The Cold War’s Negative Affect on Canada

The Cold War’s Negative Affect on Canada The distrust between the Western World and the Communists, as well as the conditions after WWII caused the Cold War to begin. From 1946 to 1991 a massive arms race developed and Canada was literally situated right in the middle of the hostility between the USA and the USSR. The Cold War had a negative affect on Canada through sexism against women, unfair treatment towards communists, and the Canadian’s fear of being bombed. The strength and skills women demonstrated during the war years were repressed during the Cold War, and once again sexism towards women was revealed throughout Canada. During the time of the Cold War, it was believed that women’s patriotic duties were to maintain the home, and their educational goals were redirected from career development to graduating with a diamond ring (Franks). An American educator stated that woman should be excluded from college because the education which girls could not use as homemakers was more urgently needed than ever by boys to do the work of the atomic age. Three children per married couple became the minimum and femininity exhibited by women was ideal (Runte). An article in Chatelaine Magazine, May, 1946 said, “Surely our magnificent young brides of today who have grown up during a tragic period will get together with their husbands, have children, and help the country out of this dilemma of declining population growth.” The Cold War lowered the value of women and restricted them from reaching their goals. Therefore sexism against women was one of the Cold War’s negative affects on Canada, as was the unfair treatment towards communists. North America and Western Europe were always opposed to the USSR’s communist rule, but during the Cold War, Canada began to treat communists within its own country unfairly. The Padlock Law, which became Chapter 11 of the statues of Quebec, 1937, had two main aims. First, was to limit the places that communists could congregate.

Cited: Chatelaine Magazine (1946). Collins, Robert. You had to Be There. Toronto, 1997. Franks. Chatelaine Magazine (1946). Kelly, Ninette. The Making of the Canadian Mosaic. Toronto, 1998. Ricketts, Bruce. Mysteries of Canada. 2007. Runte, Mary. I Love Lucid: The Cold War, Feminism and the Ideation of the American Family (2003).