Cold and Hot Wars Week 10: Cold War and Modern Imperialism The Cold War was a struggle between capitalist countries, led by the U.S., and communist and socialist countries, led by the Soviet Union.Other than a few dissenters, Canadians aligned with the U.S.For the most part, Canadians and Americans agreed that their capitalist system in North America and Western Europe stood for liberty, whereas the Soviet Union and her allies stood for tyranny, repression, and hostility. Between 1950 and 1954, anti-communist hysteria enveloped American politicsMembership in the Communist Party of the United States was made illegalLed by Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Unamerican Activities Committee, Americans questioned, accused, fired, and blacklisted their alleged enemies as communistsBoth Canadians and Americans focused much of their anti-communist energies on the entertainment industry, blacklisting suspected communists.Both governments fired homosexuals from important government posts, alleging that they could become easy targets for blackmail should the Soviets find out about their sexual orientation. Meanwhile, Soviet moves on the world stage helped convince Canadians and Americans of communist aggression.In the early postwar years, the USSR established political domination over several Eastern European countries, setting up totalitarian police states and crushing dissentIn 1949, they successfully tested an atomic bombThat same year, communists took control in ChinaIn 1950, communist North Korea invaded the SouthAs these events unfolded, North Americans and Western European nations decided to shore up their alliance with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) a broad alliance between twelve countries that bound the signatories to defend each other if one were attacked by a foreign powerAnd in 1957, the North American Air Defence Command (NORAD) formed, which integrated the home defence squadrons of the Canadian and American air forces Korea was the first place the Cold War turned hot.Between 1910 and 1945, it had been a Japanese colony. In 1945, it was divided at the 38th parallel into two temporary occupation zones the North controlled by the USSR and the South controlled by the US.In June 1950, the North invaded the South. The US sent troops to defend the South and a small number of Canadians joined under the UN collective forceCanada advocated for diplomacy and the use of UN levers to gain peace. Once the South Korean and UN forces were able to halt the advance of the North Koreans, American officials debated what to do should they push on to defeat the North and reunite Korea? Should they stop at the 38th parallel and return to the status quo?Canadian officials advocated for restraint, arguing that pushing too far North would bring China into the conflict. But the Americans did not listen and
they continued to advance, hoping to defeat the North for good.Chinese troops flooded into North Korea in late 1950, pushing their opponents back toward the 38th parallel and creating a long-lasting stalemate.The two sides signed an armistice in July 1953 and the Korean War ended with almost 5 million deaths, including 37,000 Americans and 500 Canadians, and an estimated 3 million Korean deathsSo Canada and the US had the same goals in Korea, but advocated different strategies. The Cold War also turned hot in Vietnam.Vietnam had formerly been part of French Indochina and was then occupied by Japan during WWII. After the war, the French tried to re-establish imperial control, while a group of Vietnamese led by communist Ho Chi Minh called the Vietminh resisted.The Vietminh were concentrated in the North and the French (whose forces were heavily funded by the US) were concentrated in the South.The French withdrew in 1954 and the US began providing financial and military support to the anti-communist regime in the South.In 1956, President Johnson intensified the war by launching a massive bombing campaign against the North and dispatching hundreds of thousands of American troops.Despite being a close ally of the US, Canada declined the US request to send Canadian troops to Vietnam.Because of the extensive TV coverage of the war, Canadians and Americans saw the horrors firsthand, which fanned the flames of anti-war sentiment on the homefrontThousands of Americans flooded into Canada, some to dodge the military draft and others disgusted by American war policyCanadians and Americans engaged in anti-war protests and demonstrationsThroughout the 1960s and 1970s, racial tensions also contributed to instability and domestic unrestPolice and White civilians assaulted Black civil rights protestors, killing many, including Martin Luther King Jr.Among the most shocking murders was the National Guards shooting of four unarmed student demonstrators at Kent State UniversityThe movement for Black civil rights had transnational appeal.For instance, Fred Hampton, a leader of the Black Panthers, spoke at the University of Saskatchewan in 1969, making such an impact that when he was killed in his sleep by Chicago police later that year, more than 100 people gathered in Regina in his honour.The Vietnam War finally ended in early 1973. Around 58,000 Americans and 2 million Vietnamese were killed In 1989, the USSR withdrew its troops from Eastern Europe and allowed democratic elections, East Germany began dismantling the Berlin Wall, and in 1991, President Mikhail Gorbachev resigned, declaring that the Soviet Union had ceased to exist.The Cold War was over.Overall, Canadians and Americans were strong allies throughout the conflict and despite a few bumps along the way, their loyalty to each other was never seriously questioned by either side.