World War 1 Causes - Unit 1

Unit 1: World War 1 (1914-1918) - Causes

• Militarism: European nations engaged in an arms race, expanding their militaries. Examples include the Dreadnought battleships competition between Britain and Germany.
• Alliances: Key alliances included the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy) and the Triple Entente (France, Russia, Britain). These alliances created a complex system where an attack on one member often triggered a larger war.
• Imperialism: Competition for colonies, especially in Africa and Asia, created tensions between European powers.
• Nationalism: Ethnic groups within multinational empires, like the Austro-Hungarian Empire, desired independence from their rulers. Serbian nationalism contributed to tensions in the Balkans.
• Triggering Event: The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary by Gavrilo Princip (a Serbian nationalist) on June 28, 1914, sparked a chain reaction of declarations of war due to existing alliances.

Unit 1: World War 1 (1914-1918) - Canada's Role

• August 4, 1914: Britain declared war on Germany, automatically involving Canada as part of the British Empire.
• Canadian Involvement: Over 600,000 Canadians enlisted in the military.
• Economic Shift: Canada's economy transitioned to war production, focusing on munitions, uniforms, and supplies.

Major WW1 Battles Involving Canada

• Second Battle of Ypres (April 22-May 25, 1915): First large-scale use of chlorine gas by Germany. Canadian soldiers held the line.
• Battle of the Somme (July 1-November 18, 1916): Canadians captured Courcelette in September 1916, aiming to break German defenses, despite high casualties .
• Vimy Ridge (April 9-12, 1917): Canadians, led by General Arthur Currie, captured Vimy Ridge after meticulous planning and training.
• Passchendaele (October 26-November 10, 1917): Canadians captured Passchendaele.
• Casualties: High casualties suffered in all these battles, including both military personnel (Canadians in particular), and civilians.

Life in the Trenches

• Conditions: Soldiers lived in trenches with harsh conditions, including constant exposure to mud, disease, rats, lice, and shell shock (PTSD).
• "No Man's Land": The area between enemy trenches was heavily dangerous for any troops trying to advance either side.

Women in WW1

• Munitionettes: Women worked in factories producing weapons and ammunition.
• Wartime roles fueled the suffrage movement: Wartime roles of women fostered a drive for their suffrage rights, granting women the vote in several Canadian provinces and territories.

Unit 2: Interwar Years and the Great Depression (1919-1939)

• The Roaring Twenties: Post-World War I recovery, economic growth, and prosperity were marked by new technologies and cultural changes.
• Slangs: Popular phrases like "bee's knees," reflected the upbeat culture of the era.
• Dionne Quintuplets: The first quintuplets to survive infancy, born in Ontario, became a symbol of the Depression.
• The Great Stork Derby: A bet made in Toronto to see who could have the most children within a decade.
• Prohibition (Canada): Ban on alcohol made to improve social health. However, it created unintended consequences with the rise of illegal alcohol and liquor smuggling.
• Automobile (Canada): Henry Ford's assembly line made cars affordable. This helped to develop road infrastructure and fostered advancements in suburbanization and freedom.

Unit 3: World War II and Its Aftermath (1939-1945)

• Roads to War (1933-1939): Rise of Adolf Hitler in Germany to power, defiance of Treaty of Versailles, and German aggression (expansionist goals) led to war.
• Steps to War: Germany's militarization, annexation of Austria, and the occupation of Czechoslovakia.
• Invasion of Poland (Sept 1, 1939): Germany's Blitzkrieg tactics lead to war, prompting Britain and France to declare war on Germany, and subsequently, leading Canada to declare war on September 10, 1939.
• Major Canadian Battles: The Battle of the Atlantic, and other campaigns.

Unit 3: World War II and Its Aftermath - Continued (1939-1945)

• Dieppe Raid (Aug 19, 1942): Failed Allied attack on German-held Dieppe, testing German defenses, and learning lessons for future plans in France.
• Italian Campaign (1943-1945): Canadian involvement in Italian combat.
• D-Day and Normandy (June 6, 1944): Largest Allied invasion of German-occupied France, with Canadian role at Juno Beach.
• Liberation of the Netherlands (1944-1945): Significant Canadian role in freeing Dutch cities.
• Operation Manna: Canadian efforts in helping starving Dutch citizens post-liberation by delivering food.
• Japanese Internment: Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Canada forcibly removed over 22,000 Japanese Canadians to internment camps.

Unit 4: Post-WW2 and Modern Era (1945-Present)

• The Cold War (1945-1991): Period of tension between the Western Bloc (led by the US) and the Eastern Bloc (led by the USSR) without direct warfare but instead conflict by espionage, proxy wars, and arms races.
• Igor Gouzenko Affair (1945): Soviet spy exposes Soviet ring in Canada.
• The Korean War (1950-1953): Canada supports the UN forces to defend South Korea.
• Avro Arrow: Supersonic jet program, cancelled by Prime Minister Diefenbaker, leading to job losses.
• Great Flag Debate (1964-1965): Debate and adoption of Canada's current flag.
• French-English relations and the Quiet Revolution (1960s): Quebec's modern independence movement and autonomy drive.
• October Crisis (1970): Kidnapping of British diplomat and Quebec cabinet minister by the FLQ, leading to the suspension of civil liberties temporarily by Trudeau, under the War Measures Act.
• Quebec Sovereignty Referendum (1995): Quebec votes to separate from Canada, but falls short by a small margin..
• Human Rights Advancements: Tommy Douglas, and the establishment of Medicare in various provinces.

Canada and Notable Events (1950's-2000's)

• 9/11: Canada responds and assists the US in the aftermath of the attacks.
• Nichola Goddard: First female soldier to die in combat during the Afghanistan War.
• Residential Schools: Closure of the last residential school and a period of reckoning for the legacy of these schools.
• Anti-Semitism and Holocaust: Canada struggles with Nazi persecution of Jews, and the response is complex showing flaws in the process.
• Camp X: A top-secret spy training school in Ontario during WWII.