Canadian History Since World War I j1+

War Measures Act

A federal statute adopted by Parliament in 1914, after the outbreak of the First World War. It gave broad powers to the Canadian government to maintain security and order during war or insurrection.

conscription

compulsory enlistment for state service, typically into the armed forces

nationalism

a feeling that people have of being loyal to and proud of their country often with the belief that it is better and more important than other countries

militarism

the opinions or actions of people who believe that a country should use military methods, forces, etc., to gain power and to achieve its goals

no-man's land

disputed ground between the front lines or trenches of two opposing armies

internment

the act of putting someone in a prison for political reasons or during a war : the act of interning someone

the Balkans

area of Europe nicknamed the "powder keg of Europe" where much of the pre-war tension was created

alliance

joining with other nations...usually for the purposes of military defence

Triple Entente

an alliance between Great Britain, France and Russia in the years before WWI.

Triple Alliance

an alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy in the years before WWI.

imperialism

a policy of extending your rule over foreign countries

blank cheque

because Germany gave its support to Austria-Hungary to do what it felt it needed to following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Germany was later blamed for the entire war

Schlieffen Plan

Germany's military plan at the outbreak of World War I, according to which German troops would rapidly defeat France and then move east to attack Russia

trench foot

a painful foot condition experienced by many in the trenches of WWI after prolonged exposure to cold, wet conditions

Ypres

first real battle for the Canadians...faced the horrific new weapon of poison gas; held the lines for three days; established a reputation as courageous fighters

poison gas

new weapon of war first used by the Germans at the Second Battle of Ypres which involved the Canadians

Somme

WWI's biggest, bloodiest battle with 1.25 million dead...all for a British gain of 12 kms; saw the first use of tanks as a weapon of war

machine gun

the weapon which dictated that the First World War would be fought from a system of trenches; generals often did not take into account its effectiveness

tanks

new weapon of war introduced at the Battle of the Somme in 1916...it eventually helped the Allies win the war

Vimy Ridge

Canada's most significant battle of the war, fought in 1917, ended with the capture of a ridge after French and British forces had failed

creeping barrage

a military tactic that rained a moving curtain of heavy fire ahead of an attacking infantry; used very effectively by the Canadians at Vimy Ridge

Arthur Currie

first Canadian promoted to General after victory at Vimy Ridge...became commander of all Canadian corps...believed in thorough and meticulous training

storm troopers

this is what the Canadians were called when they gained a reputation of fearless and courageous fighters

Passchendaele

as part of the Third Battle of Ypres, the Canadians took this objective with 15,600 casualties only to give it up later; battlefield with the worst conditions of the entire war

blockade

the British used this as a naval weapon to isolate the German navy in port after the Battle of Jutland in 1916

U-boat

a German submarine that was the first submarine employed in warfare, initially used during WWI

unrestricted submarine warfare

German U-boat policy of sinking unannoucned anything headed to Britain in an effort to cripple the Allied war effort

Lusitania

British passenger ship sunk by a German U-boat, killing over 1,200 people (128 neutral Americans); the sinking turned American opinion against Germany and was one of the background causes of the U.S. entry into WWI

convoy

a large number of ships travelling together for protection purposes carrying supplies to Britian for the Allied war effort

dog fight

an aerial battle between enemy air planes

Billy Bishop

Canada's most famous flying ace during World War I - credited with 72 kills

Red Baron

WWI's best pilot with 80 kills...he did not survive the war

ace

a pilot who was credited with shooting down five enemy planes

Robert Borden

Canadian prime minister during WWI; responsible for the Military Service Act, the War Measures Act, and the Wartime Elections Act

Sam Hughes

Canada's Minister of the Militia; disliked Catholics and French-Canadians; loved the Ross Rifle; was fired for mishandling his portfolio

conscription

the forced enlistment in a country's armed forces

Military Service Act

1917 legislation which made conscription compulsory for all males between 20 -35. caused tension between English- and French-Canadians

Unionists

those who supported the idea of conscription in Canada

Wartime Elections Act

this piece of WWI legislation gave the vote to all Canadian women directly related to servicemen, while cancelling the vote for conscientious objectors and immigrants from enemy countries

profiteering

the selling of goods in short supply at inflated prices; the Canadian government brought in anti-profiteering legislation

income tax

it was a "temporary" measure brought in by the Canadian government to help pay for the war

Halifax Explosion

6 Dec. 1917, 2000 killed and 9000 wounded in the largest non-atomic man-made explosion in history when the Mont Blanc, carrying explosives, crashed into the Imo (Norwegian relief vessel) in Halifax Harbour

Victory Bonds

one method by which the Canadian government raised money to help pay for the war in which the public "loaned" the government money

propaganda

Information, esp. of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view

armistice

truce, the agreement to end war

treaty

a formal agreement between the governments of two or more countries

Treaty of Versailles

the treaty which put an official end to the war between the Allies and Germany, it was purposefully harsh

reparations

as part of the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was ordered to pay fines to the Allies to repay the costs of the war; opposed by the U.S., it quickly lead to a severe depression in Germany

War Guilt Clause

Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles (1919) which dictated that Germany acknowledge that it alone was responsible for WWI

League of Nations

created by the Treaty of Versailles, it was an international organization meant to avoid international conflict

assembly line

a line of machines, equipment, workers, etc., in a factory that builds a product by passing work from one station to the next until the product is finished (also known as a production line)

bootlegging

making or selling alcoholic beverages illegally

collective bargaining

talks between an employer and the leaders of a union about how much a group of workers will be paid, how many hours they will work, etc.

capitalism

a way of organizing an economy so that the things that are used to make and transport products (such as land, oil, factories, ships, etc.) are owned by individual people and companies rather than by the government (compare communism, socialism)

communism

a way of organizing a society in which the government owns the things that are used to make and transport products (such as land, oil, factories, ships, etc.) and there is no privately owned property (compare capitalism, socialism)

conspiracy

a secret plan made by two or more people to do something that is harmful or illegal

deflation

decrease in the amount of available money or credit in an economy that causes prices to go down (compare inflation)

depression

a period of time in which there is little economic activity and many people do not have jobs

drought

long period of time during which there is very little or no rain

inflation

a continual increase in the price of goods and services

laissez-faire

a policy that allows businesses to operate with very little interference from the government

margin buying

when you use borrowed money from your stockbroker to purchase stocks or shares in a company

margin call

a demand by a stockbroker that an investor deposit further cash or securities to cover possible financial losses (also called a maintenance call)

prohibition

1. the period of time in the 1920s and 1930s when it was illegal to make or sell alcohol

2. a law or order that stops something from being used or done

revolution

the usually violent attempt by many people to end the rule of one government and start a new one

socialism

a way of organizing a society in which major industries are owned and controlled by the government rather than by individual people and companies (compare capitalism, communism)

stock

a share of the value of a company which can be bought, sold, or traded as an investment

stock market

a system for buying and selling stocks or a place where stocks are bought and sold

division of labour

dividing a job into many specialized parts, with a single worker or a few workers assigned to each part (also known as specialization of labour)

supply and demand

the amount of goods and services that are available for people to buy compared to the amount of goods and services that people want to buy

flapper

a young woman in the 1920s who dressed and behaved in a way that was considered very modern

speakeasy

a place where alcoholic drinks were sold illegally in the U.S. during the 1920s

hooch

alcoholic liquor especially when it is cheap or made illegally

Black Tuesday

29 October 1929, when panicked sellers traded nearly 16 million shares on the New York Stock Exchange (4x the normal volume at the time), and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell -12%. This day is often cited as the beginning of the Great Depression.

unrest

a situation in which many of the people in a country are angry and hold protests or act violently

union

an organization of workers formed to protect the rights and interests of its members

labour

workers considered as a group

Treaty of Versailles

The treaty imposed on Germany after the end of WWI, demanding reparations from the Germans.

Nazi Party

the political party founded in Germany in 1919 and brought to power by Hitler in 1933 (Short for: National Socialist German Workers' Party)

fascism

a way of organizing a society in which a government ruled by a dictator controls the lives of the people and in which people are not allowed to disagree with the government

propaganda

ideas spread to influence public opinion for or against a cause

the Holocaust

the mass murder (genocide) of European civilians, especially Jews, by the Nazis during WWII

appeasement

giving in to some of an enemy's demands in the hopes of keeping peace

War Measures Act

Gives the government the power to censor news information, regulate economy and to arrest suspected enemies of Canada.

total war

the mobilization of a country's resources, both human and material, to wage war

Dieppe Raid

Canadian troops were chosen to conduct an experimental raid on this French port. (August 1942)

internment camps

camps or centres for detaining people who are considered a threat

German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact

an agreement between Germany and Soviet Russia to not fight each other

D-Day

June 6th, 1944: Canadian troops participate in the Allied invasion of France (at Juno Beach)

Axis powers

Germany, Italy, and Japan, which were allied before and during World War II

the Allies

the countries that fought against the Axis. The main Allied powers were Britain and the Commonwealth countries, the US, the Soviet Union, France, China, and Poland

The Battle of the Atlantic

German U-boats patrolled the Atlantic and intercepted supply ships coming from Canada.

atomic bomb

a bomb that uses energy from the splitting of atoms to cause an explosion of tremendous force

British Commonwealth Air Training Program (BCATP)

Starting in 1939-1940, pilots, navigators, and ground crew from Britain, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa were trained on the Canadian prairies. During the first years of WWII, this enterprise was probably Canada's greatest contribution to the war effort.

tanks

Germans used them for Blitzkrieg or lightning war which broke enemy lines more effectively through overwhelming force and speed

U-boats

German submarines; sunk Allied ships faster than they could be built; major threat to the Allies

Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF)

This air force grew quickly to almost 250 000 members with forty-eight squadrons posted overseas.

Italian campaign

A division of the Canadian Army took part in the allied invasion of Sicily (Operation Husky) and Italy in July 1943. Canadian soldiers were responsible for the capture of Ortona in December 1943. The Canadians fought up the east coast of Italy during 1944 and early 1945.

Battle of Hong Kong

Canadians helped the British try to defend Hong Kong from the Japanese in WW2 Canadians were badly defeated and Canadian POW's were tortured and abused