Unit 4: WWI Flashcards
Final Exam (Post-Confederation)
WWI started on
August 1914
The Golden Summer of 1914
People looked back on the summer before the war nostalgically, as the “calm before the storm.”
WWI is a war caught up in transition; it is the first time there is a sense that the world is changing and we are entering into modernity (example: sinking of Titanic in 1912). In the summer of 1914, when war breaks out, Canada is totally unprepared.
1911 Election
PM of Canada: Sir Robert Borden (1911-1920)
- Conservative Robert Borden wins over Wilfred Laurier in 1911 election
- Laurier’s “tinpot” Navy has been killed, and instead, Borden passes his own Naval Bill in 1912 that essentially hands funds over to Britain
- The problem is that, in 1912, the Bill must go to the Senate, and the Upper House is dominated by Liberals who refuse to pass Borden’s Naval Bill in 1912
- The house is full of old men who get these positions as rewards for serving in parties
- The war breaks out, and after discussing defense and contribution for 15 years, Canada has done nothing
- In August 1914, WWI begins and Canada is totally unprepared
- 600 000 troops out of Canada’s population of 8 million are sent to battle in Europe.
- From 1914 to 1919, everything changed
- Canada has never even come close to dealing with a crisis of this size
Why did WWI begin?
Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand.
How do changes in communication affect the war?
There is a national press, and everyone is receiving the same news and the same stories. The power of media fosters the nations and the news they receive about war.
When does Canada declare war in WWI?
In 1914, Canada declares war when Britain declares war. The Empire controls foreign policy.
How does Canada respond to war breaking out?
Initial Enthusiasm
Canada is initially excited, and patriotic, and thinks war will be over by Christmas.
The economy has begun to fall by 1910-11 and there is an economic downturn, so the war is an opportunity for work. The war is also an opportunity for travel and adventure for young boys.
There are massive amounts of enthusiasm, excitement, patriotism, pro-British sentiment.
Very few oppose Canada’s involvement in the war
When the war begins, there is spirit of national unity and formation of national consciousness. However, the war is incredibly divisive for Canada; Canada emerges from the war with extreme, fundamental divisions that take decades to heal.
What is the starting point of divisions in Canada that result from the war?
When Winston Churchill told Laurier that the time will come when Britain calls on Canada.
How is Quebec going to respond?
For Quebec, there cannot be conscription. Laurier makes it clear that there will be no conscription in the Boer War, and Borden makes the same promise to Quebec. He can say that as PM in 1914, because of the amount of enthusiasm in Canada about war.
Canada has never even come close to dealing with a crisis of this size.
What is the major change that comes out of the Great War?
The Rise of the State.
Sam Hughes (a veteran of the Boer war):
In charge of recruitment and getting Canada’s military effort together, and he does a good job.
Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF): Canadian Army
- Canadians will fight under British or French officers because there are no Canadian generals
- Canada relies on colonial British forces for leadership; there is a sense of colonialism from the British and Canadians feel it
- It’s 1915 by the time Canadians are making their way to Britain
- Canada does not head straight to the Western front because they are not well-trained soldiers
- They spend a lot of time in Britain training and face one of Britain’s wettest, dampest winters ever and they are getting frustrated and want to get onto the front and fight
Technological Innovations
- Mustard Gas, Chlorine Gas (Canadians are some of the first to experience these)
- Tanks (used by the end of the war to break through the trenches; trench warfare & camoflouge)
- Machine Gun
- Massive Artillery (scars the land in a way that has never happened; constant shelling in wet, rat-infested trenches where bodies cannot be buried )
- Barbwire (seen as cowardly until now)
- Submarines (pivotal in bringing the US into the war
The War Measures Act
The War Measures Act suspends civil liberties (e.g. the right to the justice system and judicial review) and censors the press (i.e. suspends the freedom of the press). It gives the police the power to arrest anyone who is suspected of treason, and detain them indefinitely without charging them. It was implemented three times in Canadian history.
It was first implemented in WWI (1914-1919) by Robert Borden’s Conservative government. Canada sets up internment camps for those whom Canada deems “enemy aliens” (such as Germans, Turks, and mainly Ukrainians). Canada detains Ukrainians throughout the war. Freedom of the press and freedom of speech are suspended during the war, and the newspapers are totally sanctioned, and all letters coming home and all news are censored. Ultimately, there is a Propaganda Machine at work. The War Measures Act is especially significant in WWI because it suspends the 1915 election to 1917, and this is when the government’s promise of no conscription to Quebec is broken.
1915: Battle of Ypres (Kitchener’s Wood)
2000 Canadians are dead
1915 and 1916: The Somme
24 000 Canadians are dead
5 divisions in France and Belgium
Newfoundlanders are not fighting as Canadian troops in the Great War, they are their own dominion, but they join Canadians on the Somme.
1 million casualties on both sides of 1 battle on the Western front
1 June 1916: Battle of Montsorrel
8000 Canadians are dead
Canadians perform well
How did Canadian Soldiers perform in Battle? What changed in mid-1916?
Canadians were making a great name for themselves through their fighting, but they are letting their emotions show with regard to unhappiness about their European leadership.
What important events occur in 1917 to lead to Conscription?
Vimy Ridge Russian Revolution Enthusiasm Wanes Rise of Anti-Quebec and Anti-Immigrant Sentiment Conscription Wartimes Election; Wartimes Election Act
1917: Vimy Ridge
By 1917, it looks like the allies will lose and not be able to stop germany. Britain requires more troops for a final push to stop Germany, and so, Vimy Ridge happens. This is a critical moment in Canadian history. Thus far, WWI has been a good victory in Canada and the CEF was a great source of pride at the time for Canadians.
1917: Russian Revolution
In 1917, Russia collapses because of the Russian Revolution. This is the most important historical event of the twentieth century. This ends the Eastern front, and Germany is no longer fighting on two fronts. Russia is out for the war, and ends communism and the Russian Revolution. By the end of 1917 and in to 1918, the Germans put up a massive offensive front, and it looks like it could be all over for the allies. Also, in 1917, the United States enters the war, which is critical.
1917: Enthusiasm Wanes
Around 1917, the post-war patriotism and enthusiasm wanes and shows up in the decline of recruitments. This happens at the exact time that Borden is in Europe and recognizing the need for one final push against Germany.Borden decides that Canada MUST enforce Conscription, and go against their promise to Quebec and many others in Canada (farmers, pacifists, lower class, etc.).
1917: Rise of Anti-Quebec and Anti-Immigrant Sentiment
On the one hand, we have a propaganda machine pumping out the idea of “unity” and the need for everyone in Canada to unify on the same side in the war (Internal Pressure Build), and on the other hand, we have a rise in anti-Quebec sentiment and resentment against immigrants. In a country of recent immigrants, it is not find to hard the “enemy.” People are not happy that their boys are fighting and dying in war, while people down the street have their families at home. Anti-ethnic sentiment (anti-ethnic/foreign/immigrant) builds during the war, and produces great deals of racism.
1917: Conscription
In 1917, Robert Borden returns home to Canada. There should have been an election in 1915, but the War Measures Acts allowed it to be postponed for 2 years, and so a new election has to happen in 1917. This is important because this is when the promise to Quebec is broken. Henri Bourassa looks at the Great War and sees a capitalist, imperial war which he is willing to support as long as there is no conscription. However, by 1917, Borden and the Conservative party decides that they will enforce conscription. Upon doing so, he alienates Quebec by breaking a promise. In July 1917, the Military Service Act is passed, which is the official title of the conscription bill (although recruitment did not begin until January 1918).
1917: Wartimes Election
A coalition government - the call for a united government (for an effective, efficient war effort) - is common during wartimes. Borden proposes a coalition government to Laurier and the Liberals, and is rejected because Laurier, as a Liberal, is opposed to Conscription (and foresees that is he joins a coalition, he will hand Quebec’s Liberal support over to the Nationalists). Most English-Canadian Liberals support Robert Borden and his coalition government and conscription, and this causes a major divide amongst Liberals (the supporters and non-supporters of Laurier), therefore temporarily killing the Liberal Party. Many English-Canadian Liberals at the provincial and federal level went against Laurier to join a Union government. The 1917 Election is between Robert Borden and the Conservative Party and Wilfred Laurier and the Liberal Party.
