The First World War (1914-1918) Quiz

The First World War (1914-1918)

• The war involved many powerful European empires competing for resources, markets, and colonies.
• Empires formed alliances and spent heavily on their armies.
• A world map in 1914 shows the major empires and their colonial territories.
• The Triple Entente alliance comprised France, Britain, and Russia. Canada was also part of this alliance due to its colonial ties with Britain.
• The Central Powers alliance consisted of the Ottoman, German, and Austro-Hungarian empires.
• The United States joined the war in 1917, tipping the balance towards the Triple Entente.
• The Central Powers surrendered in November 1918.
• The Triple Entente won the war.

What Caused the First World War?

• Powerful European empires competed for resources, colonies, and markets.
• Empires formed alliances and built large armies.

Main Alliances and Outcomes

• Triple Entente: France, Britain, Russia and Canada.
• Central Powers: Ottoman, German, and Austro-Hungarian empires.
• The United States joined the war in 1917.
• The Central Powers surrendered in 1918.
• The Triple Entente won the war.

Canadian Soldiers in the War

• Canadian soldiers fought on the European front.
• Over 600,000 Canadians joined the expeditionary forces.
• Approximately 417,000 soldiers went to fight in Europe.
• Over 60,000 Canadian soldiers died.
• About 150,000 soldiers returned with injuries.

Important Battle

• Vimy Ridge (1917): Canadian troops won a significant battle in Northern France.

War Measures Act

• The War Measures Act was a special law passed by the Canadian Prime Minister.
• It allowed for Censorship of news to control information during the war.
• It included Price and Wage controls to set prices for goods and wages for workers.
• The act also allowed for Forced Production to order companies to use their resources.
• The impact on Immigration, including reduced immigration and xenophobia.

Economic Changes during the War

• Total war means reorienting economies to support the war effort.
• Factories made war materials, ammunition, and supplies.
• Canadians faced rationed consumption to support the war effort.
• Canada used War Bonds and new taxes to finance the war.

Conscription Crisis

• Conscription forced young men to become soldiers.
• English Canadians generally supported conscription.
• French Canadians opposed conscription (due to a lack of connection to British values) and protested against the Military Service Act.

Canada's Prime Minister during WWI

• Robert Borden was the Canadian Prime Minister during WWI.

Life as a Soldier

• Soldiers lived in trenches, facing difficult conditions (water, rats, dead bodies).
• Many soldiers were injured during the war.

After the War

• Demobilization was the process of bringing society back to normal after the war.
• Soldiers faced reintegration into civilian life.
• Many women lost factory jobs as men returned home.
• Mental health issues during this time were not well understood, impacting veterans' reintegration.

Canada's Autonomy

• Canada gained more autonomy after WWI and was recognized as a country, rather than a British colony, in the League of Nations.
• The Statute of Westminster in 1931 gave Canada greater autonomy.

Women During WWI

• War created job opportunities.
• Women filled in jobs previously held by men.
• Pressure for more gender equality grew during the war.
• Women gained voting rights in the federal elections of 1918 in Canada.

Test your knowledge on the causes, alliances, and outcomes of World War I. Explore the major players involved and the impact of their alliances during the war. This quiz covers key historical facts from 1914 to 1918.