The Cold War was a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and Soviet Union from 1945-1991. The two superpowers competed for global influence through military alliances like NATO and the Warsaw Pact, nuclear and space races, and proxy wars in developing nations. Canada played a role in early warning systems through NORAD and developed its own advanced fighter jets, though its programs were eventually influenced by the US. Both sides lived under the threat of nuclear war through the principle of mutually assured destruction.

1. THE COLD WAR
A BIPOLAR WORLD FROM 1945 - 1991

2. Post-War: United Nations is created
-Replaces the League of
Nations (ineffective)
-Permanent Security
Council members have
“veto power”
-A good thing, optimism
-***John Humphrey
(Canada) wrote the UN
Charter

3. What was the Cold War?
The Bipolar World – Two superpowers (USA & USSR)
compete for world dominance. Why? Ideological rivalry.
-Cold War = Battle between Democracy/Capitalism &
Communism

4. - USA & USSR don’t fight each other directly (although
the threat was very real), but compete in every arena
possible
- Nuclear Arms Race
- Espionage
- Client States (competition for allies around the world; most
countries chose a side)
- Space Race
- Propaganda
- Olympics
- Wars in 3rd
world countries (developing world)

5. After WWII, Churchill
famously stated that “an
Iron Curtain has
descended upon
Europe,” meaning that
the Soviet controlled
Eastern Europe was now
cut off from the rest of
Europe. Communism
was spreading!

8. It didn’t take long for
military alliances to form. -
- The West (those
countries allied with the
USA) developed the North
Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO) in
1949.
- The USSR and its allies in
Eastern Europe formed the
“Warsaw Pact” in 1955.

9. Military Alliances form
NATO
North Atlantic Treaty
Organization
Warsaw Pact

10. Current NATO members
How well do you know your map? ;)

11. Satellite States
- But those countries in Eastern Europe
weren’t exactly “free” to make this
choice.
- Stalin promised free elections in
liberated countries after the war, but
never ended up holding those elections.
He installed puppet governments and
used his military to keep these countries
obedient.
- These countries were called “satellite
states”, and they created a “buffer
zone” between USSR & the West (let’s
face it: they were invaded in WWI and
WWII through these countries…)

12. American Policy
Containment: Communism must be
contained; must not be allowed to spread
Domino Theory: If one country falls to
communism, others around it will, and
so on and so on
Truman Doctrine: An official
confirmation of Containment; USA will
back up containment policy with heavy
investment (billions of dollars went to
Western Europe) and military
intervention

14. For the next half a century, these conflicting ideologies and foreign policies
would threaten the world with nuclear apocalypse. Every time tensions would
arise between the USA and the USSR, the “Doomsday Clock” would move closer
towards midnight.

15. Quote:
“Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants.
We know more about war than we know about peace,
more about killing than we know about living.”
- General Omar Bradley

16. An important principle for maintaining peace was MAD – Mutually Assured Destruction. As
long as both sides were relatively equal in nuclear capabilities, it wouldn’t make sense to launch
because you knew you would also cease to exist. The Arms Race and MAD was, in an ironic way,
one of the main things that prevented war.

17. Canada’s Role
- Canada played an important role in NORAD (North American
Aerospace Defence Command). By having the ‘fortunate’ geographic
position right in between the USA and the USSR, we were the first
line of warning and defense just in case the bombs actually began to
fly.
- There were multiple radar networks set up in Canada to warn of any
incoming missiles or planes. The most important was the Distant
Early Warning Line, or the Dew Line, high up in Canada’s Arctic.
There was even a military outpost on the northern tip of Baffin
Island named “Alert”. How transparent!

20. - To respond to any Soviet
threats, Canada developed the
AVRO Arrow in the 1950s. It
was the most technologically
advanced jet fighter in the
world. (Go Canada!)
- The program was eventually
scrapped in favour of
BOMARC missiles (the USA
pressured us to do this). These
missiles were nuclear capable,
and Canada was a nuclear
nation for over a decade.

21. The Red Scare / Red Menace
- Could there be
COMMUNISTS among us?
Spies? Traitors?
In Canada: The Gouzenko Affair
In the USA: Joe McCarthy (eg.,
McCarthyism)

24. Tasks:
-Complete your Cold War map (unless you are in History 12…)
-Read Student Workbook p.117-121
-Read Counterpoints p. 190 – 197
- Do q’s 2a&b on p196
- Do q’s 1, 2, 4 on p. 193