TEST - WW1 Short Answers

Question 1

Who was Sam Hughes and what were his responsibilities in the war? Were his decisions
positive or negative?

Answer 1

Sam Hughes was Canada’s Minister of Militia and Defence from October 1911 to November 1916, was the driving force behind Canada’s early war effort. His responsibilities in the war were to train and supply the men who had signed up in Canada. I do not think that he was a good leader for the Canadian military for a number of reasons. First off, he was a blatant racist towards the French Canadians telling them that they couldn’t speak their language and trying to tell them that what they believed in was wrong (they were Catholics, he was Anglaician). He trained the recruits for roughly 3 weeks and then decided that they were trained enough to fight over in Europe. Lastly he provided the men with gear that would not work very well in WWI all because his friends owned the companies that made the weapons he supplied them with. The decisions that he made were negative.

Question 2

In a chart – explain the Schlieffen Plan. (Purpose & Assumptions/Plan/Reality)

Answer 2

The Schlieffen Plan was the operational plan for a designated attack on France once Russia, in response to international tension, had started to mobilize her forces near the German border. The execution of the Schlieffen Plan led to Britain declaring war on Germany on August 4th, 1914.

Steps
Ger. will attack Fr. going through Bel. (The Caesar of Ger. ask the king of Bel. to go through Bel to attack Fr.. The king of Bel said no.)
Close the coastal port so Br. can’t send troops
Circle down on Paris from the north
Pull the Fr. military to the Ger. broader than attack Paris and take over Paris
Put the Ger. army on trains to the Rus. border.

Observation
Bel. has to let them through
Br. has to be neutral or not join in
Fr. army has to be pulled to the Ger. border and not know what’s happening in Bel
Rus need to take 6 weeks to get ready for battle and to be at the border

Reality/Failure
Ger. had to fight their way through Bel
Ger. did not have time to close the ports so Br. landed troops
Ger. went/had to go straight to Paris
Fr. raised back to defend Paris (The river of mash is where the Br, Fr, and Ger armies meet, right by Paris and were in a stalemate (lasted 4 years)
Rus. was ready in 10 days (Ger had to send half their men to Rus.)

Question 3

In chart form explain what trench life was like on the Western Front. (Problems vs. Solutions)

Answer 3

Problems/Solutions

1) Rats - infested the trenches and there were millions of them everywhere. / There was no permanent solution to get rid of the rats

2) Lice - head lice was a major problem and it even infested their clothes. It also caused trench fever, a painful sickness.
/The men would often shave their heads so the lice couldn’t live there and would wash their clothes whenever they could.

3) Trench Foot - a disease of the foot that you would contract from standing in the trenches, where there was a lot of water. The socks would hold the water onto your feet and cause them to get infected./ You could change into warm and dry socks whenever you could. You could also cover your feet with oil.

4) Shellshock - which is also known as PTSD - affected a lot of men. They contracted this illness because of the conditions of the battles and the trenches./ There is no way to actually get rid of shellshock but back then they thought that shock therapy would make the soldiers feel better. Nowadays they do psychotherapy and talk about how they feel with a counsellor.

Question 4

Explain what happened in the Halifax explosion and why this was a significant event in WWI.

Answer 4

On December 6, 1917 at 9:05 a.m., in the harbour of Halifax in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, the most devastating man-made explosion in the pre-atomic age occurs when the Mont Blanc, a French munitions ship, explodes 20 minutes after colliding with another vessel. The explosion had profound and long-lasting consequences. Destroyed neighbourhoods were rebuilt to safer standards, while medical treatment, social welfare, and public health saw advances and improvements. During the First World War, Halifax was a busy port and the centre of wartime shipping for Canada.

Question 5

Create a chart to outline the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. How would this set the stage for
WWII?

Answer 5

The terms of the Treaty of Versailles were:
Germany lost both land and colonies
Germany had to pay reparations
Rhineland was remilitarized
Disarmament (army and navy reduced, air force and conscription banned)
War Guilt Clause
League of Nations
This set the stage for WWII because the Germans felt as if the Treaty was not fair whatsoever and they were sent into an economic crisis.

Question 6

What effect did WWI have on Canada’s sense of “nationhood”? How did victory at Vimy Ridge
bring both unity and division to Canada?

Answer 6

WWI made Canada feel as if they should be more independent because they had soldiers going to war and dying only to be used as distractions for the British and French to use. The victory at Vimy Ridge brought Candians together because it gave them a sense of pride and independence. It drove Candians apart because some people felt that because so many men died it would mean conscription would have to happen and that would not be fair

Question 7

i) Explain why immigrants wanted to come to Canada (Push and pull factors).
ii) Who did the Canadian government want and who did they discourage from coming? How?

Answer 7

i) They wanted to come to Canada in search of new opportunities and new lives where they could be free. They may have left their home countries because they didn’t agree with some of the things their governments were doing and because it wasn’t safe for them to stay there. Push factors that made people leave their homes to come to Canada were things like disease, unfair treatment from their homeland, famine and wars. Pull factors that made people want to come to Canada were new opportunities, freedom from slavery and getting your own plot of land to live and farm on.

ii)The people who weren’t wanted were the Chinese, Japanese, South-Asians and African Americans. The government did not want these groups of people to come to Canada because they didn’t “bring” anything to Canada and because they were so different from white Canadians. To stop Japanese immigrants they were charged a yearly quota. To stop Chinese and South-Asians they were charged with a $50.00 head tax per person and South-Asians had to go through the Continuous Passages Act which is where the ship they were on could not make stops during the journey to Canada. To stop African-Amercians from coming they started giving them medical examinations where they told them that someone in their family was sick so they couldn’t come into Canada because it would be risking everyone else’s lives. The people who were wanted were people with farming experience.

Question 8

How were aboriginals mistreated by the Canadian government at the turn of the 20th century?

Answer 8

Some issues that Indigenous peoples in Canada faced were being forced off of the land they lived on and forced to live on reserves, enforced farming, the Indian Act, residential schools, and assimilation (forcing them to leave their culture behind). The Canadian government only left Indigenous peoples with empty and broken promises.

Question 9

Explain 5 times that tension between French and English Canadians increased prior to WWI.

Question 10

Explain how conscription was passed in Canada during the war.

Question 11

a) What powers does the Canadian government have under the WMA?
b) Positives and negatives?

Answer 11

The articles of the War Measures Act were censoring, and suppressing publications, maps, plans, photographs, communications and means of communication, they could arrest, detain, exclude and deport persons, they could control harbours, ports, territorial waters of Canada and the movements of vessels, they could control the transport of persons and things by land, air, or water and they could appropriate and dispose of property and the use thereof.

Positives
Help keep the morale up in the country
Keeps everyone on the same page
Keep Can. safe from spies
The gov. Is lying to you (no free press)

Negatives
ov. Can pick what can be showed in the press
They censored facts about the war from that the soldiers letters they wrote home
The gov. can arrest, detain, exclude, and deport people

Question 12

Explain the causes of WWI and how they are all connected to nationalism.

Answer 12

The causes of WWI are:
Militarism is the policy of glorifying military power, buildup of military strength within a country, and keeping an army prepared for war.
Nationalism was closely linked to militarism. It fostered delusions about the relative military strength of European nations. Many living in the Great Powers considered their nations to be militarily superior and better equipped to win a future war in Europe.
By 1914, Germany had the greatest increase in military buildup. Great Britain and Germany both greatly increased their navies.
Alliances are agreements between 2 or more countries to help each other out in war.
Nationalism causes other nations to become suspicious, and it also leads to a war that could easily be resolved other ways. The system of alliances was another underlying cause, as it made the war a world war by bringing all of Europe into it. WW1 began because of militarism, nationalism, and the system of alliances.
The following countries agreed to defend each other: Russia and Serbia, Germany and Austria-Hungary, France and Russia, Britain and France and Belgium, Japan and Britain.
Imperialism is a policy in which a strong nation seeks to dominate other countries politically, socially, and economically.
Nationalism and imperialism are often related. Nationalism refers to pride in one’s country. Imperialism is the desire to gain land beyond one’s borders. When countries become imperialistic, one factor that often is involved is the desire to spread their way of life.
European countries fought to gain control of Africa and parts of Asia. They wanted the raw materials these areas could provide. This also increased the competition between European countries to establish the greatest empires.

Question 13

Explain how/why the old battlefield tactics were no longer successful in WWI and the changes
that were made that eventually led to success on the battlefield.
- The stalemate that occurred (why) and attrition (with examples)
- Changes in technology to break the stalemate (successful or not?)
- New tactics/preparations used that were successful – i.e. - creeping barrage

Question 14

Explain why 1917 was a decisive year in the Great War.
- Allied success on the Western Front (be specific and explain)
- American entry (reasons why they entered and their effect on WWI)
- Russian withdrawal (reasons why they quit and the effect on the war)

Answer 14

1917 was a decisive year in the war for many reasons.
The Allied forces, specifically Canadians, won both the battle at Vimy Ridge and Passchendaele.

VIMY RIDGE:
This is where the Canadian Corps showed how professional they truly were.
The Canadians first tried the creeping barrage tactic here and they were extremely successful.
They caught the Germans off guard and did some serious damage on the German front lines.

PASSCHENDAELE:
The Battle of Passchendaele showed how determined the Canadian troops were to secure another win.
Arthur Currie split his men up into two prongs because No Man’s Land was completely flooded.
They attempted to do the creeping barrage tactic again, but it backfired on them.
The Germans had created pill boxes to protect themselves from infantry, so the Canadians had to do acts of bravery to try and destroy the pill boxes.
On November 6, every Canadian troop fired their gun to try and make the creeping barrage again. This caused the German strong points to fall.
America entered the war because the Germans were doing unrestricted u-boat warfare tactics and were striking down American boats.
The Germans sent a telegram to Mexico to try and get them to take on the Americans to distract them so they couldn’t join the Allied forces on the Western Front, but Mexico did not do it because they knew that the Germans were just setting them up.
Russia quit fighting in WWI because of the shortages of food and fuel they were getting.
The revolution to create the constitution started to take place and they were to vote in the Fall.
They were forcing Czar Nicolas to abdicate and give up his throne.
His family and him were taking a family photo when they were murdered in cold blood by the Bolsheviks.
The communists then started to form their “government” in the Summer.

Question 15

How was Canada racist and discriminatory prior to and during WWI?
- Immigrants, Aboriginals prior to WWI, Enemy aliens & internment, Aboriginal and
African Can. Enlistment, French Canadians, Women, propaganda.

Answer 15

IMMIGRANTS/ENEMY ALIENS
The people who weren’t wanted were the Chinese, Japanese, South-Asians and African Americans. The government did not want these groups of people to come to Canada because they didn’t “bring” anything to Canada and because they were so different from white Canadians.
To stop Japanese immigrants they were charged a yearly quota.
To stop Chinese and South-Asians they were charged with a $50.00 head tax per person and South-Asians had to go through the Continuous Passages Act which is where the ship they were on could not make stops during the journey to Canada.
To stop African-Amercians from coming they started giving them medical examinations where they told them that someone in their family was sick so they couldn’t come into Canada because it would be risking everyone else’s lives.
The WMA could send any enemy alien to internment camps because they were from one of the countries that were on the opposing side.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES/INDIGENOUS AND AFRICAN CAN. ENLISTMENT
Some issues that Indigenous peoples in Canada faced were being forced off of the land they lived on and forced to live on reserves, enforced farming, the Indian Act, residential schools, and assimilation (forcing them to leave their culture behind). The Canadian government only left Indigenous peoples with empty and broken promises.
Indigenous peoples who enlisted in the war lost their identity of being an indigenous person because they had to check a box saying they were a British citizen.
African Canadians weren’t really allowed to enlist because of racism and white people being prejudiced and thinking that they were better than them.

WOMAN/PROPAGANDA/FRENCH CANADIANS
French Candians were constantly being belittled by English Candians and were forced to assimilate.
The Canadian government made it seem like all Germans were like trolls or devils and all they wanted to do was kill innocent people like women and children.
Women weren’t allowed to go to work because they were seen as inferior to men, when women are just as capable if not more capable than men are at doing jobs.

Question 16

Explain how Canada changed socially and economically during WWI.
- Women’s role, propaganda, WMA, rationing, Bond drives, taxes, enemy aliens

Question 17

Create an argument in support of one side of the conscription debate. (either it is required and must be passed into law OR it is an unwarranted policy that should not be instituted) Do this in chart form – Argument vs Explanation/examples. (use the chart in the duo-tang for the ideas)

Question 18

. a) Explain the significance of Canada’s military role in WWI. (Land, Air and Sea)(This is a huge answer!!)
b) What reputation was earned by the Canadian Corps during the war? Explain how this
happened.

Question 19

WWI is considered an example of “false glory”. Explain what is meant by this by using specific examples from the unit. (What soldiers expected vs. what WWI was like)

Answer 19

WW1 was an example of false glory. The men who went to war and those who came back are the ones who would understand why this was true.

In the First World War no one knew what to expect and what they were signing up for. They were hoping to prove themselves and to be able to come back home to their families and tell them about the great things they did or saw others do. The men and few women who signed up did not know what to expect when they were sent to the training camps. A lot of them were hoping to be trained by people who had won many battles so that they could turn out to be like them and be just as victorious. When in reality the training camps they went to, didn’t even really train them and it left them severely unprepared for the war ahead. As the time crept closer to them having to actually go to the Allied trenches, worry and fear hit most of them and had quite a few second guessing why they had signed up. 

Many men were told they’d be viewed as heroes as they won a battle, but most of them didn’t feel like heroes. They had suffered through watching countless amounts of their allies and friends die alongside them in battle. This was not the sense of glory and adventure that they were all hoping for, instead they felt defeated and upset with themselves for letting their fellow soldiers die. At the Battle of Passchendaele men had to watch as their fellow allies were swallowed up by mud pits. They had to watch as their friends, people they knew drowned in mud and died that painful and slow death. The people who died were hoping that they would make it out of the horrific battles and the war overall to be able to try and attempt to live a normal life, but they never got the chance because of the realistic horrors of war. At the Battle of Vimy Ridge it was a turning point for Canadians during the First World War because they had won the battle without Britain’s help, but at the cost of over 10,600 soldiers. While there were men who survived the battle, they could have been walking away with an injury that would change their life forever. It wouldn’t be some amazing, epic battle scar like in the stories it would be a body limb missing, an internal issue or even shellshock. At the Battle of the Somme, it would be one of the bloodiest battles that Canadians would ever fight in. With over 24,000 Canadian soldiers being wounded or killed, that part of the battle would affect them forever. In reality, the things these men witnessed on the battlefield they would not want to talk about when and if they returned home.

These men wanted to join the army to be able to tell their next of kin, stories of bravery and perseverance when in reality they would not be sharing the stories about what they saw on the Western Front and in the trenches. The trenches found on the Western Front were unlivable conditions. Men were told they would make lifelong friends in the trenches and that they would stick by each other's side. When in reality that friend you made could die in front of you whether that’s on the battlefield or in the trenches. People were told that the conditions weren’t that bad in the trenches, but in reality they were barely livable. Between the rats, the lice and the trench foot it didn’t really matter what people had been told, there was absolutely no glorifying the trenches and what surrounded them. Some men were told that the rush of adrenaline you would get from being on the front lines trenches was exhilarating and there was nothing like it. Those people were right when they said there was nothing like it because it left most men traumatized from the things they had to go through and witness. When it came to the moment to attack, it was terrifying to have to wait for the opposing forces to strike because you wouldn't know whether or not you would live to see another day. That was not something that was talked about when men came back with stories from war. They always romanticised the idea of going to war and it being one great adventure, when that was far from the truth.