UNIT 5

United Nations

The United Nations was created in October 1945.

One of the Allies goals during World War II was to create an international organization to ensure global collective security.

The United Nations Purpose

(I) maintain international peace & settle disputes

(ii) develop equal rights & national self determination

(iii) solve social, economic & humanitarian problems

Establishing a Strong Organization

The League of Nations had been too weak to stop aggression because major powers were unwilling to get involved.

President Roosevelt of the United States made the United Nations a strong organization by ensuring that all major powers be involved.

To make sure that the Americans were committed, Roosevelt placed the United Nations headquarters in the United States and created the “ Veto “.

Organization of the United Nations

The United Nations was divided into two parts

1. The General Assembly in which each country had one vote

2. The Security Council controlled by the major powers. Dealt with matters of peace and international security.

Five permanent members ; US, Britain, USSR, France and China.

Each had the power of veto.

Canada’s role and Participation in The United Nations

Canada was one of the middle powers who played an active role in the development of the United Nations organizations.

Some of Canada’s ministers of external affairs were able to make influential recommendations within the United Nations.

Example the “Suez Canal”.

Cold War

The period following World War II, 1945 to 1990. A period of espionage, arms build-up, and tension.

Time of increasing diplomatic and political tension between the West/United States and the East/Soviet Union.

The western world was divided into two camps -The Americans and their allies, and the Soviets and other communist nations, which created the constant threat of war.

“The Suez Crisis”

In 1956 the world was faced with the possibility of another major war.

Egypt seized control of the Suez Canal from a British/French company.

Britain , France and Israel attacked Egypt The Soviet Union announced their

support for Egypt. Fear of World War Three.

Lester Pearson was Canada's minister of external affairs.

Pearson recommended the establishment of the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF).

The forerunner of the UN Peacekeepers This force would be placed in the middle of

the fighters until a peaceful settlement could be reached.

Resulted in the formation of the UN Peacekeepers and the Nobel Peace Prize for Pearson

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) 1949

It was a mutual defence pact to counter the threat of the spread of Soviet communism in Europe.

An attack on one country would be an attack against all.

The establishment of NATO indicated the West’s intent to meet Soviet expansion with collective resistance.

The founding members included the United States, Canada, Britain, and France.

Presently the members include the United States, Canada, Britain, Iceland, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Turkey and Spain.

Louis St. Laurent was Canada’s minister of external affairs in 1947.

He convinced Canadians that The United States was the only nation strong enough to withstand the Soviet threat.

As a result Canada connected itself to the American Foreign Policy known as “Truman Doctrine.”

The Truman Doctrine was based on the belief that Communism must be contained, and not be allowed to spread throughout the world.

In 1948 Prime Minister St. Laurent proposed an organization of Western nations to protect the West against Communist aggression.

A year later NATO was formed.

North American Air Defence System (NORAD) 1957

A joint American-Canadian organization established in 1957.

The headquarters was located in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

It monitor nuclear tracking, warning, and control stations across the northern Arctic.

The name was changed in 1981 to North American Aerospace Defence Command. (NAADC).

Cuban Missile Crisis

The island of Cuba, 150 Km off the coast of Florida, had long been in the American sphere of influence.

Most of the wealth in Cuba belonged to American businesses.

The U.S. supported Cuba’s corrupt dictator, Batista, while the people lived in poverty.

In 1959 a young socialist named Fidel Castro overthrew Batista and took control in 1959.

Castro wanted to regain control of Cuba’s economy, for Cubans,

He nationalized all privately owned businesses.

American investors were outraged (having lost approximately 1 billion dollars).

As a result President Eisenhower imposed a trade embargo that continues to this day.

Castro succeeded in creating a first class health care and public education system.

However his socialist policies pitted him against the United States.

Castro’s nationalization of American businesses resulted in souring Cuban-American relations.

In need of economic and military support Castro found a friend in the Soviets.

The Soviets bought huge quantities of Cuban sugar and shipped military weapons to Cuba.

Threats from the United States and economic pressure pushed Cuba closer to the Soviets.

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In April 1961 a small army of Cuban exiles, trained by the American CIA invaded Cuba at the Bay of Pigs.

The invasion failed as the invaders were quickly defeated.

More importantly the invasion strengthen Cuba’s ties to the Soviets.

In October 1962 American spy planes revealed that the Soviets were building missile bases in Cuba.

These missiles could be used to launch nuclear weapons at the United States.

A nuclear war seemed likely. President Kennedy ordered a naval blockade of Cuba in order to keep supplies needed to complete the missile bases from reaching Cuba.

Kennedy secretly sent his brother to meet with the Soviet Ambassador to the United States to present an ultimatum to the Soviets.

Remove the missiles by the following day or the United States would remove them by force.

In return Kennedy guaranteed that the United States would not invade Cuba and that the U.S. would remove missiles, aimed at the USSR, in Turkey.

The crisis was over and both sides realized there could be no victory in a nuclear war.

The crisis also demonstrated the need for better communication between the two countries.

As a result the famous hotline was established.

The Crisis caused tension between Canada and the US

The US had not informed Canada of the Blockade until after the fact. ( contrary to NORAD terms). PM Diefenbaker delayed putting Canadian Forces on alert.

President Kennedy was upset over Canada’s slow response.

Most NATO countries put their armed forces on immediate alert.