The Diefenbunker Canada & the Cold War

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The Diefenbunker Canada & the Cold War THE DIEFENBUNKER CANADA & THE COLD WAR WORKING INTERPRETIVE PLAN February 1, 2019 (DRAFT 2) Diefenbunker Permanent Exhibitions, L400 Interpretive Plan Draft 2, February 1, 2019 Page 1 of 12 OVERALL BIG IDEA [TBD] The Canadian government built the Diefenbunker in response to the real possibility of nuclear attack. Diefenbunker Permanent Exhibitions, L400 Interpretive Plan Draft 2, February 1, 2019 Page 2 of 12 THIS INTERPRETIVE PLAN COVERS ONE EXHIBITION AREA: Canada & the Cold War Target Audience Local families (multigenerational groups including elders and children 10+) Educational groups (particularly classes studying “conflict resolution” and Canada in the 20th Century; includes post-secondary history students as well as lifelong learners) Content enthusiasts (people particularly interested in Cold War, bunkers) Tourists (from outside the capital region, and from the U.S.) Exhibit: Canada & the Cold War Big Idea – Between 1945 and 1989, Canada and Canadians prepared for nuclear war in the face of global tensions between NATO/Democratic/Capitalist and Warsaw Pact/Soviet/Communist countries/governments. This exhibition gives context to the Bunker: what international conditions led to the building of bunkers in general, the political and societal anxieties that supported the building of COG bunkers and home fallout shelters, and what we can learn from both the Cold War and the Bunker about conflict resolution and emergency preparedness. Sections include What Was the Cold War?, Beginning of the Cold War, Cold War Events Affecting Canadians, Canadian Anxiety, and the Legacy of the Cold War (and the Bunker). Pull-Out Bios continue in this exhibition. Diefenbunker Permanent Exhibitions, L400 Interpretive Plan Draft 2, February 1, 2019 Page 3 of 12 Conceptual Diagram of “Canada & the Cold War” 1.Introduction Placing the Bunker at the centre of the story of Canada and the Cold War. 2. What Was 3. Start of the 4. Cold War 5. Canadian 6. Cold War the Cold War? Cold War Events Anxieties Legacy Although tensions between Roughly chronological, with a focus on how CW affected Why were Canadians afraid of When, what, who, where, why. Communism/Capitalism were nuclear war? How average Includes a more detailed and clear in the 1930s, the CW Canada (NATO and the UN, Why we think the CW is over (is Korean War and other proxy Canadians responded to the CW visual timeline (with artifacts started w Gouzenko Affair; tensions: cultural products, it?), innovations of CW, and and images). The Bunker is a nuclear weapon technology was wars, communist purges, contemporary concerns. creation of government bunkers, home safety preparedness -- visible part of this. at the centre of this early power and affects on children. struggle. up to the Cuban Missile Crisis) Diefenbunker Permanent Exhibitions, L400 Interpretive Plan Draft 2, February 1, 2019 Page 4 of 12 EXHIBITION: CANADA & THE COLD WAR Interactive, A/V Code Message Content Description Physical Description Artifact/Prop Visual/Image Text Strategy or Effect 1.0 Canada and Canadians ENTRANCE Title and video loop/AV A/V: repeat of experienced social and Setting the scene: this exhibition is about video loop in political anxiety as a Canada in the Cold War and includes Butler’s Hut result of Cold War Canadian society as well as political entrance tensions. events, with a focus on the nuclear threat. 2. What Was the Cold War? 2.1 The CW immediately INTRODUCTION Text Panel followed the Second Short message to answer the question World War and ended What Was the Cold War? (so if people with the Fall of the skip the timeline or the exhibition Berlin Wall/Soviet Union altogether, the message is front and in 1989. It was an centre). ideological conflict between Presents the idea that the Cold War may democracy/capitalism not be over. and communism fought in the UN and through proxy wars all over the globe. 2.2 Visitors see themselves CW TIMELINE Interactive timeline – with events and Artifacts and Photos TBD A/V: news clips and their own personal Padlock Act photos, place for visitors to record their props in small of some of the histories as they Manhattan Project memories/recollections of years/events; cases along events in understand the Bombing of Hiroshima/Nagasaki possibly small cases to house smaller, timeline TBD timeline on small escalating fear of Stalin Moscow speech evocative artifacts. screens nuclear attack and why Gouzenko Affair that led to the building Soviet bomb test of the Bunker. UN and vetos NATO Visitors understand Berlin Airlift what they will see in the Eastern Europe exhibition. Korean War Diefenbunker Permanent Exhibitions, L400 Interpretive Plan Draft 2, February 1, 2019 Page 5 of 12 Interactive, A/V Code Message Content Description Physical Description Artifact/Prop Visual/Image Text Strategy or Effect Suez Canal Crisis NORAD Bomarc missiles & protests Decision to create bunkers Cuban Missile Crisis Peacekeeping vs. proxy wars Fall of the Berlin Wall [future?] * make sure building of Bunker is highlighted on timeline 2.3 Definitions: Hot War, A “cold war” is different from a “hot war”: a IA: sliding manual interactive that reveals Ph: examples or IA Cold War, Proxy War hot war is when two or more entities the definitions with images. graphics of hot, declare and wage battle in which there are cold, proxy wars casualties. A cold war is fought more on a political stage, and may also involve a proxy war. 3. Start of the Cold War 3.1 Canada was suspicious SETTING THE STAGE: PRE-WW2 Text panel Ph: Quebec of Communist ideology TENSIONS Padlock Act between World Wars. With the rise of Communism in Russia and then China, Canada responded to homegrown Communists in Canada with varying degrees of severity. Communists were treated with suspicion. In WW2, Canada relied on US protection while sending its own military overseas. Pull-out bio: STALIN 3.2 Developing nuclear A DELICATE BALANCE Text panel weapons was a key Development of nuclear weapons with goal of USSR to Canadian scientists and Canadian balance power relations uranium; the dropping of bombs on with the West. Hiroshima/Nagasaki, USSR’s need to develop own weapons. Diefenbunker Permanent Exhibitions, L400 Interpretive Plan Draft 2, February 1, 2019 Page 6 of 12 Interactive, A/V Code Message Content Description Physical Description Artifact/Prop Visual/Image Text Strategy or Effect 3.3 The CW started in THE GOUZENKO AFFAIR Text panel, a/v, manual interactive Gouzenko’s Newspaper AV: newsreels Canada with the Story of Igor Gouzenko’s defection and book reprints IA: flips with Gouzenko Affair. the results of his leaked information: new people that and widespread distrust of USSR and Gouzenko’s feeling that spies could be everywhere. information Pull out bio: Fred ROSE affected or Pull out bio: Igor GOUZENKO implicated 3.4 The threat of nuclear PROSPECT OF NUCLEAR WAR Text panel, photos, map, infographic Map: world map Infographic: war became a growing In 1949, USSR tests own nuclear bomb; of NATO AND building of concern for Canadians Canada increasingly becomes aligned Warsaw Pact nuclear in the 1950s. with US (rather than Britain). As CW aligned arsenals/military progressed in 1950s, average Canadians countries [TBD: from 1946-1989 became more and more concerned about could be a the advent of a nuclear attack. digital IA with slider through years with “hot spots”] 4. Cold War Events 4.1 The Korean War was KOREAN WAR Text panel, photos, AV, map AV: newsreels the first time the Cold The first hot moment of the CW, Korean or interviews, War got “hot”. war saw Canadian combatants…and Canada/Canadi casualties. China also became a CW ans in Korea adversary. 4.2 Canada joined the UN NATO & UNITED NATIONS Text panel, photos, IA Ph : TBD IA: game to as an independent What is UN; what is NATO. guess when player. Increasingly over the late 1940s-1950s, countries joined Canada saw itself as an independent and UN in which Canada joined NATO in diplomatic player on the world stage, and year; which solidarity with the US. as part of North America (as opposed to countries sit on an ancillary nation of Britain). security council Through NATO, and have veto; Canada became more This independence from Britain and which countries oriented towards reliance on US closely enmeshed Canada are in Warsaw diplomatic solutions and in superpower conflicts. Pact/NATO peacekeeping missions Diefenbunker Permanent Exhibitions, L400 Interpretive Plan Draft 2, February 1, 2019 Page 7 of 12 Interactive, A/V Code Message Content Description Physical Description Artifact/Prop Visual/Image Text Strategy or Effect 4.3 Canadian government, WITCH HUNTS Text panel, photos, artifacts Borrow Ph: Herbert A/V: spy stories military, and police Trade unions artifacts? Norman, raids, increasingly monitored Sexual “Deviance”: “Fruit Machine” and newspaper citizens for Communist Herbert Norman where RCMP linked headlines leanings, fearing queer identity to communism/spying; information leaks. laws in Canada until 1969; “deviants” were Spies? Munsinger Affair targeted, on the supposition those people were more likely to be blackmailed. Careers and lives were ruined. 4.4 Canada’s relationship CANADA’s NORTH Text panel, map, AV Ph: Dew line AV: news clips with the US and its During the 1950s, Canada invested in installations of Canada’s geographic position “early warning systems” in the North. Map of north between the two Intercontinental ballistic missiles and installations Opportunity to superpowers meant the Canada’s geographic position between present Inuit Arctic became a USSR and US led to Canadian perspective. particular place of government generally paying more Opportunity to tension. attention to the high Arctic. collect stories of The Arctic is still a region of concern wrt Dew Line Canadian sovereignty. workers. 4.5 Increasingly, Canada PEARSON & UN PEACEKEEPING Text panels UN items in Ph: Canadians sought a peacekeeping MISSIONS Table: diplomacy vs.
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