It's no wonder we use the term "Cold War" to describe relations between the United States and the Soviet Union after World War II. The atmosphere was downright frosty!
During the 45-year Cold War, the world found itself divided between East and West and between capitalism and communism. Each side was convinced that the other side was involved in espionage -- and sometimes they were right.
Canada had its own spy scandal, the Gouzenko Affair. In September 1945 a cipher clerk from the Soviet Embassy in Ottawa tipped the Canadian government off to the fact that Soviet spies had been instructed to obtain confidential information about radar technology, explosives and nuclear and uranium processing. The Canadian government swung into action, making several arrests and clamping down on suspected subversives.
As the Cold War intensified, Canada found itself drawn into the orbit of the Americans -- no big surprise given that the countries' economies were becoming increasingly interwoven. The Americans had long since abandoned the isolationist stance that they had assumed during the years between the two wars and now saw themselves as the champions of the free world, committed to containing communism at home and abroad.
When the United States became involved in the Korean War under the umbrella of the United Nations, Canada followed its lead. Some 25,000 Canadians participated in the Korean War and 300 of them lost their lives.
Canada was not the only country allowing the United States to call the shots. Many European countries followed suit, supporting American foreign policy in exchange for aid dollars to help rebuild their war-ravaged economies.
