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Canadian History 1201 Unit 2
Canada in the First World War
SCO 2.0 – The student will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of Canada’s
involvement in the First World War:
2.1 Entry into the War: support for Britain, military preparedness, recruitment, attitudes toward
war
2.2 War experiences: trench warfare, tactics and technology, experiences of various groups
2.3 Canadian contributions: battles and military operations, Aboriginals, women and specific
individuals, casualty rates
2.4 Home front: economic, political and social growth
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Outcome 2.1: Entry into the War: support for Britain, military preparedness, recruitment,
attitudes towards war
Introduction:
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Canada was a self-governing dominion within the British Empire (Britain controlled our
foreign affairs/defense, including our decision to go to war
Britain’s entry into the First World War against Germany legally brought Canada into the
war as well
In addition to Canada, other dominions of the British Empire immediately entered the
war to support Britain
Entry into the War:
So what caused Britain to declare war on Germany, which brought Canada into the war?
The causes of WWI will be our first focus. There were four main causes that lead to WWI:
1) Militarism
2) Alliances
3) Imperialism
4) Nationalism
Short term cause: Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
Part A: Militarism
___________________________: the belief that a country should maintain a strong military
capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests.
Leading up to the First World War, it was thought that the only way to guarantee
___________was to prepare for ________________.
The idea was that if a nation is militarily strong, then no enemy would dare to attack it. If war
does break out, the ___________________________ nation is able to defend itself.
Militarism led to an arms race before 1914 as many countries tried to build a larger & more
deadly war machine than its rivals. The size of armies & navies would determine who was more
powerful.
Prior to WWI, ______________ contained Europe’s strongest__________________
while________________ was the world’s strongest_____________________________.
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______________________________ constructed large armies because it was surrounded by
Russia & France, which had formed a common alliance in the early 1890s
The German army was accepted as being the biggest and the best in the world.
As an island nation, _____________________ had traditionally maintained a large navy to
protect trade routes & its overseas empire
Germany also wanted an empire & began increasing the size of its navy in order to achieve this
goal….this worried the British
By 1910, a naval arms race had appeared between the two. The impact was felt here in Canada
with the Naval Service Bill from unit 1.
In 1906, Britain launched the ____________________________, the first all-big-gun battleship,
which made all other warships obsolete,
Gaining numerical superiority with this weapon would provide a control with command of the
seas so both Britain and Germany launched major battleship programs prior to 1914
Part B: Alliances
Alliances are formed when countries ______________________________ against a
_________________________________________ (they guarantee military assistance if a
country is attacked by an enemy nation)
Between 1879 & 1907, the major European powers became caught up in a dangerous system of
alliances
While they did provide security, alliances were very dangerous for they raised the possibility
that a minor incident between two countries could lead to a general war between all alliance
members
In 1914 ,Europe had two main alliance systems:
The ______________________________________ (“The Central Powers”) consisting of
______________________, ________________________________, __________
The ____________________________ (“The Allies”) consisting of ____________________,
_____________, and ______________
Politicians at the time called this system of alliances the ’ ______________________________’
They believed that the size & power of the two alliances would prevent either side from
starting a war.
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Part C: Imperialism
_______________________________ is the policy of establishing colonies away from the
homeland & building an empire
It involved the domination by one country of the political, economic, or cultural life of another
country or region
Colonies were important assets to the major powers prior to 1914 because they provided raw
materials, markets for goods, & military strength.
Great Britain, France, Russia, Germany, the United States all wanted to colonial empires.
____________________________________: a region where one power claims exclusive
investment / trading privileges
Imperialism lead to frequent quarrels among the great powers of Europe in all parts of the
globe.
Arguments over colonies and trade constantly threatened peace.
Part D: Nationalism
Definition #1: a feeling of deep ___________________________ to one’s people & homeland
Definition #2: Desire of a ___________________________________________ to throw off
foreign rule and create their own nation
Strong force in Europe & other areas throughout the 18th & 19th centuries
Nationalism can be a ______________ force in helping unify a people (French Revolution,
Canadian Confederation, Olympic Games)
Nationalism can be a ______________________ force for it can threaten existing political
structures (ethnic groups in Austria-Hungary & the Ottoman Empires struggled for
independence throughout the 19th & early 20th centuries)
_____________________ nationalism was causing problems in the early 20th century. Some
people seemed willing to take any action to support their nation, regardless of the effect on
others including going to war or conducting terrorist activities to promote the interests of their
homelands/ethnic groups
Nationalistic ideals were particularly dangerous within the Austria-Hungarian Empire where
many ethnic groups living there wanted ___________________________ & ________________
____________________________.
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One such group, the Serbs, wished to gain more political power in the Balkans & to eventually
unite all Serbs into one nation - Yugoslavia
Serbia was supported by Russia…Russia was the traditional protector of the Serbs (Slavic
race)
Nationalism was very strong in _____________ & many Serbs throughout the Balkans / Eastern
Europe _____________________ living under Austrian control.
One area where this resentment was strongest was in _______________ – annexed by Austria
in 1908.
By 1914, the ______________________________ (Serbian-Bosnian terrorist group) had formed
with the goal of____________________ Bosnia from Austria &________________it with Serbia
Like most terrorist groups, the Bland Hand was willing to go to the extreme for their cause.
Immediate Cause of WWI:
This was the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand on June 28, 1914. Within a
month following this assassination, all of the major countries of Europe would be at war.
The events of this crisis also illustrates the dangers associated with the system of alliances.
Canada in 1914:
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A very young nation at the outbreak of war (only 47 years old) with approximately 8
million
‘A Nation of Immigrants’….as we discovered in Unit 1
Mainly agricultural country with increased urbanization & industry
Since Laurier’s 1911 defeat, there was an economic downturn with many young men
unemployed in 1914
Limited military experience (1885 NW Rebellion, 1899-1903 South African War) and
limited military forces (Approx. 3000 soldiers & little military equipment) with a lack of
trained officers over naval comprised only 2 ships with 350 men…(Britain assumed
responsibility for defended the sea approaches to Canada)
Canada was a self-governing dominion within the British Empire (Britain controlled our
foreign affairs / defense including our decision to go to war)
Britain’s entry into the First World War against Germany legally brought Canada
into the conflict as well
In addition to Canada, other dominions of the British Empire immediately entered the
war to support Britain.
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Canada’s Response to War
The announcement of war brought great __________________________________________
_______________ across our country as 1000s of young men rushed to the recruiting offices.
War was suppose to be over by Christmas, so young men joined before they lost their
opportunity to participate unaware of the horrors that awaited them
Unlike the professional armies of Europe, our army would be a _____________________
citizen-soldier army initially comprised of over 70% British born recruits
They eagerly volunteered hoping for a free trip to visit relatives or areas they lived in prior to
their arrival in Canada
The percentage of native-born Canadians would increase throughout the war until, by 1918,
more than half of the Canadian Expeditionary Force would be Canadian-born.
Motivation to Fight
Some things that motivated so many Canadians to fight in WWI:
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Germany's brutal invasion of Belgium had ____________________ many Canadians.
War was also viewed as a ___________________________________________ involving
honour and glory
Many viewed war as a ____________________________________________ from the
monotony of work and civilian routine.
Men sought to escape the economic recession that plagued Canada, but many gave up
good jobs in order to serve.
Recruitment Restrictions
Despite the rush to sign up in 1914, not all potential recruits were welcomed.
Potential soldiers were subjected to __________________________________.
o at least five feet, three inches tall,
o between 18 and 45 years old,
o Good eyesight, arched feet, and healthy teeth were essential.
Because of the initial surge of recruits, many eager volunteers were turned down
Early in the war, recruiters also rejected most visible minorities, black, & Asia Canadian
volunteers for military service.
While racist feelings ran deep, and the war effort overseas would be carried out largely by
white Canadians, many units did embrace First Peoples for their skills, real or imagined, as
snipers and scouts.
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Government Reaction/Response
Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden and his Cabinet quickly agreed to meet Britain's request for a
Canadian contingent of 25,000 troops.
The government also passed the _____________________________________________
(WMA), giving it the authority to do whatever it thought necessary for the "security, defense,
peace, order and welfare of Canada."
Here are some examples of the WMA:
_________________________ could be told what to produce (ammunition instead of
farm tools).
Immigrants who had come from what were now enemy countries, like Germany, had
their movements controlled
Allowed the government to put anyone in _____________________________________
Strict ____________________________ was introduced
Sam Hughes
Canadian _____________________________________ in 1914 responsible for raising
Canada’s new army in 1914
 He was nationalistic / patriotic and very controversial
 He scrapped the training grounds at Petawawa, Ontario & moved it to
___________________, Quebec
 He _____________________________ French Canada by placing a Baptist minister in
charge of recruiting in Quebec, providing all military instructions in English rather than
in French, and placing all French recruits into English speaking regiments
 He promoted inferior Canadian made equipment produced by political cronies who
were more interested in profit than quality. Examples include:
Boots turned to mush in heavy rains
MacAdam Spade (Army bought 25, 000 @ $1.25 each. All were sold for
scrap)
________________________ (Canadian replacement for the British Lee
Enfeld, it was a great target weapon used by snipers but it jammed easily
when fired rapidly)
Recruitment in 1914
In the days before the information age & mass media, recruitment posters were prominent in
stimulating military enlistment
These posters would be found in newspapers & posted at various locations within cities
They highlighted symbols of patriotism & nationalism
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Due to the recruiting campaign, approx. 32,000 men had signed up & were assembled at
Valcartier Camp near Quebec City for organization & military training
By October, 1914 the First Contingent, Canadian Expeditionary Force was going to Europe, not
to fight, but to train for a few months on England’s ___________________________________.
Newfoundland’s Response to War
With Britain at war, so too was her vast empire including us here in Newfoundland
Much like in Canada, the response here was immediate.
In reality, our colony was unprepared for war, lacking both military material & supplies for the
new recruits.
In response, the _______________________________________________________________
was formed to deal with organizing the war effort & raising troops for overseas fighting
The government at the time promised the British a initial force of 500 men…these would
become known to history as the ‘________________________________________________’
The volunteers were immediately assembly at Pleasantville (St. John’s / Quidi Vidi Lake) for
Training.
Because our colony was unprepared for war, lacking both military materiel & supplies for the
new recruits, donations of all types were accepted (tents, uniforms, weapons)
Due to a shortage of khaki material traditionally used by soldiers as leg wrappings (puttees), our
soldiers were forced to use a navy blue material.
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This is origin of the ‘_________________________________________ referencing the 1st
five hundred to head overseas in the Great War
These “First 500” left St. John’s in October 1914 and like many other recruits from the
Empire, they headed to Britain & Scotland for training before entering front-line service
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2.1 Section Review
1. Describe the two alliance systems that existed in Europe by 1914.
2. Analyze the cartoon to explain how alliances make the likelihood of a large-scale war
more probable?
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
What is militarism and why was it a factor leading to the outbreak of WWI?
Define nationalism and explain how it contributed to the outbreak of WWI.
Who was Franz Ferdinand and how did his assassination trigger WWI?
Explain how Canada became involved in WWI.
How did each of the following Canadian elements react to the outbreak of war in 1914?
a. General Population
b. Federal Government
8. Who was Sam Hughes and what role did he play in the formation of the Canadian
Expeditionary Force that sailed to Europe in October 1914?
9. How did Sam Hughes infuriate French Canada?
10. Explain Newfoundland’s entry into WWI.
11. What was the purpose of the Newfoundland Patriotic Association?
12. Explain how soldiers from Newfoundland acquired the name “The Blue Puttees.”
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