometimes turned violent.  Young Americans did anything they could to avoid being drafted into the war.  Many became draft dodgers and escaped to Canada.

The end of the war:  By the early 1970s, the Americans had realized that they could not win.  President Nixon promised to end the war.  In 1973, a ceasefire was signed.  In 1975, the last Americans left South Vietnam, and it was taken over by the Communists.  Many anti-communist Vietnamese left Vietnam in boats. They applied for refugee status in other countries and thousands were accepted into Canada.