canada and world war one

7/28/2019 Canada and World War One

1/41


2/41

The Great War left a huge mark on an entiregeneration of people -10+ million dead/20million wounded

World War One is considered by manyhistorians to be the single most significantevent of the 20th century


3/41

Over a period of many years prior to theoutbreak of war many old and new Europeanpowers had competed in an arms race and a

race to gain imperial possession around theworld. This nationalistic saber- rattling led toa complex network of military alliances andhad turned Europe into a powder keg.


4/41

The spark that set off thewar was the assassinationof the heir to the throne ofthe Austrian-Hungarian

Empire (Archduke FrancisFerdinand) by a Bosniannationalist (GavriloPrincip) in the Bosnian

capital of Sarajevo. Asaggression begins over theBalkans the alliancescause all Europe to bedrawn into war.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Balkanpeninsula.png


5/41

Triple Entente Triple Alliance

Great Britain Germany

France Austria- Hungary

Russia Italy


6/41

The first major action of thewar sees Germany sweepthrough the backdoor ofBelgium as part of theSchlieffen Plan .This planinvolves the Germany armyflanking the French forces and

coming within 25 miles of Parisbefore being pushed back andboth forces being forced into astalemate in northern France.


7/41
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Schlieffen_Plan.jpg


8/41


9/41

When the war begins on August 4/1914Canadas foreign policy is still controlled byBritain which meant that Canada is

automatically at war because of being amember of the British Empire. Robert Bordenis P.M. Wilfred Laurier also supports the wareffort. Most Canadians are enthusiastic to go

off and fight the Hun. The war is supposedto be short- Ill be home by Christmas.


10/41

The economy has slowed down significantly andunemployment is high. Young men are eager toenlist and Canadas military grows from 3,000 to30,000 in months. Troops are trained at Valcartier

under the Minister of the Militia Sam Hughes. Apoorly trained and equipped CanadianExpeditionary Force leaves for Europe by Octoberand is in France by December.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/Ross_rifle_RCRMM_1.jpg


11/41

Ottawa passes the War Measures Act andreceives sweeping powers to support the wareffort. Canadian industry is transformed to

produce armaments. At the beginning of thewar manufacturing sector is run haphazardlywith the result being poor quality and highproduction costs profiteering is a concern.

Canadian wheat production is seen as a key tothe war effort because the Ukraine is now abattlefield.


12/41

Propaganda is important in supporting thewar effort

Women enter the work force in the factoriesand fields

War bonds are sold to finance the war Subversives are arrested Germans,

Turks, Austrians Ukrainians are interned and property

seized Government expenditures rise sharply due

to war Income tax is introduced- a temporary

measure


13/41

The Great War saw the CanadianGovernment under Robert Bordenhave to deal with many issues thatinvolved the war effort. The

Canadian Governmentsmobilization campaign under SamHughes had not achieved the goalof training and equipping our

soldiers properly, but the issue ofprofiteering had to be dealt withquickly and dramatically by JosephFlavelle.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:RobertLBorden.jpg


14/41

The labeling of 80,000so-called enemy alienswho weredisenfranchised was a

controversial step but theinternment of 8,500 (5,000Ukrainian immigrants)from 1914-20 was an issuethat haunts us today.


15/41

The Womens Movement tookgreat strides forward during thewar as women assume the roleof men in the workforce and

participated for the first time inthe military. In 1916 manyprovinces enfranchised womenand in 1918 women received the

right to vote federally and werealso successful in the outlawingof alcohol sales or prohibition.
http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://womenshistory.about.com/library/graphics/women_vote_ny_1917.jpg&imgrefurl=http://womenshistory.about.com/library/pic/bl_p_ny_vote_1917.htm&h=352&w=400&sz=29&hl=en&start=1&tbnid=fQqSA-csxBvPPM:&tbnh=109&tbnw=124&prev=/images?q=women+vote&gbv=2&svnum=10&hl=en


16/41

By 1916 the patriotic enthusiasm haddisappeared and it became apparent that theneed for new recruits was increasing as the war

took its toll on Canadian soldiers and the deathtolls rose sharply. In 1914 Robert Borden hadpromised not the conscript troops, but afterreturning from Britain in 1916 Borden had seen

the need and told Canadians that he wouldhave to break his promise.


17/41

In May of 1917 Borden rises in the House andannounces The battle for Canadian liberty andautonomy is being fought today on the plains

of France and Belgium. Borden had promisedto send 500,000 troops (Canada population- 8million and 1.5 million men are military age).Britain, New Zealand and the U.S. had

conscription.


18/41

Conscription is angrily rejected by Quebec andriots break out in Montreal. Bourassa hadwarned many years early that the imperialist

would drag Canada into a war and in theprocess bankrupt Canadian industrial andagricultural production. Quebecers feel no tiesto Europe and the Canadian military is an

English speaking entity. (except for the 22ndbattalion the Vandoos).


19/41

Other groups opposed conscription includingfarmers, and labour unionists (GingerGoodwin story). Many feel that they are doing

their part for the war by and can not afford togive up their workers. The Liberal party wassplit along linguistic lines with Laurier on theanti-conscription side. Borden decides he must

call an election over the Military Service Act(conscription)


20/41

Borden has no intention of losing thiselection and he quickly introduces theMilitary Voters Act which allows all soldiers

a vote regardless of ethnic background. Healso introduces the Wartime Elections Actwhich allows women related to servicemen tovote and disallows conscientious objectors and

recent immigrants the right to vote.


21/41

Borden also invites the pro-conscriptionmembers of the Liberal party to join in aUnion Government to support the war effort.

The results of the khaki election were heavilyin favor of the Union Government (152-82seats)


22/41

Riots breakout in Quebec when militaryexemptions are denied (four die in the riotswhen soldiers are forced to shoot into an angry

crowd). Canada meets its goal withrecruitment. Of the 100,000 that wereconscripted 24,000 end up serving in Europebut the hatred of Quebec for the Prussians

next door will not soon be forgotten.


23/41

As Canada enters the war our troops were notwell trained or equipped but as the warprogresses they learn quickly from their

experiences. As the war begins Canadiantroops are under the command of BritishGenerals and this is an issue until later in thewar when Canadian commanders are

disturbed by the attrition approach to thewar that comes from trench warfare. Canadawill prove itself on the battlefields of Europe.


24/41


25/41

Ypres- 1915- Canadian troops saw their firstreal battle as French troops fled. Canadiantroops filled the gap and were subjected to the

wars first gas attack, but the troops held theirground despite incredible odds.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:British_55th_Division_gas_casualties_10_April_1918.jpghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/The_Second_Battle_of_Ypres.jpg


26/41

Somme-1916- A daylightoffensive attack byBritish commanders that

lasted three months andgained little (500,000allied troops lost and24,000 Canadians

including theannihilation of aNewfoundlandregiment)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/34/Australian_infantry_small_box_respirators_Ypres_1917.jpg


27/41

Sir Julian Byng leads a fierce attack that provesCanadian troops are battle-hardened.Andrew McNaughton pinpoints Germanartillery and our troops follow a rollingbarrage. All four Canadian divisions sweepthe ridge. The most perfectly organizedvictory of the war A nation makingmoment that gives the troops great pride.

Arthur Currie is knighted and given commandof Canadian Corps

3,600 Canadians die in this battle


28/41
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Royal_Irish_Rifles_ration_party_Somme_July_1916.jpg


29/41

Canadian troops areorder to attack despitefierce opposition anda high estimated cost

of lives by the BritishCommand. Curriescarefully plannedattack succeeds.

-16,000 troops lost5 km of muddycraters gained and

later lost


30/41

After a final push by the Germans to win the warCanada spearheads an ally counter-attack atAmiens- crushing German lines and capturing13km in one day (5000 POWs)

-Arthur Currie shifted attack to the HindenburgLine

-4 divisions of Canadians defeated 47 Germandivisions due to a German army that is badly

supported and undersupplied. Canadian troopsliberated 200 cities and capture 30,000 POWs

-On Nov. 11, 1918 at the 11th hour The GreatWar ends with an armistice


31/41

At the beginning of the war the airplane was

only 11 years old. Canada had an unpaidcommander and an assistant and one plane-purchased from the U.S. for $5000. Tenthousand Canadians join the R.A.F. andeventually make-up close to 30% of that force.The novelty of the plane in 1914 becomes amilitary necessity as the war progress -

enabling reconnaissance of troops and artillery,bombing of railways and industrial targetsbehind enemy lines, attacks on U-boats at seaand aerial attacks on Zeppelins.


32/41

Airmen become the

new warrior hero asthe war goes on. 25,000Canadians serve in theBritish Air Service withflying aces Billy Bishop(72 kills) and WilliamBarker considered to be

2 of the top 5 airmen ofthe air service. RoyBrown was given creditfor shooting down the

Red Baron.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Lieutenant-Colonel_Bishop.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BillyBishop.jpg


33/41

The Canadian Navy in 1914 consists of 2 shipsand 350 men. In WWI the Canadian Navy tookon the responsibility of protecting Canadian

ports and outgoing convoys that were vital tosupplying Britain. Canadas navy will grow to100 war vessels, 2 submarines and 5,500 men.As with the air force many Canadians served in

the Royal Navy.


34/41

Although 150,000 troops were under Arthur

Curries command on the Western front at the endof the war in 1918, 40,000 were also serving underother commanders (Royal Air Force, Royal Navy).With specialized skills as fallers and railway

builders Canadians found themselves all over theworld in places like Gallipoli and Palestinefighting the Turks, in the Mediterranean ashospital units, as engineers operating barges on

the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers and in the UnitedStates training troops after the US joins the war in1917.


35/41

Canadians were also sent to fight in support ofthe Communist troops in northern Russia andon the Caspian Sea to protect the oil fields from

the Turks. Canadas coming of age had not happened

without a huge cost.


36/41

The War bought many changes to Canada.Canada had proven itself on the battlefields ofEurope where 620,000 Canadians had served in

the war with 60,000 died and 172,000 wounded(many for life), a very heavy contribution oftroops in relation to our small population.

The battle scars will remain for many years to

come.


37/41

Canada had proven it could bean industrialized nation insupporting the war effort. Manycompanies had made huge

profits during war and therewas resentment over possibleprofiteering. Unions weregrowing stronger. Post war

Canada had thousands ofreturning troops to re-establishinto Canadian society.


38/41

Government needed to step in to supportveterans and their families as factories closed,unemployment and inflation rose and workers

demanded higher wages (no increases duringwar). Government was going to play a biggerrole in the lives of Canadians (business, financeand social services) as a result of the war.


39/41

Canada now has many newdomestic issues to deal withlike the Spanish Flu that killsbetween 30,000 and 50,000.

Women were now to play amore active role in politics.French Canada and EnglishCanada were deeply divided

over the Canadian war effortand conscription.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sp-flu-alberta-field.jpg


40/41

On an international level Canada haddistinguished itself as an independent nation.In 1917, the Dominions join the Imperial War

Cabinet and Resolution IX gave the Dominionsfull recognition as autonomous nations of anImperial commonwealth. Borden insisted onCanada signing Treaty of Versailles as a

member of the League of Nations.


41/41

Canada breaks many of its ties with Britain andwill now take responsibility for its own foreignaffairs. Canada will also now enter into a

relationship with the United States that willdominate her foreign policy during thetwentieth century.

canada and world war one

Documents