Women's Suffrage Exam Prep PDF

- Women's Suffrage The idea of women's suffrage (getting to vote) had been a political debate for decades leading up to WWI. As early as 1912 women in Manitoba were wondering why they could not vote. Leaders like Nellie McClung got her political start during this time period. On January 28th 1916 Ma...

- Women's Suffrage The idea of women's suffrage (getting to vote) had been a political debate for decades leading up to WWI. As early as 1912 women in Manitoba were wondering why they could not vote. Leaders like Nellie McClung got her political start during this time period. On January 28th 1916 Manitoba was the first province to allow female voters in provincial elections. The women's suffrage movement was a decades-long campaign to secure women's right to vote in political elections. The movement involved many tactics, including: ​ Writing and lecturing: Suffragists wrote and lectured to raise awareness of women's voting rights. ​ ​ Marching and lobbying: Suffragists marched and lobbied politicians to gain their support. ​ ​ Civil disobedience: Some suffragists used more confrontational tactics like picketing, hunger strikes, and silent vigils. ​ Here are some highlights of the women's suffrage movement in different countries: ​ United States​ The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified on August 18, 1920, granting women the right to vote. However, the 19th Amendment did not guarantee full voting rights for all women. ​ Canada​ The women's suffrage movement in Canada was especially strong in Manitoba, where women formed the first women's rights organizations in the 1890s. Nellie McClung was born on October 20, 1873 in Chatsworth, Ontario. She was one of the Famous Five. Irene Parlby, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Emily Murphy and Louise McKinney. The Military Act of 1917 gave the vote to white British women who were war widows or had sons or husbands serving overseas. Robert Borden promised equal suffrage for women. After he won the election, he introduced a bill in 1918 for extending the vote to women. Quebec excluded themselves until 1940. In 1867 the British North America Act was signed. This gave full rights and freedoms to all persons. The British government declared that “Women are persons in matters of pain and penalties, but are not persons in matters of rights and privileges”. In 1916, social activist Emily Murphy from Alberta, was appointed as the first woman police magistrate in Alberta. In 1917, the Alberta supreme court ruled that women were included as persons. Only applied to Alberta. In 1917, Emily Murphy allowed for her name to be put forward as a candidate for the senate, at the federal level of government. Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden turned her down, because she was not considered a person under the BNA act. In 1927, Emily Murphy appealed to the supreme court of Canada to clarify the definition of “persons” in Canada. She and five other women’s rights activists, (the Famous Five: Irene Parlby, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Emily Murphy and Louise McKinney, signed a petition to the senate of Canada. On October 18, 1929, the British Privy Council realized that, “yes, women are persons… and eligible to be summoned and may become members of the senate of Canada”. The privy council ended with the statement: “the exclusion of women from all public offices is a relic of days more barbarous than ours. And to those who would ask why the word “persons” should include females, the obvious answer is, why should it not?” - Women going to work during the World Wars Women played a significant role in the war effort during both World War I and World War II, working in factories, offices, schools, hospitals, and more: ​ World War I​ Women worked in munitions factories, often in conditions that were noisy and dangerous. One strike led to the first minimum wage for women in history. ​ World War II​ Millions of women entered the workforce for the first time, working in factories to build ships, tanks, and bombs. Women also worked in offices, schools, and hospitals. In Canada, women made up 30% of the workforce in the aircraft industry. ​ Home front​ Women also worked on farms, tending to the land and raising animals. They volunteered with the Red Cross or in military canteens, and organized salvage drives.  ​ Military​ Women organized for home defense, training in rifle shooting and military drills.Women were also admitted to the military as nurses - The Battle of the Somme Battle of Somme - big slaughter from German machine guns The battle of Somme started with an 8 day bombardment against Germany lines. The goal was to break through barbed wire and destroy the German front line. The bombardment failed to do any kind of damage. The Germans just waited underground until the bombardment stopped. The stop allowed the Germans to prepare for an attack. General Haig ordered the troops to run at the German line. The Germans were ready, waiting with their German Maxim Machine Gun. Germans fired their machine guns from the safety of their bunkers at the advancing allies. Many troops were killed or wounded the moment they stepped out of the front lines into No Man’s Land. First day- 58,000 British troops died. General Earl Haig was a top British military leader during world war I and led the battle of the Somme. Haig’s previous battle experience in the mobile, colonial wars of the Sudan and South Africa did not prepare him well for the static nature of war on the western front. In addition Haig was a cavalryman, and he always optimistically anticipated breakthroughs (the decisive offensive), followed by cavalry exploitation. Haig has also been criticized for ignorance of conditions at the front. Tanks were used for the first time in the battle of Somme. Which totalled 50, reached the Somme in September. While they achieved a large measure of surprise when sprung upon the German opposition, these early tanks proved clumsy and were highly unreliable. More than - Vimy Ridge Battle of Vimy Ridge/creeping barrage - sense of international pride German forces seized control of the ridge in September 1914 and promptly constructed deep defensive positions comprising bunkers, caves, passages and artillery-proof trenches, heavily protected by concrete machine gun emplacements. French attempts to grab control of the ridge throughout 1915 were repelled with the loss of some 150,000 french casualties. Major-General Arthur Currie said “take time to train them”. Maps were given out to guide units. Troops were fully informed about their routes and goals. A bunch of tunnels and subways were tunneled underground before the battle. The Canadains used the “creeping barrage” perfectly. Behind the creeping barrage, 20,000 soldiers of the first attacking wave of the four Canadian divisions. Within thirty minutes the Canadian 1st division had succeeded in capturing the German front line positions in spite of a snowstorm. Within the next half hour, the second line had similarly passed into Canadian hands. - The Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn that lasted from 1929 to 1939: ​ Causes​ The Great Depression was caused by a number of factors, including the stock market crash of 1929, the Dust Bowl, and the rapid expansion of the U.S. stock market. ​ Effects​ The Great Depression had a number of effects, including: ​ High unemployment and poverty ​ Reduced industrial production, liquidity, and trade ​ Widespread bank and business failures ​ A decline in marriage rates ​ ​ A transformation of the country as a result of job and savings losses ​ ​ Impact in Canada​ Canada was severely affected by the Great Depression, with millions of Canadians becoming unemployed, hungry, and homeless. The decade became known as the Dirty Thirties due to a drought in the Prairies. ​ Response​ The Great Depression led to the rise of populist political movements and the birth of social welfare. The government also took a more activist role in the economy. - The liberation of Nazi concentration camps The first major Nazi camp to be liberated was Majdanek, located in Lublin, Poland. It was liberated in the summer of 1944 as Soviet forces advanced westward. The previous spring, the SS had evacuated most of the Majdanek prisoners and camp personnel. The evacuated prisoners were sent to concentration camps further west, such as Gross-Rosen, Auschwitz, and Mauthausen. As the Soviet troops approached Majdanek at the end of July, the remaining camp personnel hastily abandoned the Majdanek concentration camp without fully dismantling it. Soviet troops first arrived at Majdanek during the night of July 22–23 and captured Lublin on July 24. Majdanek was captured virtually intact. At Majdanek, the Soviet troops encountered a number of prisoners who had not been evacuated in the spring, mostly Soviet prisoners of war. They also encountered substantial evidence of the mass murder committed at Majdanek by Nazi Germans. Soviet officials invited journalists to inspect the camp and evidence of the horrors that had occurred there. Six months later, on January 27, 1945, Soviet troops liberated Auschwitz. Auschwitz was the largest Nazi killing center and concentration camp complex. In the weeks preceding the arrival of Soviet units, Auschwitz camp personnel had forced the majority of Auschwitz prisoners to march westward in what would become known as "death marches." When they entered the camp, Soviet soldiers found over six thousand emaciated prisoners alive. These prisoners greeted the soldiers as their liberators. As at Majdanek, there was abundant evidence of mass murder in Auschwitz. The retreating Germans had destroyed most of the warehouses in the camp. But in those warehouses that remained, Soviet soldiers found personal belongings of the victims. Among these personal items were hundreds of thousands of men's suits, more than 800,000 women’s garments, and more than 14,000 pounds of human hair. In the following months, Soviet units liberated additional camps in the Baltic states and Poland. Shortly before Germany's surrender in May 1945, Soviet forces liberated the Stutthof, Sachsenhausen, and Ravensbrück concentration camps. - D-Day The battle of Normandy, 1944 known as D-day. Nearly 150,000 Allied troops landed or parachuted into the invasion area on D-Day, inducing 14,000 Canadians at Juno Beach. The Royal Canadian Navy contributed 110 ships and 10,000 sailors and the RCAF contributed 15 fighters and fighter-bomber squadrons to the assault. Total Allied casualties on D-Day reached more than 10,000, including 1,074 Canadians, of whom 359 were killed. At the end of the battle of Normandy the Allies had suffered 209,000 casualties, including more than 18,700 Canadians. Over 5,000 Canadians died. The term D-Day was used to refer to the day on which an attack would begin as the specific date on when the attack would begin was not always known in advance. The Germans thought the attack was going to take place at Pas De Calais, the french coastline west of the Belgian border, which offered the shortest distance across the channel, and the quickest route to Germany. The Canadians would assault a beach named Juno. A 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion would also land behind German lines, along with three divisions of British and US paratroopers, on the flanks of the main invasion force. Largest seaborne invasion ever attempted in history. The Falaise Gap through which Germans were retreating was closed on August 20th, with the linking up of American, Canadian and Polish forces. The Normandy campaign finally ended on August 21th 1944, with Candians playing an important role in closing the Falaise Gap and assisting in the capture of approximately 150,000 German soldiers. - The aftermath of World War II The aftermath of World War II had many consequences, including: ​ The rise of superpowers: The United States and the Soviet Union became the world's two superpowers. ​ The Cold War: The United States and the Soviet Union competed for influence in developing countries, leading to the Cold War. The war was fought through proxy wars, such as in Korea and Vietnam. The Soviet Union built the Berlin Wall in 1961, which divided the East and West. The Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. ​ ​ The creation of the United Nations: The United Nations was established in 1945 to prevent future world wars and to promote cooperation between nations. The United States is a permanent member of the UN Security Council and one of its largest financial contributors. ​ ​ The redrawing of borders: Borders were redrawn after the war. ​ ​ The displacement of people: Millions of Germans and Japanese were forcibly expelled from their homes. ​ ​ The creation of new countries: The creation of North and South Korea, and the Korean War in 1950, were the result of divergent plans for the Korean Peninsula. ​ ​ Scientific and technological advances: The war led to new commercial products, advances in medicine, and new scientific fields. ​  ​ War crimes trials: War crimes trials took place in Europe and Asia, resulting in many executions and prison sentences. ​ ​ The dismantling of war-making abilities: Factories were destroyed and former leadership was removed or prosecuted. - The Suez Crisis The US and Soviets would support and fund opposing groups in a conflict and if their side won, the USSR or US would reap much of the rewards. In 1869 the Suez canal opened. It was built in Egypt by the French. The canal allowed goods to sail to and from Asia and Europe without having to go around Africa. The USSR began to sell weapons to Egyptians (because the Amercians wouldn't) which really upgraded the Egypt army. In 1956 the Egyptian president took control of the Suez canal from French and British owners. Egypts neighbors (and enemy) Israel were happy to help France and Britain when they asked for military support. On October 29, 1956 British, French and Israel (B.F.I.) retook the suez canal. Nikita Khrushcheu threatened to hit the west with nuclear weapons if they didnt stop. Lester B. Pearson came up with an idea that ended this crisis. The idea was to replace the French and British troops with UN troops. The UN General Assembly supported the idea and 11 days later the First UN peacekeeping force replaced the B.F.I troops. - Cuban Missile Crisis October 22, 1962 The U.S. discovered that the Soviets were building nuclear launching sites in communist Cuba. Only 300 miles from the American shore. This could easily hit America and Canada.The American navy went to blockade the island country of Cuba to prevent any nuclear weapons shipped from the USSR from reaching the launching sites. America asked Canada to raise their alert level to “Defcon 3”, the highest level of military readiness, but at first Canada did not. But later in the week the soviet ships began to move to cuba so the Prime Minister authorized Defcon 3 alert. On October 27 Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev agreed to turn his ships around and dismantle and remove USSR missiles in Cuba. - The October Crisis In 1970 the Liberals won the election and many people were upset. The Front de Liberation du Quebec (FLQ) set off an estimated 200 bombs in Quebec since 1964 and in 1970 after the election their violence escalated. October 5, 1970 four FLQ members disguised as delivery men and kidnapped British trade commissioner James Richard Cross. They threatened to kill Coss unless 23 FLQ ‘political prisoners’ are released and their FLQ manifesto be read on national television. Five days later they strike again. The FLQ now kidnapped Pierre Laporte, the Quebec minister of labour and senior cabinet minister. On October 16 the War Measures Act which suspended basic civil rights and liberties. This allowed police to search and arrest citizens without warrants and prolonged detentions without chargers and without the right to see a lawyer. October 17,1970 a tip led police to an abandoned car where the body of Pierre Laporte was found. - The Fall of the Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall fell on November 9, 1989, when the East German government announced that it would open its borders to West Germany.The fall of the Berlin Wall was a result of several factors, including: ​ Political changes in Eastern Europe: The Eastern bloc was under pressure due to protests in Poland and the Soviet Union's involvement in the war in Afghanistan. ​ ​ Civil unrest in Germany: East German citizens were not in agreement with the Communist leaders' insistence on a moderate change. ​ ​ Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev: Gorbachev promoted policies of openness and reform. The fall of the Berlin Wall had a number of consequences, including: ​ German reunification: Germany reunited on October 3, 1990. ​ End of the Cold War: The Malta Summit in early December declared an end to the Cold War. ​ ​ Shift in Soviet attitude: The Soviet Union recognized that West Berlin would remain capitalist. The fall of the Berlin Wall was a huge propaganda victory for the West. It suggested that communism needed to build a wall to keep people under their control. - The War on Terror The four attacks happened in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. The Radical Islamic Terrorist al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attacks. Their leader was Osama Bin Laden. The attacks killed almost 3,000 people and caused at least $10 billion in property and infrastructure damage. Two of the planes, American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, crashed into the North and South towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. The third plane, American Airlines Flight 77, crashed into the Pentagon (the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense), leading to a partial collapse in its western side. The fourth plane, United Airlines Flight 93, was targeted at Washington, D.C, but crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after its passengers tried to overcome the hijackers. - Military action in Afghanistan What was America's reaction to 9/11? Bin Laden claimed American support of Israel, the presence of American troops in Saudi Arabia, and sanctions against Iraq were motives for the attacks. American President George W. Bush responded by launching a ‘War on Terror’. America's first target was to invade Afghanistan and depose the Taliban, the government of Afghanistan which harboured and protected al-Qaeda. How has Canada been involved with the 'War on Terror'? On October 7th, Prime Minister Jean Chretien announced that Canada would participate in the international anti-terrorism mission in Afghanistan. Canada took on a larger role starting in 2006 after the Canadian troops were deployed to Kandahar Province. Canada’s combat role in the country ended in 2011 when the focus shifted to training in Afghanistan’s army and police force and the last of our service members left the country in march 2014. -​ The Cold War The Cold War was a period of political and economic tension between the United States and the Soviet Union, and their respective allies, that lasted from 1947 to 1991. The term "Cold War" was first used by George Orwell in a 1945 article. Some key events during the Cold War include: ​ The Cuban Missile Crisis​ In 1962, the United States and the Soviet Union came close to nuclear war when the U.S. discovered that the Soviets were installing missiles in Cuba. The crisis ended when the Soviets agreed to remove the missiles in exchange for the U.S. not invading Cuba. ​ The Space Race​ A series of technological advancements in spaceflight, driven by the nuclear arms race between the two countries. ​ The Fall of the Berlin Wall​ In 1989 and 1990, the Berlin Wall came down, and free elections ousted Communist regimes in eastern Europe. ​ The Dissolution of the Soviet Union​ In 1991, the Soviet Union dissolved into its component republics. Canada was also involved in the Cold War, becoming an active participant in the Korean War in 1949.