WWI and the 1920s in Canada

• This review sheet covers topics related to WWI and the 1920s in Canada.
• Includes key terms, people, events, and related historical thinking concepts.

Historical Thinking Concepts

• Cause and Consequence: Understanding the reasons behind events and their effects.
• Historical Significance: Determining the importance of events, people, or developments in the past.
• Historical Perspective: Understanding the social, cultural, intellectual, and emotional settings that shaped people's lives and actions in the past.
• Change and Continuity: Recognizing what has changed over time and what has remained the same.

World War I Terms and Topics

• Militarism: The belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests.
• Alliances: Agreements between countries to support each other in case of war.
• Imperialism: A policy of extending a country's power and influence through colonization, use of military force, or other means.
• Nationalism: A strong feeling of pride in and devotion to one's country.
• Triple Entente: An alliance between France, Britain, and Russia before and during WWI.
• Triple Alliance: An alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy before and during WWI.
• Austria-Hungary: A large empire in Central Europe that played a key role in starting WWI.
• Serbia: A country in the Balkans where the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand took place.
• Gavrilo Princip: The assassin of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
• Franz Ferdinand: The Archduke of Austria-Hungary whose assassination sparked WWI.
• Machine Gun: A fully automatic weapon that was heavily used in WWI.
• Tank: An armored fighting vehicle that was first used in WWI.
• Chlorine/Mustard Gas: Poisonous gases used in WWI.
• Artillery: Large-caliber guns used in warfare.
• Trench: A long, narrow ditch used as a shelter in warfare.
• Ross Rifle: The primary rifle used by Canadian soldiers in the early years of WWI, known for its jamming issues in the muddy conditions of the trenches.
• Sam Hughes: Canada's Minister of Militia and Defence at the beginning of WWI.
• Conscription: Compulsory military service.
• Wartime Elections Act: A Canadian law that allowed women related to servicemen to vote and disenfranchised immigrants from enemy countries.
• Military Voters Act: A Canadian law that allowed soldiers serving overseas to vote.
• Union Party: A coalition government formed in Canada during WWI to support conscription.
• Women at War: Women took on many roles during WWI, working in factories, farms, and as nurses.
• Battle of the Somme: A major WWI battle in which many Canadian soldiers were killed or wounded.
• 2nd Battle of Ypres: An early WWI battle where Canadian troops faced chlorine gas attacks.
• Vimy Ridge: A significant Canadian victory in WWI.
• Passchendaele: A WWI battle known for its muddy conditions and high casualties.
• Profiteering: Making excessive profits from the sale of goods during wartime.
• Arthur Currie: A Canadian general who became the commander of the Canadian Corps during WWI.
• Rationing: Limiting the amount of food and other goods that people can buy during wartime.
• Victory Bonds: Bonds sold by the Canadian government to raise money for the war effort.
• Enemy Aliens: Immigrants from enemy countries who were often discriminated against during WWI.
• Schlieffen Plan: Germany's plan to invade France through Belgium at the start of WWI.
• Farmers: Canadian farmers played a crucial role in supplying food for the war effort.
• 1917 General Election: A Canadian election that was fought over the issue of conscription.
• Sir Robert Borden: The Prime Minister of Canada during WWI.
• Halifax Explosion: A devastating explosion in Halifax Harbour in 1917.
• Francis Pegahmagabow: An Indigenous Canadian soldier who was one of the most highly decorated soldiers in Canadian military history.
• Unrestricted Submarine Warfare: A German naval strategy of sinking any ship without warning.
• Propaganda: Information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc.
• No.2 Construction Battalion: A segregated construction unit of Black Canadian soldiers during WWI.
• Russian Revolution: A series of revolutions in Russia that led to the overthrow of the Tsarist regime.
• Turnip Winter: A period of food shortages in Germany during WWI.
• Spring Offensive: A series of German attacks on the Western Front in the spring of 1918.
• Canada's Hundred Days: The final period of WWI, during which Canadian forces played a key role in breaking through German lines.
• Armistice: An agreement to stop fighting, which ended WWI on November 11, 1918.

The 1920s Terms and Topics

• Demobilization: The process of bringing soldiers home and converting the economy from wartime to peacetime production.
• Pensions: Payments made to veterans or their families.
• Reintegration of Soldiers: The process of helping veterans adjust to civilian life.
• Spanish Flu: A deadly influenza pandemic that killed millions of people worldwide, including many in Canada.
• Postwar Economy: The Canadian economy experienced both booms and busts in the 1920s.
• Winnipeg General Strike: A major labor dispute in Winnipeg in 1919.
• Bloody Saturday: A day during the Winnipeg General Strike when police and strikers clashed violently.
• Special Police: Police forces formed to deal with the Winnipeg General Strike.
• Northwest Mounted Police: A police force that was involved in suppressing the Winnipeg General Strike.
• Strike Committee: A group of leaders who organized and directed the Winnipeg General Strike.
• Citizen’s Committee of 1000: A group of business and professional leaders who opposed the Winnipeg General Strike.
• “Living Wage”: A wage that is high enough to maintain a normal standard of living.
• Unions: Organizations of workers that advocate for better wages and working conditions.
• Prohibition: A ban on the manufacture and sale of alcohol.
• Moonshine: Illegally made alcohol.
• Volstead Act: The US law that enforced Prohibition.
• Prescriptions: Doctors could prescribe alcohol for medicinal purposes during Prohibition.
• Smuggling: Illegally importing goods, such as alcohol, into a country.
• The Persons Case: A legal case that established that women were "persons" under Canadian law.
• Emily Murphy: A Canadian women's rights activist, judge, and author.
• Senator: A member of the Canadian Senate, which is appointed by the Prime Minister.
• The Privy Council: The highest court of appeal in Canada until 1949.
• Sexual Sterilization Act: Laws passed in some Canadian provinces that allowed for the forced sterilization of people deemed "unfit."
• Chinese Exclusion Act: A Canadian law that prohibited Chinese immigration.
• Indian Act: A Canadian law that governs the relationship between the government and First Nations people.
• Agnes Macphail: First female Member of Parliament in Canada, representing the United Farmers Party in 1921.
  • Faced heckling, press dismissals focusing on attire, and family discomfort.
  • Worked on women's political rights, farmer's rights, and prison reform.
• The Privy Council in England overturned the Supreme Court of Canada's decision, stating the constitution is a "living tree" that grows with time.
• Emily Murphy: First female judge in the British Empire, serving as a police magistrate in Alberta.
• Women could not be senators even after gaining the right to vote, due to interpretations of the British North America Act by Prime Minister WLM King.
• "Famous Five" challenged the British North America Act's definition to include women as persons.
• Emily Murphy's statue is controversial due to her contributions to women's rights alongside her support for eugenics and racist views toward Black and Chinese people.