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Assassination
Archduke Ferdinand, the heir to the Austrian throne, was killed by Gavirilo Princip, a member of the "Black Hand" while visiting Bosnia. -
Period: to
20th Century History
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Blank Cheque
Germany gave Austria-Hungary the famous Blank Cheque, which meant that Germany would support Austria-Hungary even if that meant going to war. -
First Declare of War
Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. -
Germany Declared War on Russia
Under Kaiser Wilhelm II, Germany demanded Russia to demobilize; however, when Russia ignored this, Germany supported Austria by mobilizing its army and declaring war on Russia. -
Germany and Schlieffen Plan
Germany declared war on France on August 1, 1914, for they felt threatened by Russia and France alliance. And on August 3, Germany planned to invade Belgium which is known as the Schlieffen Plan. -
Britain Declared War on Germany
Britain declared war on Germany when Germany invaded Belgium because Britain had agreed to protect the neutrality of Belgium. -
The Battle of Ypres
The Battle of Ypres is known for bringing out the first experience of trench warfare for Canadian troops. The French and Canadian troops were defending Ypres; however, when the Germans used chlorine gas against them, they had to retreat. This was the first poison gas attack in history. The battle was tragic as more than 6000 Canadian soldiers lost their lives before reinforcements arrived. -
The Battle of Verdun
The Battle of Verdun and the Battle of Somme were defining battles of the First World War as it lasted for six months. French was attacked by Germany at the Battle of Verdun and French alone lost 500,000 soldiers. Germany's strategy to this battle was to wear down the enemy planning a long-lasting battle. -
The Battle of the Somme
Since the Germans were busy with the French at Verdun, Canadians tried to end the trench warfare with a large attack on the German trenches at the Battle of Somme. Unfortunately, their attack failed as the Germans were not driven back. In fact, more than 20,000 Canadian soldiers were killed during the battle. The battle was a disaster as casualties for both sides had reached 1.25 million. -
The Battle of Vimy Ridge
The Vimy Ridge was very valuable in terms of the war because it was a strong natural fortress that was easy to defend and very dangerous to attack. However, this fortunate ridge fell into the hands of German soldiers in October 1914. Therefore, Allied armies tried to gain back the ridge for the next two years. The Battle of Vimy Ridge is very significant to Canadians until today because it was one their greatest success among all the battles they have contributed. -
Conscription Crisis
When volunteer enlistments were not keeping up with the number of men killed or wounded in the war, conscription was propsed. There were many words to this as many Quebecois did not feel the same ties as the Anglophones did towards the British. Then Prime Minister Borden introduced the Military Service Bill, which made conscription compulsory to all men between ages of 20 and 35. -
The Battle of Passchendaele
Canadian troops were in charge of the Battle of Passchendaele to attack theGermans. This was a ridiculous battle because General Currie said that the town of Passchendaele could not be taken as troops could not move through the mud; however, he was overruled by the British command and so the Canadians were ordered to attack anyway. As expected, 16,000 Canadians died during the battle needlessly. -
Fourteen Points
The President of the United States, Woodrow Wilson, created a document called the Fourteen Points. This document was originally made to convince the Americans that the sacrifices made during the war were justified. Then Wilson took the same fourteen points to Paris and he convinced the Europeans that these points could be the basis for a lasting peace. This was the first act of building the peace. -
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles is an important event as the international agreement of the twentieth century. The representatives from the Allied Powers met at the Paris Peace Conferences after the war to discuss what they would do to the defeated countries-Germany and Austria-Hungary. Their main goal was to prevent another war from breaking out. This was also very significant to Canadians as it was their first time participating at an international meeting as an independent country. -
Winnipeg General Strike
During the interwar period, the Winnipeg General Strike occurred in Canada where the organized workers walked off their jobs. Because the labour laws in Canada didn't compel employers to bargain with employee representatives, the workers organized themselves into unions in order to make their demands heard. Although as a result of the strike, many of the people no longer had jobs to go back to, they were successful in drawing attention to the social and economic problems that many people faced. -
The League of Nations
President Wilson created the League of Nations. He claimed his idea of international security, that is, an attack by an aggressor on one country would be viewed as an attack on all countries. However, the League of Nations turned out to be a failure. -
The King-Byng Crisis
The King-Byng Crisis was significant in Canadian history, for it marked the first time that a Governor General had refused the request of a Prime Minister to dissolve Parliament. However, Mackenzie King was re-elected as Prime Minister as a result. -
The Famous Five and the Persons Case
With the help of Prime Minister King, the Famous Five convinced the British Privy Council and the Canada's highest court to consider the persons case. As a resutlt, the British Privy Council responded that since the word "persons" include both the male and female, the women are eligible to become members of the Senate of Canada. The Famous Five not only brought success to themselves, but to all the other women in public life. -
The Great Depression
The years of the Great Depression came to Canada as the stock exchanges of New York, Toronto, and Montreal crashed and North Americans were plunged into the Great Depression. And when the depression was over, Canadians had to suffer from unemployment, bankruptcies, and poverty. In order to solve these economic problems, new political parties were created during the interwar period. -
Invasion of Poland
The Seocnd World War began as the NAZIS invaded Poland in 1939. Here, the NAZIS used blitzkreig tactics meaning "lightning" war. Airplanes followed by tank and motorized infantry attacks had swept past the enemy. France and Britain declared war on Germany immediately. Although Canada was not automatically obligated to be at the war as part of the British Empire, most Canadians still felt strong ties to Britain, so they declared war a week later. -
The Phony War
From October 1939 to April 1940, everyone expected Germany to attack Western Europe. However, Germany did not take any action due to bad weather and indecision. Allied troops and Canadian soldiers waited for the attack, but the period remained as the Phony War. -
Evacuation of Dunkirk
After Belgium collapsed, British and French troops retreated to the French beaches of Dunkirk on the English Channel. Unfortunately, they were trapped. However, about 900 ships sailed from England and rescued 340,000 soldiers from Dunkirk. Many believe the evacuation at Dunkirk was so significant as it represented a morol victory for the Allies. -
Battle of Britain
Hitler used air attacks on Britain to prepare for an amphibious invasion. Because of Royal Navy that patrolled the English Chanel and proteced Britain, Hitler wanted to attack in the air. So during this war, the British Royal Air Force (RAF) and German Luftwaffe (air force) fought in the airspace over Britain. During the battle, Hitler changed his strategy from the assault on the RAF airfields to daylight bombing raids on London known as the Blitz. However, the RAF was able to win the battle. -
Pearl Harbour
The Japanese launched a surprise attack on the American naval base in Pearl Harbour, Hawaii. As a result, the United States and Britain declared war on Japan. In support of the Japanese, Hitler declared war on the United States and return, the United States declared war on Germany. And finally, Britain had the ally it had been waiting for in the struggle against fascism in Europe -
Dieppe Raid
Canadian soldiers landed at Dieppe on the coast of France. Their goal was to take the beach and the town of Dieppe back from the Germans. However, as soon as they arrived, they were mowed down on the beach by German fire. Therefore, the Dieppe Raid was a huge disaster, having 900 Canadian soldiers dead and 1,900 taken as prisoners. -
The Italian Campaign
The Germans had been defeated in North Africa by the middle of 1943, and therefore, they were in retreat on the Eastern Front. In order to eliminate all sources of trouble from the Germans, the Allies planned to take the island of Sicily, coast of mainland Italy. Including Canadian soldiers, the Allied forces landed on Sicily using an amphibious attack. Although Hitler sent many German soldiers to hold Italy, the Allies captured Sicily in one month. -
D-Day
The invasion of Normandy, on the coast of France is thought to be the most complex military operation ever attempted by the Allies. And the Canadians were in charge of a beachfront code-named Juno. Juno was one of five such targets at Normandy. As a result, there were many casualties in both sides; however, it was much more catastrophic for the Germans than the Allies. -
The Liberation of Holland
Canadian forces drove the NAZIS to retreat from Holland and surrender. This important Canadian victory marked Canada's reputation. -
V-E Day
Victory in Europe was announced when the last German troops surrendered. -
V-J Day
Finally, after the destruction of Nagasaki and Hiroshima in Japan, the Japanese government sued for peace. The Second World War was over.
