1. World War I

3.  Britain, France and Russia VS. Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy.  France and Germany were in conflict before, so they looked for other countries to be their allies. Alliances are formed when countries band together against a common threat.

4.  France, Russia and Britain were the Triple Entente or The Allies.  Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy were the Triple Alliance or The Central Powers but Italy joined the Allies later.  The alliances were dangerous because they increased fear and suspicions among rival nations, and a war between two countries would likely involve many more.

5.  Nationalism is a feeling of deep loyalty towards people and homeland.  Europe nationalism in the nineteenth century was a powerful force.  Examples would be the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and France’s desire to regain Alsace and Lorraine from Germany.

6.  During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, imperialism increased because the nations of Europe became more industrialized.  European countries wanted to gain control of lands away from home and build huge empires which would be a source of raw materials, cheap or free labor, new markets and military strength.

7.  Imperialism led to quarrels among the great powers of Europe in all parts of the world, and arguments over colonies and trade threatened peace.  Also Germany wanted to have an empire like Britain and France.

8.  Militarism is the belief in the power of strong armies and navies to decide issues.  Preparing for war was thought to be the only way to guarantee peace, and if a nation is strong, no enemy would dare attack it. If war did occur, the militarized nation would be ready.  This thinking led to an arms race in Europe, which was where each country produced and stockpiled battleships, artillery, and guns ammunition

9.  Germany built a huge navy, causing Britain to become nervous and led to the Naval Race.  European countries built huge armies through conscription.  All that was needed to start a World War was a spark.

11.  The Black Hand was a terrorist group that was composed of Serbs and Bosnians that thought Bosnia should break away From Austria- Hungary.  The Austrians were also expressing feelings of nationalism when they opposed the attempts of Bosnia to break away from their empire. Bosnian Serbs wanted to be part of Serbia.

12.  Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the Archduchess Sophia were visiting Bosnia because the Archduke would someday be its Emperor.  Gavrilo Princip (a 19 year old) stepped up by the car and fired two shots killing them both.

13.  Those who attacked the Archduke were members of a Serbian terrorist group known as the Black Hand.  This was an example of the danger of nationalism leading up to WW1.  The assassination would lead to Austria – Hungary declaring war on Serbia and put in motion the steps to world war.

15.  When the call came out for recruiting in Canada, offices were flooded with volunteers for the war at a pay of $1.00/day. People thought that the war would end quickly.  Within 2 months, 30 000 Canadians were sent, however the war did not end until 4 years later, with the involvement of another 400 000 Canadians.

17.  Ypres is an ancient city in Belgium.  First time poison gas was ever used in battle. The men who didn’t have gas masks or who did not use a urine soaked cloth to breathe through choked, gagged, gasped, coughed and died.  The Canadians had make-shift gas masks and survived the attack.  More than 6000 Canadians died during this battle.

18.  On July 1, 1916 at 7:30am, the British army consisting of Canadian and Newfoundland troops went “over the top”.  Most men never made it out of the trenches and most were killed by the shower of bullets in no- man’s land.  By nightfall approximately 58,000 men were dead or wounded – the most ever in British military warfare in a single day.

19.  Newfoundland troops were mowed down at Beaumont Hamel. Over 90% were killed or wounded.  When it came to an end, casualties for both sides reached 1.25 million; 24 000 were Canadian.  Tanks were introduced for the first time in war. It helped to break the stalemate at the end of the war

20.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=- Tv5gBa9DQs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=- Tv5gBa9DQs  Battle of the Somme Battle of the Somme

21.  On April 9, 1917, Canada won its most celebrated battle.  German forces had a good vantage point they controlled all the surrounding areas.  Many attempts were made by British and French troops but were unsuccessful.  Vimy Vimy

22.  After months of preparations 100 000 Canadians (four divisions) launched an attack. In a few hours, they had captured the ridge.  More ground, guns, and German prisoners were taken that day than the first 2 1/2 years of war.  Four Canadians won the Victoria Cross at Vimy. Vimy RidgeVimy Ridge

23.  In the fall of 1917, soldiers fought in Passchendaele, Belgium ( close to Ypres )  Also known as the Third Battle of Ypres.  Passchendaele was once beneath the sea.  The shelling destroyed drainage ditches and the land was waterlogged.  Soldiers were very frustrated over trying to advance through the mud.

24.  Thousands of soldiers and horses who slipped into the mud were sucked down and drowned.  Tanks also got bogged down quickly.  16000 Canadian causalities.  The 7km of land they won was soon won back by the Germans.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJZttzblH FQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJZttzblH FQ

25.  Tanks  Were developed to solve the problem of trench warfare  Tanks could roll over barbwire and protect troops crossing no-man’s land.  British first used them against the Germans at the Battle of the Somme

27.  Machine Guns and Artillery  Completely changed the way battles were fought  One soldier could kill enough enemy soldiers to break up a frontal attack  Fast-firing artillery could fire shells that exploded into fragments (shrapnel) killing or wounding soldiers anywhere near the explosion  Contributed to the development of trench warfare and stalemate

29.  Airplanes  Used in the early part of the war for reconnaissance (spying)  Eventually the timing of the machine gun was modified to fire between the rotating propeller  This allowed planes to fire on ground troops and take part in aerial “dogfights”  Dogfight History Channel Dogfight History Channel

31.  Submarines (U-boats)  Effective and deadly weapon  Germany used submarines to blockade Britain from receiving food and war supplies.  Difficult to detect and destroy  During the war U-boats sank thousands of merchant and civilian ships as well as navy ships

33.  In 1914 when war broke out, the airplane was a new and unproven invention.  Canada had no air force of its own.

34.  Billy Bishop was a young pilot from Ontario, Canada.  He became a Canadian hero during WWI because of his shooting and flying abilities.  As a boy he practiced shooting at moving targets in the woods.  His first day behind the front line, he knocked down a plane  In one five-day period, he destroyed 13 planes.  Billy Bishop Billy Bishop

36.  German submarines prowled the seas since the beginning of the war.  Germans sank 200 British ships by 1914 (including passenger ships).  The sinking of the Lusitania (a passenger ship), which had American passengers on board when it went down angered the U.S..

38.  Submarines (or U-Boats as they were often called) were Germany’s most deadly weapons at sea.  Germany was sinking British and other boats at an average of 160 ships per month.  Germany navy introduced a policy of “unrestricted submarine warfare.” This meant that German U-Boats would sink any Allied ships that approached Britain.  Responsible for U.S. entering the War

39.  First four months of the policy, Germany sank over 1000 Allied ships.  Britain had to find a way to solve this problem or it would be starved into surrendering.  Canada’s main contribution to the war at sea was to provide sailors and ships for the Royal Navy.  Eventually the use of the convoy system and technological advancements turned the tide in the allies favor.

40.  Canadians at home supported the troops overseas in many ways.  Posters, and government campaigns suggested that no sacrifice should be spared to ensure the victory of Europe.  People planted victory gardens (to produce as much food as possible).

41.  Canadians were sending large amounts of food to fighting forces overseas.  At home people were trying to waste nothing and reduce own food consumption.  Students were often dismissed from school early to help farm workers with the harvest.

42.  Groups of woman meet to organize fundraisers and roll bandages for the troops.  Each community held card games, dances and variety shows.  Profits were used to send soap, writing paper, pencils and candy to the troops.

43.  1918, war was costing Canada over one million dollars a day.  Victory bonds were also used to help pay for the cost of war.  After the war the bonds could be cashed for a profit.

44.  Private and commercial investors loaned over one billion to the government  Children bought stamps at 25 cents  Canadian government introduced income tax during the world war I to help finance the war.  Industrial production went to dramatic new heights.

45.  Airplane, shell and ship factories sprang up across the country.  1918 - 300,000 Canadians were employed.  One third of the shells fired by the armies of the British Empire were made in Canada.

46.  At the beginning of the war, hundreds of Canadian women volunteered to work overseas as nurses or ambulance drivers.  They worked in banks, on police forces and in civil services jobs. They also drove buses and street cars.

47.  Women worked in ammunition factories and in other war industries while the men were away at war.  This meant that the number of women working rose very high.  There were very few men left so women on farms brought in the harvests and they also got help from city women.

48.  Since women were doing so much for the war effort, they wanted a share in making decisions about the country.

49.  One of Canada’s great social reformers and Suffragists was Nellie McClung.  Suffragists campaigned enthusiastically for women’s suffrage (the right to vote).  Women were given the right to vote in the Province of Manitoba in 1916  Within a few months, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario had granted Women’s Suffrage.

50.  In the election of December 1917, the Wartime Elections Act granted the vote to the mothers, sisters etc. of men who were fighting overseas.  By the time the war ended, the right to vote had been extended to almost all women in Canada over the age of 21.

51.  The Dominion Elections Act gave women the right to run for election in parliament in 1920.  Native women and most native men were not allowed to vote.

52.  At the beginning of the war, people were very patriotic and wanted to help in any way that they could. As a result, Canada was flooded with volunteers willing to enlist in the army.  As the war progressed, people became less enthusiastic about helping, and the number of volunteers decreased.

53.  In 1917, Prime Minister Robert Borden visited Canadian soldiers at the front and was shocked by what he heard.  Canadian Volunteer enlistments were not keeping up with the number of men killed or wounded in battle.  Military officials desperately needed more soldiers and they asked Borden to send more Canadian troops to Europe.

54.  When Borden returned home he asked the parliament to pass a Conscription Bill.  Conscription means that all able bodied men would be required to join the army.  Canadians were forced to join.

55.  With an election coming in December 1917, the government passed two bills:  The Military Voters Act( Vote to soldiers and nurses overseas) and the Wartime Elections Act.

56.  The Military Voters Act allowed soldiers overseas to vote in elections at home in Canada.  The Wartime Elections Act gave females living in Canada who were relatives of soldiers fighting in Europe the right to vote.  A Union Government was formed by Conservatives and Liberals that believed in Conscription.

57.  The election was brutal  Laurier and his followers were accused of letting down the soldiers at the front.  Borden and the Union Government won the election, although they got only three seats in Quebec out of 65.

58.  The split that had been feared for so long seemed to have happened – riots occurred in Montreal and Quebec City; the French and English Canadians were entirely torn apart.  In November, 1918, at the end of the war, Canada was a divided nation.

59.  The Treaty demanded that Germany: Accept total blame for the war Give up its weapons and ships Reduce size of military Give back all the land it conquered Make reparations ( pay for damages ) Give up part of its country.

60.  World War 1 Summary World War 1 Summary