WWI and WWII History

World War I

• The Triple Alliance consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy.
• The Triple Entente consisted of France, Britain, and Russia.
• Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian nationalist, assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, sparking WWI.
• The Battle of Vimy Ridge was a major WWI battle where Canadian troops fought against German forces.
• Nellie McClung was a Canadian suffragette who fought for women's right to vote.

World War I Canadian context

• The War Measures Act gave the Canadian government emergency powers during WWI.
• Enemy Aliens refers to immigrants from enemy countries who were interned in Canada during WWI.
• Arthur Currie was a Canadian general who played a key role in WWI battles.
• Conscription, through the Military Service Act, was introduced in Canada in 1917, leading to the War Times Elections Act.

Prohibition and social movements

• Prohibition was a period in Canada (1916-1920) when the sale of alcohol was banned.
• The Easter Riots occurred in 1918 in Quebec City, sparked by a provincial election and tensions over conscription.

World War II

• Operation Barbarossa was a German invasion of the Soviet Union during WWII.
• Pearl Harbour was a surprise attack by Japan on the US naval base in Hawaii, drawing the US into WWII.
• The Dieppe Raid was a failed Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France during WWII.
• D-Day marked the Allied invasion of Normandy, a turning point in WWII.

The Holocaust and Nazi regime

• Evian Conference: International meeting in 1938 to discuss refugee crisis.
• The Nuremberg Race Laws (1935) stripped Jews of their rights in Nazi Germany.
• Operation T-4 was a Nazi programme that killed people with disabilities.
• The Kristallnacht attacks were a watershed moment in the rise of the Nazi Party, sparked by the assassination of a German diplomat in Paris by a Jewish teenager. Nazi forces attacked Jewish communities across Germany and Austria, destroying synagogues, homes, and property.
• Operation Reinhard, also known as The Final Solution, was the Nazi plan to exterminate Jews.

Post-WWII and Cold War

• The Nuremberg Trials prosecuted top Nazi officials for war crimes.
• The Manhattan Project developed the atomic bomb during WWII.
• Hitler Youth was the youth organization of the Nazi Party.
• The Berlin Wall divided East and West Berlin during the Cold War.
• The Cuban Missile Crisis was triggered by the Soviet Union's secret deployment of nuclear-armed ballistic missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles from the United States. The US ultimately forced the Soviet Union to dismantle the missile sites in response to a US naval quarantine.

Canadian politics and social movements

• The Quiet Revolution was a period of rapid modernization in Quebec (1960s).
• The Official Languages Act (1969) made French and English official languages in Canada.
• Igor Gouzenko was a Soviet defector who revealed a Soviet spy ring in Canada.
• The Medical Care Insurance Act (1966) introduced universal healthcare in Canada.
• The October Crisis (1970) was a political crisis in Quebec sparked by kidnappings.
• Bill 101 (1974) made French the official language of Quebec.
• The Meech Lake Accord, a constitutional amendment proposal, was met with controversy, lacking the required consenting provinces' approval. The accord's rejection led to the Quebec sovereignty movement, culminating in the 1980 Quebec Referendum. This political turmoil exemplified the complexities of Canadian federalism and regional identity. The accord's demise also amplified demands for a renewed constitutional process, fueling the subsequent Charlottetown Accord (1992) and its own eventual failure.
• The Oka Crisis was a profound and contentious episode in Canadian history, arising from a long-standing land dispute between the Mohawk people of Kanesatake and the municipality of Oka, Quebec. This standoff, which began in July 1990, lasted for nearly three months, captivating the nation and the world's attention.

World War I

• The Triple Alliance consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy.
• The Triple Entente consisted of France, Britain, and Russia.
• Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian nationalist, assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, sparking WWI.
• The Battle of Vimy Ridge was a major WWI battle where Canadian troops fought against German forces.
• Nellie McClung was a Canadian suffragette who fought for women's right to vote.

World War I Canadian context

• The War Measures Act gave the Canadian government emergency powers during WWI.
• Enemy Aliens refers to immigrants from enemy countries who were interned in Canada during WWI.
• Arthur Currie was a Canadian general who played a key role in WWI battles.
• Conscription, through the Military Service Act, was introduced in Canada in 1917, leading to the War Times Elections Act.

Prohibition and social movements

• Prohibition was a period in Canada (1916-1920) when the sale of alcohol was banned.
• The Easter Riots occurred in 1918 in Quebec City, sparked by a provincial election and tensions over conscription.

World War II

• Operation Barbarossa was a German invasion of the Soviet Union during WWII.
• Pearl Harbour was a surprise attack by Japan on the US naval base in Hawaii, drawing the US into WWII.
• The Dieppe Raid was a failed Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France during WWII.
• D-Day marked the Allied invasion of Normandy, a turning point in WWII.

The Holocaust and Nazi regime

• The Evian Conference on Refugees (1938) was a failed international effort to help Jewish refugees.
• The Nuremberg Race Laws (1935) stripped Jews of their rights in Nazi Germany.
• Operation T-4 was a Nazi programme that killed people with disabilities.
• Kristallnacht was a wave of violent anti-Semitic attacks in Nazi Germany (1938).
• Operation Reinhard, also known as The Final Solution, was the Nazi plan to exterminate Jews.

Post-WWII and Cold War

• The Nuremberg Trials prosecuted top Nazi officials for war crimes.
• The Manhattan Project developed the atomic bomb during WWII.
• Hitler Youth was the youth organization of the Nazi Party.
• The Berlin Wall divided East and West Berlin during the Cold War.
• The Cuban Missile Crisis (1962) was a near-nuclear war between the US and Soviet Union.

Canadian politics and social movements

• The Quiet Revolution (1960s-70s) transformed Quebec through rapid modernization. Led by Jean Lesage's Liberal government, the revolution saw the overhaul of institutions, infrastructure, and social structures. Key changes included establishing a secular education system, nationalizing industries like Hydro-Québec and Canadian National Railway, and creating a social security system. The Quiet Revolution also laid the groundwork for Quebec's independence movement and initiatives promoting French language and culture.
• The Official Languages Act (1969) made French and English official languages in Canada.
• Igor Gouzenko's defection in 1945 shocked the world, as he revealed a significant Soviet spy ring operating in Canada, compromising sensitive government information and sparking widespread concerns about the extent of Soviet espionage.
• The Medical Care Insurance Act (1966) introduced universal healthcare in Canada.
• The October Crisis (1970) was a political crisis in Quebec sparked by kidnappings.
• Bill 101 (1974) made French the official language of Quebec.
• The Meech Lake Accord (1987) was a failed attempt to amend the Canadian Constitution.
• The Oka Crisis (1990) was a land dispute between Mohawk people and the town of Oka, Quebec.

Test your knowledge of significant events, people, and laws from World War I and II, including the Treaty of Versailles, the War Measures Act, and notable battles.