The rise and fall in civil-military relations in Canada, 1946--1960

The conduct of civil-military relations in Canada during the early (pre-1960) Cold War period has received little consideration. However, if there was a halcyon time in civil-military relations, it was during this period that the relationships between the admirals, generals, and air marshals and their political masters were based on a mutual respect that has not been repeated. This was the time of aggressive Sino-Soviet expansion of communist ideas in direct competition to the market-driven, democratic system espoused by the United States of America and its allies. For Canada, this presented unique circumstances that afforded the nation the ability to play an important part in the events that led to the creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and to the creative use of the United Nations to manage regional conflict.;The hypothesis of this thesis is that the political, civil and military leaders of the early Cold War period clearly understood the nature of Canadian civil-military relations and developed processes for the pragmatic and effective conduct of such relations. The details concerning the conduct of higher defence decision-making have been obscured, in part, because the accessible written record was relatively sparse and also because little has been written about some of the key participants. Fortunately, additional documentation has become available and forms much of the basis for this analysis. This study explores the civil-military relations from 1946 through 1960 and offers an explanation for their nature and conduct.;The role of Canada, as a leading middle power, was no accident. During the 1946-1960 period there existed in Ottawa a small group of internationally focussed politicians, senior civil and military leaders that skilfully guided the country through international events. Most were of similar age and background with a university education, including several educated in leading universities in England. They understood the opportunities for Canada in the world as well as the needs of Canadians at home. On military matters there was agreement on the strategic role for Canada and the resources to be committed. They acted as a team and conducted civil-military relations in a manner that has not been replicated. The longevity of the period was directly linked to the age and health of the participants as well as the nature and sophistication of the Canadian society. Once the participants retired or passed on they were replaced, after 1960, by a new generation of politicians and bureaucrats that focussed on management rather than on consensus building in a complex strategic environment.