Militarism Protest and Popularity

Definition: Militarism means that the army and military forces are important to the Government. Countries wanted to have huge armies and lots of weapons.

Questions Do you think that it is important for Canada to have a strong army and to create a large amount of weapons to protect Canadians? What would you do to protect your friends and family? In pairs or by yourself answer the questions. Write down what you think?

Where does the money come from to support a military? Canada will spend at least $22.3 billion (and probably closer to $23 billion) on its military forces in fiscal year Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

Top countries for spending in 2009 Table 1. Top military spenders, 2009($US billions) 1. U.S China France U.K Russia Japan Germany Saudi Arabia India Italy Brazil South Korea Canada Australia Spain18

The Debate People have debated whether or not militarism is a good thing or a bad. Our friends to the south (the Americans) believe that this is a good thing. They spend the most amount of money on weapons and protection and war.

Artists Protests There have also been many artists who have protested about the amount of military money and support there is. Here are some of the few anti- military artists and songs: "Civil War" - Guns N' Roses (1990) "Disposable Heroes" - Metallica (1986) "Gods Of War" - Def Leppard (1987) "Going Down In Flames" - Three Doors Down (2002) "Imagine" - John Lennon (1971) "Killing in the name of" - Rage Against The Machine (1992) "When We Stand Together" - Nickelback (2011) "Pumped Up Kicks" - Foster the People (2010) (anti-guns in the US)

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Anti-Military Slogans

What the heck does this have to do with WWI? Militarism was a direct cause of WWI. Most European countries wanted power. To have this they believed that they needed to build their military power. This created the ‘Arms Race’

‘Arms Race’ A competition between nations to have the most powerful weapons. The armies of both France and Germany had more than doubled between 1870 and The rivalry between the powers led to a building up of weapons and an increase in distrust. The British and the German’s started to fight over Naval power.

Rise in Military Expenditure It is also important to take notice of the fact that from 1910 to 1914, while France increased her defence expenditure by 10%, Britain by 13%, Russia by 39%, and Germany was the most militaristic as she increased by 73%. Increased war expenditure enabled all the powers to raise more armies and improve their battleships.

Britain and Germany’s Fight over the sea Britain and Germany acted like little children and were trying to see who could have the best navy in the world. Britain up until 1900 was the winner! They controlled the seas all along the coast of Europe. They had to – they were an island after all.

Boys and their Toys….. In the meantime, Britain produced her first Dreadnought (literally, the word means fear nothing). Dreadnoughts were large, fast and heavily armed battleships with 12inch guns. They set a new standard in naval armaments and rendered all previous battleships obsolete. Between 1909 and 1911 Germany built nine Dreadnoughts while Britain completed 18 Dreadnoughts. In 1913, Germany widened the Kiel Canal to allow the easy passage of her Dreadnoughts from the Baltic to the North Sea while Britain built new naval bases for the Dreadnoughts in northern Scotland.

Dreadnought – Britain’s Super War Ship

The Big Guns The Guns The Dreadnought had very cool guns. They were the best in the world at the time.

Militarism – Germany’s Thoughts

Germany’s Response to the Big Guns A Zeppelin (Aka a Big Balloon) is a type of rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century.

Nationalism – Yet another Cause of the War On your piece of paper draw all the symbols of Canada you can think about. (Hint – the Beaver) How do you like living in Canada? What do you like about this country?

Nationalism What is Nationalism – It is the love of one’s country and the belief that your country is the best!

Why the heck is this important? With Imperialism and Militarism Nationalism caused the leaders of Europe to act like children. They all had a complex and thought that they were better then each other.

Map of Europe 1900 Europe looked very different in 1900.