THE WAR TO END ALL WARSCANADA AND WORLD WAR I

HISTORY 30

To Our Soldier Boys

To you, O Men of the Singing Souls,A sacred pledge, we give in fee,The proud, high name of our mother Queen's,To bear as yours, beyond the sea.

Because you are noble and strong and good,We give to your keeping, our crest of gold,That an age-old bond of our motherhoodMay bind us all in her sacred fold.

And the sun sinks low, and the twilight fallsOn your long trench lines and our campus grey,And over the world the Queen's voice calls,To those who are absent, at closing day.

And then in the halls of our Mother's home,We shall keep the fires and tapers aglowTill the trumpets burst with a triumph blastFor the new fledged heroes of long ago.

To each has been given his separate vialThe draught of life, or the draught of love.Thine is the sweeter and in the whileMay ours to the taste, not tasteless prove.

Charlotte WhittonQueen's Arts, M.A., 1917

Canada: A Nation Evolves

World War I was very influential in the shaping of Canada as a nation. Canada earned recognition, respect and admiration from the rest of the world through their successful and dedicated participation in WWI. Canadians successfully participated in a war that introduced the horrors of modern warfare to the world. Technology developed at a rapid pace during WWI because of the increasing demands of modern warfare.

Although many Canadian lives were lost during the war, Canada grew stronger as a nation, and moved closer to becoming an independent nation. A distinctive and lasting Canadian identity was forged on the battlefields of Europe during WWI. Canadian women also made tremendous strides during the war, some voting for the first time, several serving as nurses and volunteers at the front, and many others becoming well established in the Canadian labor force.

World War I brought many issues of racism to the forefront in Canada. The unjust internment of many "enemy aliens" or immigrants from "enemy" countries in Canada during WWI will be remembered as one of the most embarrassing aspects of Canadian history. The immigrant population of Canada today, including those who came from war torn Europe after 1918, has become a major part of the Canadian identity.

WHAT CAUSED WORLD WAR I

In the last few decades of the nineteenth century, European nations were often involved in conflicts with each other. The French had suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the German armies in 1871. Afterward, France and Germany raced to see who could build the bigger army. They began stockpiling cannons, explosives, and other artillery to fuel their rival war machines. By 1914, the European powers had squared off against each other in two hostile camps. France, Russia, and Britain stood together on one side; Germany, Austri-Hungary, and Italy stood against them on the other

Militarism: Was a cause of the war, similar to the arms race of the “Cold War” era. Britain had a great navy, Germany wanted a great navy too. Germany and France competed for larger armies. The more one nation built up its army and navy, the more other nations felt they had to do the same.

For Twenty years, the nations of Europe hadbeen making alliances. It was thought thealliances would promote peace. Eachcountry would be protected by others incase of war. making it foolish for onecountry to wage war on another.The danger of these alliances was that anargument between two countries could drawall the other nations into a fight. This is justwhat happened when a conflict betweenAustria-Hungary and Serbia led to WorldWar 1.

In the summer of 1914 there were twoalliances. The Triple Alliance composed ofGermany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy, stoodopposed to the Triple Entente composed ofBritain, France, and Russia.

Another cause was that European nationsruled smaller countries, called colonies,and competed with each other to amassmore colonies. Gatehring colonies becameknown as IMPERIALISM. Both Franceand Britain had many colonies in Africaand Asia. Now Germany and Italydecided they wanted a colonial empiretoo.

In addition to political conflicts, thecauses of the war included suchforces as NATIONALISM, orpatriotism. Nationalism ledEuropean nations to compete forthe largest army and navy, or thegreatest industrial development. Italso gave groups of subject peoplesthe idea of forming independentnations of their own.

The war that would destroy European society had been coming for a long time. The nineteenth century had been an era of great progress,

and of turmoil and conflict as well. New nations had been created. The balance of power that existed in 1815, at the end of the era of Napoleon, was disturbed.

Adding to the danger was a false sense of security. Local wars had flared up in the nineteenth century, but a major war was regarded as unlikely. Looking back at 1914 today, however, we can see that each of the major countries of Europe had interests that would bring it into conflict with at least one of the other great powers.

On June 28, 1914, Gacrilo Princip, a nineteen-year-old Serbian revolutionary, fired two pistols shots. One killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the nephew of Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary and heir to the Austrian throne. The other killed Sophie, his wife.

Austria-Hungary held Serbia responsible. On July 5 Austria asked for and recieved from Germany a "blank check" of support for any action Austria-Hungary might take against Serbia.

On July 23 Austria sent a series of demands to the Serbians. The demands were designed to humiliate and virtually destroy the Serbian nation. Still, Serbia agreed to most but not all of the demands.

Austria reacted on July 28 by declaring war on Serbia. The Russians prepared to defend Serbia. On July 31 the Germans sent a warning to Russia to stop mobilizing its army for war. the Russians ignored the warning, and Germany declared war on Russia on August 1. France came to the aid of its Russian ally by declaring war on Germany. The British hesitated, but when the Germans marched into Belgium, they declared war on Germany on Aug 4.

Italy, the third member of the Triple Alliance, refused to back Germany and Austria-Hungary. Italy claimed the Triple Alliance was for defensive purposes only and Austria's declaration of war against Serbia was no defensive.

So in August, 1914, the guns of the war went off. The system of alliances for keeping peace had brought the great nations of Europe into war with one another.

France:

France has not forgotton its humiliating defeat atthe hands of Germany in 1871. France was waitingfor the chance to reestablish its power on thecontinent. France was willing to ally itself withanother longtime enemy, Britain, to strenghten itshand against Germany.

Great Britain/UK:

Great Britain had traditionally followed a policy ofneutrality, which served it well. Yet some Britainswere now calling for a new alliances, to counterthe rising power of the German Empire. Britaindepended on industrial strength for survival.Germany was a threat to that strength, as well as toBritains naval power.

Russia:

Russia had been defeated by the Japanese in 1905and was troubled by unrest within borders. Russiafelt a need to prove its strength to the other nationsof Europe. It also desired to extend its influenceand protection over Slavs in Balkan countries.

Germany:

The German Empire had been created in 1871. Included in itsterritory were the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine, taken fromFrance. Now Germany was the leading power on the Continent.But Germany was not secure. Directly to the west was France,waiting for the chance to reclaim Alsace-Lorraine. To the eastwas Russia, recently allied with France. And on the seas therapidly growing German navy competed with the more powerfulBritish navy.

Austro-HungarianEmpire:

The Austro-Hungarian, Empire was not a nation of one people,but an empire of many nationalitites. The peoples that made upthe empire were mainly Austrians, Hungarians, and Slavs. Butthe Austrians and Hungarians ruled the empire. Many SLavs wholived in the provinces of Bosnia and Herzegovina wanted to bepart of the new nation of Serbia. Furthermore, Rumania and Italyhad designs on territory within the empire. Russian ambitions inthe Balkans brought them into conflict with the Austro-Hungarians.

OttomanEmpire:

The empire of Turkey was known as the "sick man of Europe".The new nations in the Balkans - Serbia, Bulgaria, Rumania, andGreece - had broken off from the empire. The nations of Europefeared the Ottoman Empire would collapse and there would be afight for its territory. Russia, in particular, wanted theDardanelles Strait, a strategic part of the empire.

TIMELINE FOR CANADA

1914

July 29 ~ Britain warns Canada of deteriorating situation in Europe.

Aug 02 ~ Canada offers Britain troops for overseas service.

Aug 05 ~ Britain declares war. Canada is automatically at war.

Aug 06 ~ Britain accepts Canada's offer of troops.

Aug 19 ~ The first volunteers begin to arrive at Valcartier camp.

Sept 04 ~ Aproximately 32,000 men have assembled at Valcartier.

Oct 03 ~ 1st contingent Canadian Expeditionary Force sails for England.

Oct 14 ~ 1st contingent C.E.F. arrives in England.

Dec 21 ~ Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry arrives in France. The first Canadian unit committed to battle in the Great War.

1915

Feb 07 ~ 1st Canadian Division begins moving to France.

Mar 03 ~ 1st Canadian Division is made responsible for 6000m of front near Fleurbaix.

April 01 ~ 1st Canadian Division is moved north to the Ypres Salient.

Apr 22 ~ Battle of Ypres. First use of poison gas against French.

Apr 24 ~ Battle of St.Julien. First use of poison gas against Canadian troops.

May 05 ~ Lt-Col John McCrae of the Canadian Expeditionary Force composed the well-known poem In Flanders Fields.

May 18 ~ Battle of Festubert.

May 25 ~ Second Canadian Division formed in Canada.

June 15 ~ Battle of Givenchy.

Sept 19 ~ Newfoundland Regiment lands at Suvla Bay in Gallipoli.

Nov 16 ~ Canadian's launched their first trench raid at Riviere Douve.

Dec 20 ~ Newfoundland Regiment evacuated from Suvla Bay

Dec 25 ~ 3rd Canadian Division formed.

1916

Apr 06 ~ The Battle of St.Eloi Craters.

Jun 02 ~ Battle of Mount Sorrel. Major General Mercer killed.

Sept 15 ~ Battle of Courcelette. First use of the tank and the rolling barrage.

Sept 26 ~ Battle of Thiepval Ridge.

Nov ~ Sir Samuel Hughes Minister of Militia and Defense is sacked by Prime Minister Borden.

1917

Apr 09 ~ The Battle of Vimy Ridge.

June 11 ~ Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden introduced a Military Service Bill.

Aug 15 ~ Battle for Hill 70. First use of mustard gas against Canadians.

Oct 26 ~ The Battle of Passchendaele

Aug 29 ~ Conscription became law in Canada.

Nov ~ Prime Minister Borden's Unionists win a majority in the federal election.

Nov 20 ~ The Battle of Cambrai.

Dec 06 ~ The Halifax Explosion. French munitions vessel Mont Blanc explodes in Halifax Harbour killing almost 1600 people.

1918

Jan ~ Conscription now in force.

March 21 ~ German Offensive begins.

March 30 ~ Canadian Cavalry attack at Moreuil Wood.

Aug 08 ~ The Battle of Amiens. The beginning of what is known as Canada's Hundred Days.

Aug 26 ~ The Battle of the Scarpe.

Sept 02 ~ The Battle of the Drocourt-Queant Line.

Sept 27 ~ The Battle of the Canal Du Nord and Cambrai.

Nov 02 ~ The Canadian Corps capture the town of Valenciennes in its last major battle of the war.

Nov 10 ~ The Canadian Corps Reached the outskirts of Mons.

Nov 11 ~ At 10:58am Private George Price of the 28th Battalion is killed by a sniper. Two minutes later at 11:00am the armistice came into effect. The war was over.

The First World War August of 1914 Britain declared war on Germany

- Being an integral part of the Empire, Canada was automatically at war with Germany-there was enthusiasm for the war effort in both English and French Canada-large number of enlistments prompted Borden to declare that there was no need for conscription.

War Measures Act-to direct the nation’s economic activity toward producing the necessities of war.-Suspended the right of habeus corpus-Arrest and detain without specific charges-Deport without trial

Conscription-enthusiasm and the number of volunteers waned-August 1917 – Military Service Act-Single men, between 20 and 35-seriously divided English and French Canada-riots occurred in Quebec City and Montreal-many in the labour movement opposed to conscription-concern over profiteering-farmers-opposed by Wilfred Laurier

December 6, 1917Halifax Harbour Disaster

-French munition ship exploded in Halifax destroying most of the city and killing close to 2,000

Chapter 7: War On The Western Frontrefer to text: page 132

-August 4, 1914 – 1918-More than 60,000 Canadians never returned-250,000 returned home battle-scarred-modern weaponery – casualties beyond anything ever imagined

CausesCausesAlliances Triple Entente – France, Russia, and Britain

(also known as the “Allies”) Triple Alliance – Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy

(also known as the “Central Powers”)Militarism: the policy of building up military forces and weaponry and threatening armed aggression

(naval race – dreadnought – Britain & Germany)Imperialism: possession of faraway colonies-the extension of one nation’s authority or control over other lands by economic, political, or military means.-Germany looked to the Balkans and the Middle East-railway proposed through the Balkans to the Middle East-opposed by Britain – threat of German aggressiveness-opposed by Russia – cut of access to the MediterraneanNationalism: deep patriotism and loyalty to the home country, was on the rise in Europe-expansion part of national pride and superiority

Trigger-Austro-Hungarian Empire not a nation of one people-Austrians, Hungarians, Slavs-Autria-Hungary united 1867 – annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1908 – Slav resentment – wished to join Serbia-June 28, 1914 – archduke of Austria, Francis Ferdinand -Serbian terrorists (the Black Hand) -Gavrillo Princip – shot Francis Ferdinand and his wife Sophia-Austria blamed Serbia for the assassination-Declared war on Serbia-Russia mobilized to defend Serbia-Germany declared war on Russia-France declared war on Germany-Germany declared war on France-Moved through Belgium to attack France-When Germany invaded Belgium-Britain declared war on Germany – Canada was at warWorld War I had begun

Questions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 page 147 (Refer to Text page 130 - 146)Write out the questions

1.What was Canadians’ reaction to the outbreak of war? Would Canadians react in a similar way if Canada were involved in a major conflict today?

2.What was the purpose of alliances in the pre-war years? What was the unintended result of the emergence of opposing alliances?

3.Why did an arms race develop in Europe at the beginning of the twentieth century? If an arms race were to develop in the future, would it likely lead to a major conflict?

4.Why did many European nations consider it important to acquire vast empires?

5.Why did the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand occur? How did the resulting actions lead to the outbreak of World War I?

British Ultimatum! War is Declared. Hell’s Let Loose!Headline - Ottawa Free Pree, 4 Aug. 1914

COMPARISON OF WORLD WAR I TO OTHER WARS

War Date Length Life Lost Cost in dollarsin days

Napoleonic Wars 1793-1815 8,168 1,900,000 6,250,000,000

U.S. Civil War 1861-1865 2,456 656,000 3,700,000,000

Franco-Prussian 1870-1871 405 280,000 1,580,000,000

Boer War 1899-1902 962 90,898 1,000,000,000

Russo-Japanese 1904-1905 576 555,900 2,259,000,000

First World War 1914-1918 1,538 14,500,000 281,887,000,000

After two months of fighting and 200,000 casualties the British army had gained 200 yards

Canada's Role in World War I

1914 ~ 1918

The Price Of Victory

Enlisted 595 000

Served overseas 418 000

Killed in Action 35 666

Died of wounds 12 420

Died of disease 5 405

Wounded 155 799

Prisoners of War 3 575

Presumed dead 4 671

Missing 425

Deaths in Canada 2 221

Total Dead 60 383

Population of Canada 7.5 million

BATTLESMajor operations participated in by the Canadian Expeditionary Force

A Ypres April - May 1915

B Festubert & Givenchy May - June 1915

C St Eloi Craters March - April 1916

D Mount Sorrel 2 - 13 June 1916

E Somme July - November 1916

F Vimy Ridge 9 - 12 April 1917

G The Scarpe April - May1917

H Hill 70 15 - 25 August 1917

J Passchendaele 26 October - 10 Nov. 1917

K Amiens 8 - 11 August 1918

L Arras 26 August - 3 September 1918

M Canal du Nord & Cambrai 27 Sept. - 11 Oct. 1918

N Capture of Valenciennes 1-2 Nov.

1918

Canada's Hundred Days

August 4 to November 11, 1918 has come to be known as "Canada's Hundred Days," for in this period the Canadian Corps was in the vanguard of the successful march to Mons. When the Allied advance began the Canadian Corps was assigned the task of spearheading an attack on an important salient near Amiens on August 8. Utter secrecy was vital since the Germans had come to regard any movement of Canadian troops as a sign of imminent attack. To deceive the enemy part of thecorps was sent north to the Ypres section. After making their presence known to the Germans they hurried back to Amiens. Preparations for battle were carried out at night, and there was no preliminary bombardment to warn the enemy of impending action. Surprise was complete. Flanked by Australians and French, and spearheaded by

A German machine gunner killed on the Western Front, 1918.

tanks, the Canadians advanced twelve miles in three days. The morale of the German High Command was badly shaken. In Ludendorff's words, August 8 was the "black day of the German army".

The Allied plan was to advance on a broad front with a series of connected attacks in sensitive areas. Therefore, after the breakthrough at Amiens, the Canadians were shifted back to Arras and given the task of cracking the Hindenburg Line - Germany's main line of defence.

Between August 26 and September 2, in hard continuous fighting, the Canadian Corps fought through strong German positions to the heavily

fortified line of the Canal du Nord. Assisted by fifteen tanks from the British Tanks Corps, they successfully crossed this formidable barrier. A breakthrough of the German defences had finally been achieved. Victory was not far off. Early in October Cambrai was captured in one of the bloodiest

battles of the war. Then, in an uninterrupted advance, the Canadians fought their way through Valenciennes, Mont Houy and reached historic Mons on the day the armistice was signed. The war was over.

The Canadian troops remained in Europe to share in the allied occupation. They crossed the Rhine into Germany at Bonn where Sir Arthur Currie was accorded the distinction of taking the salute in honour of Canadian achievements.

Finally, in 1919 the Canadian troops came home where they were greeted by grateful and enthusiastic crowds in cities and villages across the country.

The Aftermath

The armistice of November 11, 1918 brought relief to the whole world. The horrible struggle with its death, destruction and misery was at last halted. It had truly been a world war. Sixty-five million men from thirty nations bore arms in it; at least ten million men were killed; twenty-nine million more were wounded, captured or missing; and the financial cost was measured in hundreds of billions of dollars. Never before had there been such a conflict.

The "Great War" was also a landmark in Canadian national development. In 1914 Canada entered the war as a colony, a mere extension of Britain overseas; in 1918 she was forging visibly ahead to nationhood. Canada began the war with one division of citizen soldiers under the command of a British general, and ended with a superb fighting force under the command of one of her own sons.

For a nation of eight million people Canada's war effort was remarkable. A total of 619,636 men and women served in the Canadian forces in the First World War, and of these 66,655 gave their lives and another 172,950 were wounded. Nearly one of every ten Canadians who fought in the war did not return.

It was this Canadian war record that won for Canada a separate signature on the Peace Treaty signifying that national status had been achieved. Nationhood was purchased for Canada by the gallant men who stood fast at Ypres, stormed Regina Trench, climbed the heights of Vimy Ridge, captured Passchendaele, and entered Mons on November 11, 1918.

World War I (Trenches on the Web) - A very comprehensive World War One resource. Includes many photos, posters, and links. http://www.worldwar1.com/

The Great War Series - This series combines onto one page, all material in The War Times Journal which relates to World War One . http://www.wtj.com/pl/pages/greatwar.htm

Veterans Affairs Canada: An Historical Perspective: First World War- Canadian government page. Lots of text.

http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/historical/firstwar/firstwar.htm

World War I Document Archive - Excellent resource includes documents and personal reminiscences. Good Canadian links .

http://www.lib.byu.edu/~rdh/wwi/

World War I (1914-1918) - Canada Forces College Links page. Also in

French. http://www.cfcsc.dnd.ca/links/milhist/wwi.html

Canadian Great War Homepage - An overview of Canada's role in this terrible conflict. http://www.rootsweb.com/~ww1can/

Military history: World War I (1914-1918)http://www.cfcsc.dnd.ca/links/milhist/wwi.html

The Canadian Military Heritage Projecthttp://www.rootsweb.com/~canmil/links.htm

Canadian War Museum - Gallery Tourhttp://www.civilization.ca/cwm/tour/trww1eng.html

An Archival Look At WW Ihttp://stauffer.queensu.ca/webarch/Resources3.htm

The National Archives of Canadahttp://www.archives.ca/05/0518_e.html