Unit 2 Underlying Causes of WWI
1. Nationalism—extreme patriotism (love of one’s own country)
This created major tension in Europe as each country sought to further their own agenda and goals.
2. Imperialism—desire for colonies
Britain controlled 25% of the world’s landmass France also was an imperial power with vast holdings Germany was late entering the race for colonies
--the most desirable areas were already taken --it was seeking its “place in the sun”
--this created rivalry for control of colonies, especially in Africa 3. Militarism/Arms Race
British naval forces were supreme (2x that of all other powers)
Germany set out on a massive naval program designed to challenge British dominance Britain saw this as a direct threat to their naval supremacy—a direct challenge to
national security
--1906—introduction of the “Dreadnought” (huge spending to create—social programs were sacrificed)
--1914—Britain = 29 Dreadnoughts ----Germany = 18 Dreadnoughts
British alarm caused her to seek alliances with France and Russia (traditional enemies) Militarism was linked with honour, bravery, noble action and patriotism
Escalation of the arms race and the war mentality forced nations to keep up or be placed at the mercy of stronger nations with strong militaries
4. The Alliance System
The system of alliances involved virtually every power in Europe in a complex and intricate web
Two rival camps emerged:
1. Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy) 2. Triple Entente (Britain, France, Russia)
They resulted in an escalation of international tensions which ultimately led to world war
The alliance system committed member nations to support partners in times of war
The Immediate Cause of the War
the incident that set off the explosion occurred on June 28, 1914 when the heir to the Austrian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo by a Serbian terrorist group, “The Black Hand”
almost immediately Austria blamed the Serbian government for the attack
on July 23rd, Austria issued a 48 hour ULTIMATUM to Serbia, which included such demands as:
a call for Serbia to put an end to all nationalist hatred against Austria-Hungary, and to punish all who were active in the assassination plot Serbia was to allow Austrian officials into Serbia to crush the Black
Hand
This ultimatum set off an immediate chain reaction among alliance powers
Russia demanded that Austria guarantee Serbian independence France backed Russia (mutual defense commitment)
Serbia accepted all but 2 of Austria’s demands, the rejected items would have required total submission to Austrian authority
Serbia mobilized troops along the Austrian border as a precaution against invasion Events quickly escalated out of control
July 28 – Austria declared war on Serbia
July 29 – Russia responded with a declaration of war on Austria Within days, most of Europe was at war
Canada’s Response
In 1914 Canada was still heavily reliant on Britain to speak for Canada on their “foreign affairs”.
Britain still controlled members “foreign policy”
This meant that when Britain went to war, Canada automatically went to war.
Response to Canadian involvement varied greatly.
Those of British descent were enthusiastic, while the Francophone and the Maritime were far less interested in a war overseas.
Originally PM Robert Borden offered Britain 25,000 troops but 30,000 signed up in the first month!
Largely people thought the war would be over by Christmas
In 1914, Canada had a small standing army and had to train all the volunteers
Battles on the Western Front
Some of Canada’s most prominent war contributions happened on the Western Front 4 major battles that Canadians participated in were: Ypres, The Battle of the Somme,
The Canadian First Division was assigned to the front lines at Ypres (in Belgium) Their task was to hold the line against the German attacks
The Germans first used mustard gas at Ypres
On 22 April 1915 the Canadian troops suffered major casualties More than 5200 died
1 in 5 was listed as killed in action, gassed, missing, or wounded In spite of the horrors, the Canadians held the line
The Battle of the Somme
The first day of the Battle of the Somme in France was 1 July 1916 It was the single most disastrous day the British Army had suffered
At 7:30am a British officer jumped to the top of the Trench and ordered the troops forward
The soldiers were mowed down by German machine gun fire as they tried to cross No Man’s Land
By nightfall, 57 470 men were dead (British and Canadian) It was the heaviest day of casualties
Troops from Newfoundland played a major part in this battle They faced a strong part of the line at Beaumont Hamel 90% of the Newfoundland Regiment were killed or wounded
When the Battle of the Somme ended 5 months later, casualties had reached 1.25 million (both sides total)
Very little land was gained
Vimy Ridge
On 9 April 1917 Canada won its most significant battle
German forces had “dug in” at the top of Vimy (Northern France) from which they could control the surrounding areas
Several unsuccessful attempts had been made by British and French troops to push them out
After months of preparation, 100 000 Canadians launched an attack with all 4 Canadian divisions fighting together for the first time
In a storm they forced their way up the hill and in a few hours they captured the ridge More guns, ground, and German prisoners were taken that day than the first 2.5 years
of the war
The victory focused international attention on Canada “Canada became a nation at Vimy Ridge”
Passchendaele
31 July-12 November 1917, in Belgium The Canadians entered the battle in October
It was nearly impossible to advance
About 42 000 soldiers drowned in the mud Almost 16 000 Canadian soldiers died
They gained 7km of mud which the Germans quickly won back
Life in the Trenches
rows of deep trenches were dug—they were protected by guns and barbed wire
parallel lines of trenches stretched several hundred kilometres from the English Channel to the border of Switzerland
in some places, opposing forces were separated by only 25 metres the space between the trenches was known as “No Man’s Land” the strip of land was armed with buried land mines and barbed wire sometimes the wounded soldiers could not be brought back to safety the soldiers in the trenches had to listen to them cry in pain as they died
the trenches were laid in a zigzag pattern to prevent enemy fire from sweeping along the whole length of the trench
the front line trenches were usually about 2 metres deep and were protected by sandbags
in wet weather the trenches became slippery and waterlogged
wooden floorboards (duckboards) were put in the bottom of the trenches, but troops often stood in water up to their knees
soldiers slept when they could, where they could—they often slept standing up as soldiers were constantly wet, cold and dirty, sickness spread rapidly
trench foot and trench mouth were very common
everyone had body lice and rats ran through the trenches
some soldiers suffered shell-shock, a nervous breakdown caused by the stress of battles meals had very little variety
most meals consisted of tinned corned beef, bread and tea there was very little meat
soldiers looked forward to packages from friends and families at home in Canada (treats such as chocolate, fruitcakes and jam)
night was the worst time in the trenches most attacks would take place at night
after approximately a month in the trenches, units would be allowed to go to the rear for the chance to sleep in a dry place, to rest, to eat a decent meal and to bathe The Impact of WWI on Canada’s International Status:
WWI had a great impact on Canada as a nation—it gave Canada international recognition as an independent nation for the first time in the young nation’s history 1. Canada and the Paris Peace Conference
Terms of the Treaty of Versailles
In the Hall of Mirrors (in the famous palace of Louis XIV), they signed the Treaty of Versailles Germany had to pay compensation (reparations) for the damage caused by the war. A
Reparations Commission was set up to determine the amount to be paid. In 1921 the amount was set at 33 billion American dollars. Germany would have 42 years to pay this off.
The Treaty also reduced the size of the German armed forces:
The army was limited to 100 000 men. No more conscription, only volunteer soldiers.
Germany was not allowed tanks, submarines, or military aircraft. The navy could only have 6 battleships.
Germany had to accept full responsibility for the war
The Paris Peace Conference (or the Versailles Peace Conference) is significant historically for 3 reasons:
1. It reorganized the map of Europe following WWI
2. It determined the constraints and obligations placed on Germany as a result of what it called Germany’s responsibility for “loss and damage” in WWI
3. It placed Canada at the table with the main decision makers where previously Canada would have been represented by Britain
2. Canada and the League of Nations
At the Paris Peace Conference the American President (Woodrow Wilson) proposed the implementation of a league of nations
The idea was to avoid the heightening of tensions to the point where another war could break out
If nations could only sit down and discuss their differences and concerns, there was every reason to believe all future wars could be avoided
Canada became a member of the League of Nations
3. Canada and the Statute of Westminster
At the Imperial War Conference of 1916, Britain declared that all the Dominions of the British Empire were “autonomous nations”
Women During the War Years
WWI brought great changes to the lives of Canadian women
Hundreds of women volunteered to work overseas as nurses or ambulance drivers Many worked in field hospitals just behind the front line trenches
At home, the number of women employed in industry grew dramatically
30 000 Canadian women worked in munitions factories and other war industries
These jobs in heavy industry would have been considered unsuitable for women before 1914
Women also drove buses and streetcars, worked in banks, on police forces and in civil service jobs
Groups of women of all ages met regularly to knit socks for the soldier and to roll bandages
They arranged fundraisers, such as card games, dances, and variety shows that helped fund the parcels sent to the troops
The Struggle for Women’s Rights
Because women were doing so much for the war effort, they wanted a share in making decisions about their country
During WWI women were brought together in volunteer and employment settings They began to share ideas and work for political equality with men
They also took active roles in journalism and campaigned for better public health, working conditions and wages
They pushed for equal opportunities in careers such as medicine and law, and the right to own property
Suffragists campaigned for the women’s suffrage
The first breakthrough came in Manitoba in 1916, when women were given the right to vote in that province
Within a few months, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario also granted women suffrage
The main goal however, was to win the right to vote in federal elections
In the federal election of 1917, the Wartime Elections Act granted the vote to mothers, sisters, and wives of soldiers in the Armed Forces
Nurses serving in the Forces could also vote
By the end of the war, the right to vote had been granted to almost all women over the age of 21
In 1920, the Dominion Elections Act gave women the right to run for election to Parliament
The War Measures Act
The War Measures Act was enacted on 22 August 1914, and gave the federal government full authority to do everything deemed necessary "for the security, defence, peace, order and welfare of Canada"
It could be used when the government thought that Canada was about to be invaded or war would be declared, in order to mobilize all segments of society to support the war effort
The Act also gave the federal government sweeping emergency powers that allowed Cabinet to administer the war effort without accountability to Parliament, and without regard to existing legislation
This Act was always implemented via an Order in Council, rather than by approval of the democratically elected Parliament.
After Great Britain entered the First World War in August 1914, the government of Canada issued an Order in Council under the War Measures Act
It required the registration and in certain cases the internment of aliens of "enemy nationality"
This included the more than 80,000 Canadians who were formerly citizens of the Austrian-Hungarian empire
These individuals had to register as "enemy aliens" and report to local authorities on a regular basis
Twenty-four "concentration camps" (later called "internment camps") were established across Canada, eight of them in British Columbia
The camps were supposed to house enemy alien immigrants who had contravened regulations or who were deemed to be security threats
The "enemy aliens" could be interned if they failed to register, failed to report monthly, travelled without permission, or wrote to relatives in Austria
Other less concrete reasons given for internment included "acting in a very suspicious manner"
By the middle of 1915, 4000 of the internees had been imprisoned for being indigent (poor and unemployed)
A total of 8,579 Canadians were interned between 1914 and 1920
Of the 8,579 internees, only 2,321could be classed as "prisoners of war" (i.e. "captured in arms or belonging to enemy reserves"); the rest were civilians
Upon each individual's arrest, whatever money and property they had was taken by the government
In the internment camps they were denied access to newspapers and their correspondence was censored.
They were sometimes mistreated by the guards
They were forced to work on maintaining the camps, road-building, railway construction, and mining
As the need for soldiers overseas led to a shortage of workers in Canada, many of these internees were released on parole to work for private companies
The first World War ended in 1918, but the forced labour program was such a benefit to Canadian corporations that the internment was continued for two years after the end of the War
The Conscription Crisis of 1917
Many French Canadians, including farmers, unionists, pacifists, and religious groups were opposed to participation in the war.
Volunteers were drying up and casualties were mounting. PM Borden and the Conservatives used conscription- forced enlistment
Passed the Military Service Act which conscripted single men between the ages of 20-35 Farmers and laborers protested because they were struggling to bring in crops for the
war effort and produce weapons for the war.
Conscription in Quebec caused increased tension between English and French Canada. The introduction of conscription divided the county as many English Canadians felt French Canadians weren’t doing their share.
The election of 1917 demonstrated this division. Boarder and the Conservatives were joined by Liberals (who had deserted Laurier because he did not support conscription) and formed the Union Government. The Union Government won a majority but only had three seats in Quebec.
