War on the Home Front Total War

Total War WWI was a “total war.” It not only affected the soldiers overseas, but regular citizens back home in Canada By 1916, one out of every four Canadian families had relatives serving overseas The mood had changed from one of excitement, to one of the tense determination as the reality of the war became known

The War Measures Act At the beginning of the war, the government passed the War Measures Act. This act gave the government powers to ensure “the security, defence, peace, order, and welfare of Canada” The government had the power to take away freedoms if it seemed necessary for the good of the country. People could be put in prison if they were considered a threat to the country’s security. Others could be deported or sent back to their homelands if there was any suspicion about their loyalties.

War on the Home front The Canadian Food Controller encouraged civilians to reduce the amount of wheat, flour, beef and bacon they ate. Taxes were placed on certain items such as tea, coffee, liquor, tobacco, and luxury goods in order to raise money for the war. Gardens were converted into vegetable gardens and there were penalties which could be imposed for wasting food. Boy scouts were organized to perform a number of tasks including: free labour in local communities, tending to the gardens of men who had gone off to war, and helping care for the sick and wounded.

Farming More than 60% of soldiers fighting in Europe came from farms. The war disrupted farming in Europe, which caused major shortages of food. Sea routes were threatened by German submarine activity which made the shipping of food more difficult. Many of these pressures fell on the shoulders of Canadian farmers.

Farming Canadian farms began drastically increasing their crop output. Boys between the age of 15 and 19 were placed on farms to help overcome the labour shortage. These boys were nicknamed “Soldiers of the Soil” By the end of 1917, pork exports had increased by 535%, beef exports increased seven-fold and cheese exports tripled.

Industry As the war began, Canada was mostly an agricultural nation with very little industry. There was no munitions industry in Canada, other than one small factory in Quebec. With the outbreak of war, Canadian factories and industry were converted to produce munitions and supplies. By 1917, there were 600 factories in Canada producing munitions and employing close to 300 0000 workers.

Industry Up to 800 000 shells a month were leaving Canada for the front. The exploitation of Canada’s natural resources was an essential part of this industrial growth. The wartime demand for metals led to the creation of ore, copper, zing and lead refineries. A British War Cabinet Report: “Canada has manufactured nearly every type of shell from the small 18-pounder to the huge 9.2 inc. All told, she has supplied 60 million shells, or roughly one third of the total used by the British forces during the last three years of the war.”

Profiteering The expansion of Canadian industry created great opportunities for profit. While most business people were content to take a fair profit, others engaged in profiteering. They created cheap products and sold them at very high prices. Ex. The boots first issued to Canadian troops were worn out in less than 2 months. Canned meat for soldiers sometimes came from diseased animals. People who engaged in profiteering were looking to make big money off the war.

Victory Bonds In 1918, the war was costing Canada over one million dollars a day. To raise money, Canada issued Victory Bonds Canadians were urged to buy bonds to help with the war effort. After the war, they could cash in their bonds and get their money back with interest. Children were encouraged to buy “Thrift Stamps” at school. Each stamp cost 25 cents and was stuck on a card which would hold 16 stamps ($4). They could cash in their stamp cards at a later date and get their money back, plus interest.

Text Q & As read 101-122 to Treaty of Versaille answer pg 127 #1-4