World War I (1914–1918) Canadian History Unit Review

Militarism

The policy of aggressively building up a country's armed forces and military power, such as Britain maintaining the largest navy and Germany expanding the largest army prior to World War I.

Alliances

Formal treaties and mutual defense agreements between governments stipulating that if one member goes to war, all other alliance members must join the conflict.

Triple Entente

The pre-World War I alliance consisting of Britain, France, and Russia.

Triple Alliance

The pre-World War I alliance formed between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy.

Imperialism

The policy of extending national power by acquiring and controlling distant overseas colonies and territories to satisfy economic, political, or military needs.

Nationalism

An intense feeling of patriotism, pride, and loyalty toward one's nation, which fueled self-determination movements in the Balkans.

Black Hand

The Serbian nationalist and terrorist organization responsible for the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary.

Gavrilo Princip

The member of the Black Hand terrorist organization who successfully carried out the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo.

The Schlieffen Plan

A German military strategy developed in 1884 by General Alfred von Schlieffen designed to avoid a two-front war by swiftly defeating France through Belgium before turning to face Russia.

Four Key Principles of the Schlieffen Plan

The four tactical elements the German plan relied on: massive numbers, speed, surprise, and deception.

Core Assumptions of the Schlieffen Plan

The two German assumptions that Russia would take a long time to mobilize its forces and that Britain would not enter the war to honor its treaty protecting Belgian neutrality.

British Expeditionary Force (BEF)

The British military contingent deployed to mainland Europe in response to the invasion of Belgium, which joined French troops to halt the German advance within 50 kilometers of Paris.

Canadian Volunteer Pay (1914)

The daily wage of $1.10 offered to early Canadian recruits, attracting volunteers from all walks of life during a period of economic depression and factory closures.

First Nations Recruitment in WWI

Indigenous Canadians were initially turned away by recruiters, but as casualty numbers mounted and volunteer rates dropped, recruitment opened, ultimately leading to approximately 35% of eligible First Nations men enlisting.

No. 2 Construction Battalion

A segregated Canadian military battalion formed in 1916 (featuring Black officer Captain William White) assigned non-combat labour roles such as digging and construction with picks and shovels rather than fighting on the front lines.

Recruitment Discrimination in Canada

The systematic rejection or restriction of minority volunteers—including Black, Asian, German, and Ukrainian Canadians—by white recruiting officers during the early years of the war.

Canadian Women's Roles in WWI

Women were barred from serving as combat soldiers, sailors, or pilots, but over 3,000 enlisted as military nurses and medical personnel, serving close to the front lines where they faced shelling and high risks of infection.

Trench Warfare

A form of defensive warfare fought from complex, interconnected networks of excavated ditches, which emerged on the Western Front when both sides stalled at the River Marne and lacked natural cover.

Communication Trenches

Trenches dug perpendicular