War on the Homefront Flashcards
Women’s role on the Homefront
● 1916 as casualties increased = labour shortages as men were required to fight.
● Levels of production had to increase = training and employing women in
munitions factories.
● By 1917, 35, 000 worked in munitions plants in Montreal and throughout
Ontario.
● Broke down the notion that women were not to work after marriage; but
inequality still existed - no equal pay.
● Women also worked in war related Civil Service.
● Streetcar and Train conductors.
● 1918 Canadian women granted the right to vote in federal elections.
Propaganda
● Government held tight control over publications, and newspapers ran false stories to denigrate the enemy.
● During World War I, the government did not television or radio to advertise.
● Used posters to relay information to Canadians in an attempt to convince
Canadians to do what the government wanted them to do.
● Propaganda = spreading of ideas, information or rumors for the purpose of
furthering a cause or goal.
Impact of War at Home
● Mood changed from patriotic to tense and grim.
● By 1916, 1 of 4 Canadian families had relatives serving overseas.
● Every activity of daily life regulated by the government.
● Canadian Food Controller limited consumption on flour, beef, bacon, etc and
limited production of certain foods.
● Penalties imposed for wasting food.
● 1918, Daylight Savings Time introduced to conserve electricity.
● 1917, temporary measures tax imposed:
○ Tea, Coffee, Liquor, Luxury Goods.
Internment in Canada
● When war broke out, half a million immigrants from Austrian-Hungarian Empire settled in Canada.
● War Measures Act passed; government had powers to restrict civil liberties/arrest and detain without due process.
● “Enemy aliens” from enemy countries such as Austro-Hungary and Germany were considered security risks.
● End of 1914, 6000 males of Ukrainian descent of military age interned in 24 internment camps.
● In total - 8579 “enemy aliens”interned during the war; used for forced labour.
● Despite the internment , many Ukrainian and German Canadians showed
their loyalty by joining the Canadian army by changing their names and falsifying their birth countries.
