Activity Ten

This activity is to accompany Unit Three of the Curriculum Guide.

Incorporating the C.E.L.s:

• Independent Learning
• Critical & Creative Thinking
• Personal & Social Values & Skills

Concept Application Lesson for:

• Foreign Influence
• Integration
• Nationalism
• Public Opinion

This concept application lesson gives students an opportunity to investigate the impact of foreign policy decisions on a nation's domestic affairs. This lesson focuses on the integration of defense forces that occurred between Canada and the United States following the Second World War.

Knowledge Objectives

The student will:

• know that alliances promoting closer relations between two nations of unequal power can lead to the more powerful nation influencing the decision-making processes of the less powerful nation; and,
• know that relations between two nations can affect the relationship those nations have with other nations.

Skills Development

The student will:

• practise the skill of hypothesizing;
• practise identifying cause-effect relationships;
• learn to relate events and assumptions to an argument and/or conclusions; and,
• practise synthesizing all the relevant parts into a meaningful whole.

Values Issues

The student will:

• discuss whether it is possible for two nations of vastly unequal power and resources to sustain a relationship based on equality.
• discuss how entering into a military alliance with a nation of far greater strength would affect a nation's domestic decision making, independent foreign policy and allocation and use of military resources;
• discuss what the criteria would be in determining whether a relationship with another nation was beneficial or harmful to one's own nation:
  • economic factors?
  • political factors?
  • cultural factors?
  • military factors?
• discuss whether nationalism is a more powerful force/influence than internationalism.

Outline of the Activity

Step One

Discuss with the class the implications for Canada of joining the United States in the NORAD Agreement.

• Have the students identify the reasons supporting such an alliance.

Indicate that not all Canadians fully supported the Agreement. Discuss the question:

• Why did some Canadians oppose NORAD? Their reasons may have included:
  • apparent rejection or loss of faith in the United Nations;
  • fear of American domination of Canadian foreign and defense policy;
  • limiting of Canada's possible role as a mediator between the Soviet Union and the United States.

Step Two

Have students assume the role of Canadian newspaper editors, during 1958, and prepare editorials either supporting or opposing the NORAD Agreement.

Students can present their editorials to the class for discussion.