-
The Assassination of Franz Ferdinand #2
death, causing them to declare war on Serbia. This dragged in all the allies of each country, Germany and Italy with Austria-Hungary, and France, Russia, and Britain (Including Canada) against them. This was the beginning of WWI that ended up killing over nine million soldiers. I gave the assassination of Franz Ferdinand a -1 because it forced Canada to join WWI with Britain throwing our country into four years of battle and misery for our soldiers and the citizens at home. -
The Assassination of Franz Ferdinand (Political)
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary and his wife were assassinated on June 28, 1914 by a terrorist while they were in Serbia. The assassin was Gavrilo Princip and he was part of a terrorist organization called the Black Hand. Members of the Black Hand had already attempted to assassinate the Archduke before Princip but they all failed to do so. With tensions already really high between the two countries, the Austria-Hungarians blamed the entire country of Serbia for Franz Ferdinand's -
The Canada War Measures Act #2
immigrants), take their belongings, make them carry papers that registered them as “Enemy Aliens”, and to force them to work labor jobs around the country for very low pay. Another way the government used the Canada War Measures Act was to suppress riots, especially the anti-conscription riots when they got out of hand. I gave this act a -1 because it didn’t do very much good for the public, especially those from Germany or Austria-Hungary. -
The Canada War Measures Act (Political)
The Canada War Measures Act was enacted on August 4, 1914 and it was enforced until 1920. The act gave the Canadian government special emergency powers when they thought the country was at risk of war or invasion. Some of those powers included the ability to control what news the public saw like leftist news outlets and socialist news, especially after the Russian Revolution. The government also used their emergency powers to imprison “Enemy Aliens” (Mainly German or Austria-Hungarian -
The Second Battle of Ypres (Social)
The second battle of Ypres began on April 22, 1915 and it lasted until May 25. This battle is very significant because it was the first major battle that the Canadian troops were involved in during WWI and it was quite a shock. Coming into the war most soldiers thought it was going to be quick and that they would be home for Christmas. After the battle of Ypres, that thought quickly changed as the war was much deadlier than they had imagined with no end in sight. The battle of Ypres is also -
The Second Battle of Ypres #3
John McCrae. This battle received a -1 because many Canadian men were killed, and it changed the view that Canadians had on the war causing fewer enlistments into the army. -
The Second Battle of Ypres #2
known for being the first battle where poisonous gas was used. The chlorine gas was released by the Germans and it was very deadly if you didn’t have a gas mask or a urine soaked handkerchief to protect your lungs. By the end of the battle, in May, the Canadian troops had over 6,500 casualties, 2,000 of which were dead. Some positives points from this battle were the praise Canada received for holding their ground even through the gas attacks, and the creation of the poem “In Flanders Fields” by -
The Battle of the Somme #2
since they were so slow and hard to maneuver. Another fault in this battle was running across no man's land because it was nearly impossible due to Germany’s deadly machine guns. 57,000 men were killed in one day and by the end of the five months of battle, there were a total of 614,000 casualties for our allies, 24,700 of which were our own Canadian men. I gave the Battle of the Somme a -2 because in the end it was a pointless slaughter of men that could have been saved if a little more -
The Battle of the Somme #3
thought, planning, and leadership went into the battle. -
The Battle of the Somme (Social)
The Battle of the Somme began on July 1, 1916, and it was fought between Germany and the Triple Entente, France and Britain (and Canada). It was known as the largest battle on the Western Front but that doesn’t necessarily mean it was a good one. Britain considered the battle to be the “Big Push” that was going to drive the German forces out of France but the battle ended up being a complete military disaster. Tanks were used for the first time in WWI but they were more of a psychological weapon -
The United States Enters the War #3
therefore joining the Triple Entente. It took them a year before they actually engaged in battle but they were still a great force to have on our side. I gave this event a +1 because the Entente and Canada were starting to run out of men and resources and having the support of the US was going to help a lot. -
The United States Enters the War (Social & Political)
There were two main events that occurred before the US joined WWI in April 1917. The first one took place on May 7, 1915, and it was the sinking of the Lusitania. The Lusitania was a British passenger liner and it was sunk by a German U-boat killing 1,198 passengers including 128 Americans. The United States had not entered the war yet so this incident made them furious at the Germans although not quite enough to join the battle. After that close call the German naval fleet limited their U-boat -
The United States Enters the War #2
operations as they did not want to have to fight the US. The second event happened two years later when Germany sent the Zimmerman telegram to Mexico stating that they were going to declare unrestricted submarine warfare. Meaning they were going to sink any ship on the water even if the country was neutral. Germany knew this was going to upset the Americans so they asked for Mexico's support in taking on the US. When the United States found out, they declared war on Germany in April, 1917, -
Vimy Ridge (Social)
The battle at Vimy Ridge occurred in 1917 and was led by Arthur Currie and executed entirely by Canadian soldiers. During the battle the Vimy Ridge was occupied and heavily fortified by German forces and capturing it seemed impossible. The French army had already tried and failed to secure the ridge so the Canadian army was up next take on this great challenge. Before the battle Currie put the Canadian army through intense training rehearsals so everyone knew exactly what to do when it was time -
Vimy Ridge #3
in the war while boosting the morale of our soldiers, allies, and Canadian citizens at home. -
Vimy Ridge #2
to attack. The main tactic used was a creeping barrage and it required an enormous amount of explosives to hammer the German army. When the time came to attack, the Canadian troops bravely fought together and finally secured the Ridge on April 12th losing 3,598 men in the process. I gave this event +2 because although Canada lost many men in that battle it was still a huge blow to Germany and a great victory for Canada as a nation. It proved our strength and independence to the other Countries -
Conscription #2
for Britain. This issue eventually caused major riots in the streets of Quebec killing some, injuring many others, and damaging some buildings. But, not all people hated conscription. Those who had family members fighting in the war would want Canada to send as many conscripts as possible to keep their loved ones alive for as long as possible. In the end, of the 400,000 eligible conscripts only 24,132 actually went and fought on the front lines. I gave this issue a 0 because although Canada and -
Conscription (Social & Political)
Many people thought that Canada, especially men in Quebec, could be doing more for the war effort. So on May 18, 1917, Prime Minister Robert Borden passed the Military Service Act which conscripted all men ages 20-35 into the Canadian Army. Citizens of Quebec, non-british immigrants, and farmers were outraged as they did not want to have anything to do with the war. Farmers needed young men in order to run their farms and non-british immigrants and some French didn’t care to risk their lives -
Conscription #3
the allies needed the conscripts to get them through the war, it still caused a huge uproar and riots in the streets, dividing the country in two. -
The Wartime Elections Act #2
those receiving a vote were most likely supporters of the actions he’s taking while in government. When it was time for the election, 500,000 women voted for the first time. Later on after the war, the Wartime Elections Act was repealed but the Federal Women’s Franchise Act would be put in place by the Prime Minister in 1918 giving all women of age the right to vote permanently. The impact the act had on Canadian women's rights was so great since it led to the permanent vote for women, but the -
The Wartime Elections Act (Political)
On September 20, 1917 Parliament passed the Wartime Elections Act which affected who could vote during the war. The act gave a woman related to a man fighting in the war a vote which is a great win for women since they didn’t have very many rights at the time. The Wartime Elections Act also removed the right to vote for immigrants from enemy countries which they called “Enemy Aliens”. The act was put in place by Prime Minister Borden as an attempt to gain more votes in the next election because -
The Wartime Elections Act #3
act had some negatives too. Like how it took away the right to vote for some innocent people they called “Enemy Aliens” which is why I only gave this event a +1. -
The Halifax Explosion (Social)
On December 6, 1917, two ships collided in the Halifax Harbour causing a deadly explosion that flattened 2.5 square kilometers of Richmond (the city on the harbour). The collision occurred between the Imo and a ship carrying a large amount of explosives called the Mont Blanc. When the ships hit, the Mont Blanc caught fire and was burning for about 20 minutes before it struck shore. The only people who knew about its deadly cargo were the crew and the harbour authorities so many people gathered -
The Halifax Explosion #2
around to watch the spectacle. The explosion ended up killing 1,946 people as well as injuring and leaving many others homeless. Not only did it kill a lot of people but it destroyed a main Canadian harbor that was essential for supplying the front lines with weapons, food, and men. I gave this event a -1 because the explosion killed so many Canadians and slowed down the transportation of important goods for the war effort. -
Russia Exits the War (Social)
During WWI the Russians weren’t happy with how their king, Czar Nicholas II was so rich when they had nothing. This caused some tension and riots in Russia that Germany sensed, so the Germans sent Vladimir Lenin, an exiled Russian, into Russia to stir things up even more. Lenin quickly gained followers called the Bolsheviks and together they overthrew the Czar and his Family, murdering all of them shortly after. As the leader of Russia, which is now a communist country, Lenin’s first action was -
Russia Exits the War #2
to pull out of the war, making peace with the Triple Alliance. Eventually the Triple Alliance and Russia signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk on March 3, 1918 leaving the Triple Entente to fend for themselves. I gave the Russian Revolution a -1 because the event hit Canada and the Triple Entente hard. Upon losing Russia, the Entente lost a lot of men, weapons, and one of their greatest advantages over Germany in the war which was having the country surrounded on two fronts.
