Canada and 'The Cold War'

The so-called Cold War began when several socialist countries of Europe became part of a Communist bloc led by the Soviet Union under Josef Stalin while some capitalist European countries joined to form the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a military alliance. Canada joined the United States in the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) and NATO.

Canada joined international organizations such as the United Nations (UN). It participated in the UN operation of the Korean War (1950-53), with the loss of 500 dead and 1,000 wounded.

Canada has taken part in numerous UN peacekeeping missions in places as varied as Egypt, Cyprus and Haiti, as well as in other international security operations such as those in the former Yugoslavia and Afghanistan.