The Return of War: A History of World War II and Canada's Role

THE RISE OF TOTALITARIANISM AND THE CULMINATION OF GLOBAL TENSIONS

The Interwar Period and the Roots of Conflict: - The period between the two world wars was characterized by deep dissatisfaction with the Treaty of Versailles, which was viewed as profoundly unjust and punitive toward Germany. - The Global Economic Depression served to exacerbate existing tensions, leading to political instability. - This environment fueled the rise of totalitarian regimes across Europe, notably in the Soviet Union, Italy, Germany, and Spain.
Definition and Characteristics of a Totalitarian Regime: - A totalitarian regime is a form of dictatorship where a single leader possesses absolute power. - Key attributes include: - Single Ideology: Only one state-approved belief system is permitted. - Absolute Power: The leader holds total control over the state and its people. - Secret Police: Used to enforce order and suppress dissent. - No Opposition: Political rivals and dissenting voices are eliminated. - Suspension of Human Rights: Individual freedoms and rights are non-existent. - Censorship and Propaganda: The state controls all media and information flow.
Detailed Characteristics of Fascism: - Charismatic Leadership: Centralized around a singular figure, such as the Duce (Mussolini) in Italy or the Führer (Hitler) in Germany. - Political Monopolization: A single-party system with zero tolerance for opposition. - Militarism: Heavy reliance on police forces and the military to maintain absolute control. - Nationalism: Extreme pride in the nation and its perceived superiority. - Anti-Communism: Radical opposition to communist ideologies. - Anti-Democratic Principles: Rejection of democratic processes and institutions. - Information Control: Rigid censorship of the media and heavy use of state propaganda.

THE ERA OF POLITICAL EXTREMISM IN ITALY AND GERMANY

Fascism in Italy: - The Rise of Mussolini: In $1919$ , Benito Mussolini formed the Fascist Party (Parti national fasciste). - Base of Support: Its primary supporters were frustrated Italian war veterans who felt the Treaty of Versailles did not fairly compensate Italy. - Seizure of Power: Mussolini overthrew the existing government in $1922$ . - Totalitarian Actions (1922): - Banning of all opposition parties and unions. - Strict censorship of newspapers. - Continuous dissemination of state propaganda. - Establishment of a secret police known as the OVRA (Organizazzione di Vigilanza Repressione).
The Desperate State of Germany: - The Burden of Versailles: Under the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was saddled with a debt of over $33 imes 10^9\, \text{USD}$ . - Debt Timeline: German debt repayment lasted approximately $92$ years, with the final payment made on $October\, 3,\, 2010$ . - Political Failures: Despite the existence of the Weimar Republic, the heavy punishments imposed by the Allies left the German people in despair. - Hitler’s Promises: Adolf Hitler rose to prominence by promising to restore German glory and tear up the Treaty of Versailles.
The Early Political Career of Adolf Hitler: - Born in Austria in $1889$ . - Joined the German Workers Party in Munich in $1919$ . - By $1920$ , he was named the party's Head of Propaganda. - His platform centered on radical Antisemitism and the rejection of the Treaty of Versailles. - Attracted veterans who felt betrayed by the government and were frustrated by dire economic conditions.
The Foundation of the Nazi Party: - In late $1920$ , Hitler renamed the group the National Socialist German Workers' Party (the Nazi Party), headquartered in Munich. - By $1921$ , he established himself as the absolute leader of the party. - The Putsch de la Brasserie (Beer Hall Putsch): A failed attempt to overthrow the Bavarian government in Munich occurred in $November\, 1923$ . - Imprisonment and "Mein Kampf": Imprisoned in $1924$ , Hitler wrote Mein Kampf, detailing ideologies of Aryanism and the planned domination of the Jewish people, Slavic people, and all of Europe.

THE CONSOLIDATION OF NAZI POWER IN THE 1930s

The Great Depression and the Rise to Power: - Government measures during the depression—including increased taxes, spending cuts, and wage reductions—were extremely unpopular. - Election Growth: The Nazi Party gained $107$ seats in the $1930$ election and increased that number to $230$ seats in $1933$ , forming a minority government. - Ascension to Absolute Power: - Reichstag Fire (April 1933): A fire at the Parliament building provided a pretext for Hitler to ban the Communist Party. - Majority Government: Hitler subsequently formed a majority government. - The Führer: In $July\, 1934$ , Hitler declared himself "der Führer" (the leader). - The Third Reich: This marked the official beginning of the $3^{\text{rd}}$ Reich (The Third Empire).

ANTISEMITISM AND THE HOLOCAUST

Institutionalized Hatred: - Antisemitism (hatred of Jewish people) was widespread across Europe and Canada. - In Germany, formal persecution began in $1933$ . - Jewish citizens were purged from public functions, teaching, and the media. - They were barred from specific public spaces like shops and sports fields, and Jewish children were moved to segregated schools.
The Nuremberg Laws (1935): - Codified racial discrimination against Jewish people. - Status: Jewish people could not be citizens of the Reich. - Relationships: Prohibited marriage or relations between Jews and non-Jews. - Property: Jewish property was confiscated and given to Germans. - Professional Bans: Jewish doctors could not treat Germans; Jewish lawyers were forbidden from practicing law. - Identification: - Imposition of a curfew. - Identification cards were marked with the letter J. - Men without clearly Jewish first names were required to adopt the middle name Israel, while women were required to adopt the name Sara.
Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass): - Occurred on the nights of $November\, 9$ and $10,\, 1938$ . - Pretext: The assassination of German diplomat Ernst von Rath in Paris by a Jewish Polish student. - Orchestration: Joseph Goebbels, Minister of Propaganda, ordered "spontaneous" demonstrations across Germany and Austria. - Outcome: Massive violence against Jewish communities; the first large-scale transport of Jewish people to concentration camps such as Dachau, Buchenwald, and Sachsenhausen.
The Holocaust (Shoah): - A systematic genocide resulting in $6 imes 10^6$ victims, including $2 imes 10^6$ children. - Massive Jewish populations in Poland, the Netherlands, Norway, and Denmark were targeted. - The SS (Schutzstaffel): Originally Hitler's bodyguards, they were later tasked with executing the "Final Solution." - Major Death and Concentration Camps: Auschwitz, Treblinka, Brandenburg, and Dachau.

FASCISM AND ANTISEMITISM IN CANADA

Domestic Fascist Movements: - Fascist ideologies infiltrated Canada, with antisemitic movements gaining traction in Saskatchewan and Winnipeg. - Montréal Activity: Adrien Arcand, often called the "Führer of Canada," led a group known as the Blue Shirts. - Political Connections: These groups even received some level of support from Prime Minister R.B. Bennett. - Conflicts: Toronto saw riots between fascists and anti-fascists.
Discriminatory Policies and Refugees: - Winnipeg served as the Headquarters for the Canadian Nationalist Party. - The St. Louis Incident (1939): Jewish refugees aboard the ship St. Louis were denied entry into Canada. - Immigration Stats: By $1945$ , only $4,000$ Jewish immigrants had been permitted to enter the country.
Internment of Jewish Refugees: - European Jews who escaped the Nazis to Great Britain were often labeled "enemy aliens." - They were initially interned on the Isle of Man in $1940$ before some were transferred to Canada. - Intermingling: In Canada (provinces: New Brunswick, Quebec, and Ontario), these refugees were often interned in camps alongside the very Nazi and Italian prisoners of war they had fled. - Specific Canadian Internment Camps (1940-1943): - Camp A (Farnham, Quebec) - Camp B (Ripples, New Brunswick) - Camp R (Red Rock, Ontario) - Camp S (St. Helen's Island, Montreal, Quebec) - Camp Ile-aux-Noix, Quebec - Camp L (Quebec City, Quebec) - Camp T (Trois-Rivières, Quebec) - Camp N (Sherbrooke, Quebec) - Camp O (Monteith, Ontario)

THE SOVIET UNION UNDER JOSEPH STALIN

The Communist Regime: - Established following the $1917$ Russian Revolution by Lenin. - Goals: A classless society, elimination of private property, and the collectivization of farms and factories. - Leadership Change: In $1924$ , Joseph Stalin became General Secretary of the Communist Party.
Stalinist Oppression: - Millions of Ukrainians were sent to Gulags (concentration camps). - The Great Purges (1935–1938): Millions systematically disappeared as Stalin consolidated power through state terror.

THE AXIS ALLIANCE AND THE OUTBREAK OF GLOBAL WAR

The Axis Powers: - Germany and Italy: Alied for common territorial conquest: Hitler targeted Central and Northern Europe, while Mussolini targeted Southern Europe. - Japan: Joined the Axis alliance in $September\, 1940$ with the strategic goal of crushing the Soviet Union.
The Allied Powers (1939): - Primary powers: Great Britain, France, and the United States.
German Rearmament (Defying the Treaty of Versailles): - Creation of the Luftwaffe (Air Force): $1.5 \times 10^6$ members by $1941$ . - Creation of the Kriegsmarine (Navy): $650,000$ members by $1943$ . - Expansion of the Army to $36$ divisions comprising $600,000$ men by $1938$ . - Occupation of the Rhineland, the border region neighboring France.
Appeasement and Annexation: - Spring 1938: Germany invades and occupies Austria. - Munich Accords (September 1938): France, Great Britain, Germany, and Italy agree to give Hitler the Sudetenland (region of Czechoslovakia with German speakers) in exchange for a promise of no further territorial moves. - March 1939: Hitler violates the accord, invading and annexing the remainder of Czechoslovakia (Bohemia and Slovakia).
The Start of World War II: - Invasion of Poland: On $September\, 1,\, 1939$ , Germany launched a Blitzkrieg ("lightning war"). - Allied Declaration: Due to their alliances, France and Britain declared war. - Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact: Before the invasion, Germany and the USSR signed a neutrality pact to allow Hitler to avoid a two-front war.

MAJOR MILITARY CAMPAIGNS AND THE WESTERN FRONT

Phoney War (September–December 1939): - A period of little offensive action where both sides waited, while the bulk of the German army was in Poland.
German Expansion (April–June 1940): - Blitzkrieg in the North: Denmark and Norway were captured to secure iron reserves from Sweden and maritime passage. - Fall of Western Europe: Germany invaded the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France via the Low Countries. - Paris: The French capital capitulated in $June\, 1940$ .
Vichy France: - After the fall of Paris, a collaborationist government led by Pétain was established in Vichy, while $2/3$ of France remained under direct German military occupation.
The Miracle of Dunkerque (Dunkirk): - British and French forces were trapped by the German advance. - From $May\, 23$ to $June\, 4,\, 1940$ , a flotilla of $900$ vessels (yachts, fishing boats, merchant ships) evacuated the troops. - The "miracle" was the rescue of $338,000$ Allied soldiers, though $40,000$ were killed or captured.
The Battle of Britain (Operation Sea Lion): - Began $July\, 10,\, 1040$ , with aerial attacks on ports and ships. - The Blitz: From $September\, 1940$ to $May\, 1941$ , German terror raids bombed London and other cities, killing over $43,000$ civilians. - Britain maintained air superiority, forcing Hitler to abandon the invasion plan to focus on the Soviet Union.

THE EASTERN FRONT AND THE PACIFIC WAR

Operation Barbarosa (June 22, 1941): - Hitler broke the pact with the USSR. - Allied savior factors: The sheer size of the country (allowing the Red Army to retreat) and the brutal Soviet winter ( $T \in [-40, -60]\, ^{\circ}\text{C}$ ). - German failures: Malnutrition, disease, and frozen equipment (tanks and vehicles).
Battle of Stalingrad (July 1942 – February 1943): - The largest battle of the war and the turning point for the Nazis. - Losses: Over $800,000$ Axis soldiers (including $250,000$ dead).
Human Cost (Military Losses in Europe): - Soviet Union: $7 \times 10^6$ killed in combat; $3.6 \times 10^6$ in prison camps. - Germany: $4 \times 10^6$ killed in combat; $370,000$ in prison camps.
Conflict in the Pacific: - Japanese Expansion: Began in China in the early $1930\text{s}$ , characterized by atrocities against civilians (e.g., Nanking). - Pearl Harbor: Japanese attack on $December\, 7,\, 1941$ , causing the U.S. to enter the war. - Invasion of Hong Kong (December 1941): Over $1,975$ Canadians were sent to defend the colony; they were killed or captured on $December\, 25,\, 1941$ , suffering high mortality rates in prison camps.

CANADIAN CONTRIBUTIONS AND MAJOR ENGAGEMENTS

The Dieppe Raid (August 1942): - $5,000$ Canadians, along with British and American commandos, attacked the port of Dieppe. - The battle was a catastrophe; in a few hours, Canadians suffered $68\%$ losses ( $1,000$ dead, $500$ wounded, $2,000$ captured).
Air Campaigns: - Winston Churchill ordered the strategic bombing of German industrial cities in the Ruhr, as well as Hamburg, Dresden, and Berlin ( $1943\text{--}1945$ ). - Civilian deaths reached $50,000$ in Hamburg, $25,000$ in Dresden, and $25,000$ in Berlin.
The Italian Campaign: - Operation Husky (Summer 1943): Invasion of Sicily. - Fall of Mussolini: The country surrendered on $September\, 3,\, 1943$ , and Mussolini was later executed. - Battle of Ortona (November–December 1943): A bloody house-to-house battle costing $1,200$ Canadian lives; considered one of Canada’s greatest victories.
D-Day and Operation Overlord (June 6, 1944): - Invasion of Normandy; Canadians landed at Juno Beach ( $30,000$ troops). - Total force: $155,000$ soldiers, $6,000$ vehicles.
Liberation of the Netherlands: - Canada was tasked with liberating the Dutch people in the spring of $1945$ , successfully ending years of Nazi occupation and forced labor.

SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION IN THE CANADIAN MILITARY AND HOME FRONT

Diversity in the Military: - The army became more inclusive, accepting Ukrainians, Germans, and Japanese Canadians. - Indigenous Contribution: Over $3,000$ Indigenous and Métis men served; specific mention of Code Talkers. - Black Canadians: Gerry Carter became one of Canada's youngest officers in $1943$ .
Women's Roles: - In Uniform: Over $50,000$ women served in roles such as mechanics, parachute riggers, map readers, and wireless operators. - CATS (Canadian Auxiliary Territorial Service): $3,000+\text{ women}$ . - Air Force (CWIA): $21,500\text{ women}$ . - Navy (WRCNS): $17,100\text{ women}$ . - In the Workforce: By $1944$ , over $1 \times 10^6$ women were employed in factories and wartime industries, erasing traditional gender distinctions in many sectors.
Domestic Issues and Opposition: - Internment of Japanese Canadians: Under the War Measures Act, $20,000$ Japanese Canadians were held in camps without electricity or water, and had their assets (boats, houses, cars) sold to pay for their own internment. - Conscription Crisis (1942): Prime Minister King held a referendum on conscription. The country was divided: $80\%$ of English Canadians voted "Yes," while $77\%$ of French Canadians in Quebec voted "No."

THE WAR'S END AND THE POST-WAR WORLD

Victory and Defeat: - Allies entered Germany in March $1945$ . Hitler and Eva Braun committed suicide. - Atomic Bombs: President Truman authorized the Manhattan Project; bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in $August\, 1945$ , leading to the Japanese surrender on $August\, 10,\, 1945$ .
The Conferences: - Yalta (February 1945): Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin decided on the division of Germany into $4$ occupation zones (UK, US, France, USSR) and the founding of the United Nations. - Potsdam (July–August 1945): Agreements reached on denazification, punishment of war criminals, and the resettlement of borders.
The Rise of Superpowers and the Cold War: - United Nations: Founded in $October\, 1945$ , by delegates from $51$ nations in San Francisco. - Cold War (1947): A ideological war between democratic western nations and the communist eastern bloc. - Policy of Containment: Truman’s effort to stop the spread of communism into Southern and Western Europe. - OTAN (NATO) (1949): Military alliance of the West. - Warsaw Pact (1955): Soviet-led military alliance of Eastern European communist satellite states.

QUESTIONS & DISCUSSION

Question: What are the central messages present in Nazi propaganda posters?
Response: 1. The posters identified the Jewish people as the sole cause of the German defeat in the Great War. 2. They claimed that the Jewish people were the clandestine power behind all Allied enemy forces.