World War I

What Caused World War I?

In the late 19th century, European nations were often involved in conflicts with each other. By 1914, two separate European alliances squared-off against each other.

Britain, France, and Russia were known as the Triple Entente. Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy were known as the Triple Alliance.

On June 28, 1914 in Sarajevo, Serbian terrorists assassinated the archduke of Austria, Franz Ferdinand and his wife.

The assassination caused all of the alliances to fall into place The assassination caused all of the alliances to fall into place. Canada automatically went to war when Britain declared war on Germany.

According to the Schlieffen Plan, Germany would invade and defeat France, then turn its entire firepower on Russia.

Germany failed to score a decisive victory and after the Battle of the Marne, both sides dug in for the winter.

The Western Front

After the Battle of the Marne, the Germans and the French/British armies attempted to outflank each other.

Before long, two thick systems of trenches twisted across Western Europe from the English Channel to Switzerland.

The trenches were an intricate maze that zigzagged across mud, shell craters, minefields, and barbed wire.

Trenches of troops faced each other across a wasteland of mud and tangled wire called “No Man’s Land”.

Technology had created new weapons of mass destruction Technology had created new weapons of mass destruction. (Heavy artillery, machine guns, mustard and chlorine gas, tanks, airplanes)

The front-line trenches were usually about 2m deep and 2m wide The front-line trenches were usually about 2m deep and 2m wide. They were loaded with rats and lice.

Soldiers suffered numerous diseases such as dysentery, “trench fever”, and “trench foot”. Soldiers who suffered from “shell shock” were treated as cowards.

Troops would go “over the top” and often get cut down by machine gun fire in no man’s land.

The Battle of Ypres

By February 1915, the first Canadian division reached the Western Front at Ypres, Belgium.

During this 2nd Battle of Ypres, the Germans decided to unleash a terrible new weapon – chlorine gas.

The front line soldiers received no warning of the attack The front line soldiers received no warning of the attack. A wall of deadly green gas (about 3m high) descended upon the Canadians.

Holding a urine-soaked handkerchief over one’s mouth provided some relief to the burning gas.

The Canadians held their position for three days until British relief came. More than 6000 Canadian soldiers were killed.

The Canadians won high praise from the British military for their efforts at Ypres.

The Battle of the Somme

In 1916 the British Commander in Chief, Douglas Haig, decided to go on the offensive.

The Allies bombarded the Germans for five consecutive days with 1 The Allies bombarded the Germans for five consecutive days with 1.5 million rounds of artillery.

Haig believed that the shelling would wipe out the German front lines but the German casualties were low because they were protected in heavily fortified trenches.

The artillery shells caused massive craters in No Man’s Land that proved to be ideal machine gun nests.

The attack began on July 1, 1916 The attack began on July 1, 1916. After three months, the French and British had lost more than 600,000 soldiers.

The Canadians entered the battle on September 15, 1916 The Canadians entered the battle on September 15, 1916. They performed well but lost nearly 24,000 men.

The attack was halted after 141 days of fighting The attack was halted after 141 days of fighting. The casualties on both sides totaled 1.25 million. The British had only gained 12 km of land.

The Battle of Vimy Ridge

Vimy was a major turning point in WWI and represented the high point of Canadian military achievement.

Vimy was the first time that the Canadians fought entirely as Canadians and not as part of the British Army.

Vimy Ridge was strategically important and was strongly fortified Vimy Ridge was strategically important and was strongly fortified. The British and the French had lost thousands of men trying to capture the ridge.

Under the command of Sir Arthur Currie, the Canadians planned and rehearsed their attack for months.

Using new military strategies such as “indirect fire”, “flash spotting”, and “creeping barrage”, the Canadians succeeded at breaking the German lines and capturing the ridge.

More than 3,500 Canadians were killed at Vimy but Canadian soldiers obtained a reputation as a tough fighting force.

The Battle of Passchendale

Soon after Vimy, British general Douglas Haig ordered the Canadians to join the British army for another huge offensive near the town of Passchendale (Belgium)

Arthur Currie objected to the attack, saying that it was ill-planned and would cost the lives of 16,000 Canadian men.

The combination of the mud and German artillery caused more than 15,000 Canadian lives.

After several months of fighting and thousands of deaths, the attack was halted. The Allies had only gained 6km of land.

War on the Home Front

In all aspects of life, Canadians rallied to support the war effort.

During the war years, Canadian farmers supplied millions of tons of food to Britain and France.

More than 250,000 Canadians worked in the munitions industry More than 250,000 Canadians worked in the munitions industry. More than 1500 factories in 90 Canadian cities made everything from machine guns to airplanes.

In order to pay for a huge war debt, the Borden government introduced Business Income Tax in 1916 and Personal Income Tax in 1917.

These taxes only brought in $50 million therefore Ottawa introduced Victory Bonds. The response from the public was huge. In 1917, the government sold $500 million worth.

Women During the War Years

In 1915, about 30,000 women went to work in munitions factories while many more worked as bus drivers, police officers, bank clerks, etc.

Approximately 2,400 took jobs as nurses in military hospitals in Canada and Europe.

The Wartime Elections Act (1917) gave the right to vote to Canadian nurses, as well as wives, sisters, and mothers of Canadian soldiers.

After the war, most women returned to their traditional roles as wives, mothers, and domestic workers, however, a few continued to work in various fields.

French-English Conflict / Conscription Crisis

As the atrocities of WWI began to make their way back to Canada, Canadian men became less willing to volunteer for active service.

In 1917, the Military Service Act was introduced in the House of Commons. This would make military service compulsory for all men between the ages of 20 and 45.

The conscription crisis divided the country The conscription crisis divided the country. The French Canadians were the most irate as they were still bitter from the government’s refusal to support French in Ontario schools.

The conscription debate proved to be one more factor in dividing French and English Canadians. Conscription in Canada had very little impact on the outcome of the war.

In the spring of 1918, Germany decided to strike hard before the US could enter the war.

The Last Battles

The massive German offensive went as far as within 70 km of Paris before eventually stalling. This was Germany’s “last gasp” for victory.

August 8 to November 11, 1918 came to be known as Canada’s Hundred Days. The Canadians advanced 130 km, captured over 31,000 prisoners, 623 artillery guns, 2842 machine guns, and 336 mortars.

As the German army collapsed the Kaiser was overthrown As the German army collapsed the Kaiser was overthrown. The new German government asked for an armistice with the Allies.

All of the fighting officially ended at 11:00 am on November 11,1918 All of the fighting officially ended at 11:00 am on November 11,1918. The war was over.

Canada Matures: From War to Peace

At the end of the war, Canada was no longer a minor partner in the British Empire but a nation in its own right.

At the Paris Peace Conference, which ended the war, Borden insisted that Canada be represented in its own right.

Canada took part in signing the Treaty of Versailles and took a seat in the new League of Nations.

Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles said that Germany was solely to blame for WWI.

Germany was forced to pay reparations for war damage and therefore stripped of its wealth and its armed forces.