History Browser

This resource provides links to information on Canada's involvement in wars and peacekeeping in the 20th century.

On July 27, 1953 the Korea Armistice Agreement was signed at Panmunjom, ending three years of fighting. For the first time in history an international organization had intervened effectively with a multinational force to stem aggression.

This guide is designed to aid educators with activities intended to teach young children in Kindergarten to Grade 3 about Canada's participation in wars of the 20th century.

The first Canadian aid to the hard-pressed UN forces involved in the Korean War came from the Royal Canadian Navy. On July 12, 1950, three Canadian destroyers, HMCS Cayuga, HMCS Athabaskan, and HMCS Sioux, were dispatched to Korean waters to serve under the United Nations Command.

As North Korean forces pushed southward, the UN effectively declared war on North Korea. World wide reaction to this invasion, the first open act of aggression since the establishment of the United Nations Organization, was swift. All members of the newly formed world organization were called on to aid the Republic of Korea (South Korea).

Discussion of Canada's initial policy of limited involvement in the Second World War and how circumstances caused this to change.

At the end of World War II, Korea, formerly Japanese territory, was occupied by the Soviet Union in its north half and the United States in its south half. As the Cold War intensified in the western hemisphere, so, too, did tensions between Korea's communist and democratic halves.

The role of Canadian peacekeepers and peacekeeping is discussed in this teachers' guide. Topics include history, purpose; functions and tasks, and past and present missions. Links to a class activity titled Postcards for Peace are included.

At the start of World War II, the British Government looked to the Dominions for air training help because the United Kingdom did not have the space to accommodate training and operational facilities, and because aerodromes in the United Kingdom were vulnerable to enemy attack. Upon considering the U.K.’s September 1939 proposal, Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King believed the training plan would be "the most essential military action that Canada could undertake".

Following the Inchon landings and the UN successes of September and October 1950, the end of the war in Korea seemed imminent. It was, therefore, decided to limit the Canadian contribution to one battalion to be used for occupation duties.