M.A.I.N. Causes of WW1

• M.A.I.N. represents the key causes and factors leading up to WW1

Militarism

• Involves an arms race where nations compete to develop superior military technology and armed forces
• Nations desired military strength for territorial conquest
• Germany and Great Britain competed build powerful navies
• Great Britain sought naval dominance and Germany aimed to challenge them

Alliances

• Alliances were pacts between countries formed for protection
• The Triple Entente consisted of France, Russia, and Great Britain
• The Triple Alliance included Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy
• Neutral countries included Switzerland, Spain, and the Netherlands

Imperialism

• Imperialism refers to a country's control over other lands to gain resources and power
• Larger empires had access to more resources and troops
• Great Britain possessed colonies in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, seeking further expansion

Nationalism

• Nationalism involves a love for one's country
• People desired freedom from foreign control

Cause of WW1

• The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand ignited WW1
• Ferdinand was the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne
• He was killed by Gavrilo Princip
• Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia and issued an Impossible Ultimatum
• Austria-Hungary demanded Serbia suppress anti-Austrian sentiment
• Serbia was to punish those involved in the assassination
• Agreement not reached as Austria-Hungary wanted their police to enter Serbia

Schlieffen Plan

• Germany aimed to avoid a two-front war
• Germany would quickly take over France via Belgium
• Germany would then focus on Russia

Assumptions vs. Reality

• Germany assumed Russia would take six weeks to mobilize, but they mobilized in 10 days
• Germany thought to defeat France in 6 weeks, the war lasted four years
• Germany assumed Belgium would not resist, but it significantly slowed the Germans
• Germany assumed Great Britain wouldn't participate, but Great Britain helped Belgium

"Scrap of Paper"

• A treaty between Belgium and Great Britain

San Hughs

• San Hughs had terrible ideas during the war
• The Ross Rifle was a faulty gun that jammed
• The Shovel Shield being a disaster and waste of money
• Munitions scandals involving contracts to friends and faulty supplies
• Valcartier camp was a good idea, as a training camp for Canadian soldiers

Military Terms

• Artillery refers to powerful guns firing shells over long distances
• A tank is an armored vehicle designed to cross no man's land
• Chlorine Gas is a poisonous gas that strips the lining of the lungs, causing victims to drown in fluids
• Dog Fights refers to pilots engaging in aerial combat
• Aces refers to pilots who shot down five or more enemy planes
• Over-the-Top refers to the British government encouraging men to enlist by downplaying the dangers
• Duckboards are planks of wood used to cross puddles
• Unrestricted Submarine Warfare: Germans hunted British ships to starve them of trades/supplies, any British ship in sight could be bombed

Lusitania

• The Lusitania was a passenger ship sunk by a German submarine
• 124 American lives were lost
• America warned Germany to stop or face war
• Germany ended the policy

Battles

• Second Battle of Ypres: Germans wanted to break through the allied lines and introduced chlorine gas
• Somme: The Allies aimed to break German defenses/relieve pressure on French through the introduction of tanks
• Vimy Ridge: Canadians captured a German post using the creeping barrage strategy
• Passchendaele: Intended to end the stalemate/capture land in Belgium with tanks and mustard gas
• Battle of Hill 70: Canadians were tasked to take back a French village and the creeping barrage technique with gas and flamethrowers was used

Canada's 100 Days

• Battle of Amiens (August 1918): Allies orchestrated a surprise attack; Canadians advanced 18km
• Battle of Mons (November 1918): Canada retreated German forces and liberated the city Mons in Belgium

Generals

• Douglas Haig: British commander known for the Battle of Somme, sending waves of soldiers to the front lines that caused 60,000 casualties on the first day
• Arthur Currie: Canadian General, the Battle of Vimy Ridge helped establish Canada's reputation and led troops to victories in Canada's 100 days
• Julius Byng: British General and Canadian Commander the Battle of Vimy Ridge and strengthen relationship between Canada and Great Britain

Paris Peace Conference

• 1919, a meeting with 32 countries that negotiated the terms of peace after WW1
• Canada sought independence and got their own seat as a united country, signing the Treaty of Versailles

The Big Three

• Woodrow Wilson (America) wanted peace, Germany to not be blamed
• Georges Clemenceau (France) wanted Germany to pay/weaken them
• David Llyod George (Britain) wanted to punish Germany, but still be strong enough to trade

War Guilt Clause

• Germany had to accept full responsibility for starting the war and compensate for damages ($5 billion)

Military terms

• Rhineland refers to the land between France and Germany where no German was allowed to step foot
• Reduced German army to 100,000 soliders
• No submarines/airforce
• Small navy (only 6 battleships)
• Sudetenland refers to industrialized land in Austria-Hungary, later becoming Czechoslovakia
• Polish Corridor provides Russian land given to Poland with access to the sea for trading

War Measures Act

• War Measures Act grants the Canadian government a lot of power
• This involved the ability to imprison individuals without providing a reason and without legal representation
• The ability to control prices and wages
• War censorship

Internment Camps

• Internment Camps were established due to government's fear of spies
• Ukrainians and Germans were among those forced to go
• They lost their homes and faced hard labor
• Japanese Canadians faced extreme discrimination

War Time Elections Act

• War Time Elections Act Was a law to help Borden win the election to pass conscription
• This act Gave women voting rights (only women with relatives in the war)
• This act Took away voting rights from Germans, Ukrainians, etc

Military Voters act

• This act was to Allow people in the military to vote to pass conscription

Military service act

• The Military service act refers to conscription
• Men from the age of 20-45 were required to register for military service
• Farmers and religious objectors were exempt/later cancelled

Post WW1

• Chanak Affair: Reinforced Canada's independence, Canada did not automatically support Britain and their military conflicts
• Halibut Treaty: Treaty signed between Canada and the United States and Canada's first independent international treaty
• King Byng Affair: The Prime Minister led Canada towards independence limiting power of the governor general
• Imperial Conference of 1926: Allowed Canada, and other British colonies to become self-governing countries and formed the Commonwealth of Nations
• Statute of Westminster: Allowed Canada to make decisions and pass laws without British approval pertaining to declaration of war, treaties, trades, relationships with other countries