WWI
Assassination of ArchDuke
June 28, 1914 Archduke of Austria-Hungary Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophia are assassinated
Assassinated by Serbian nationalists “Black Hand” who wanted Serbia to have independence from Austria-Hungary.
Gavrillo Princip fired two shots at the archduke
Black Hand sends coded message to Serbia Capital “Excellent sale of both horses”
Austria-Hungary then declares war on Serbia
Main Causes of WWI
Main 4 causes: Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, and Nationalism.
Imperialism: essentially taking over other countries' land.
Nationalism: Extreme love for your country and distaste for other countries
Militarism: The building up of arms and armies - started with Britain and Germany trying to one up one another.
WWI Alliance System
Triple Entente Alliance: Britain, France, Russia
Triple Alliance: Austria-Hungary, Germany, Italy.
Italy leaves the triple alliance and joins the triple entente at the beginning of the war.
New Technology:
U-Boats: U” stands for “unterseeboot”, meaning under-water-boat
Bayonet: Blade attached the end of gun, good in close combat, disadvantage is you need to be close to use it.
Machine Gun: Deadliest weapon in WW1, important in trench warfare, fast, easy to reload, heavy and placed in stands and defended pill boxes.
Artillery: Causes lots of destruction, little risk to self, and good to launch at enemies.
Repeating Rifle: shot long distances, not easy to reload, often jams.
Grenades: can eliminate/ wound multiple soldiers, must be in throwing distance
Flame Thrower: causes devastating damage, heavy and only projected a couple meters.
Tanks: Provide protection, act as shields as well as a weapon.
Poison Gas: deadly, burns eyes, skin and lungs. Cannot be contained.
Trenches:
Long, narrow excavations in the ground
Armies on both sides would construct trenches, their two purposes were defence and to stop the enemy from making further advancements.
Advantages: Easy to make, easy to defend, cheap to build, and doesn't require many soldiers to defend.
Disadvantages: wet, cold, hard to get in and out of without being seen by enemy snipers, dirty, unhygienic, no running water or flushing toilets.
Passchendaele:
Although Messines Ridge was lost in the battle of Ypres, for 2 years engineers dug under German trench and placed mines, they were all detonated at once and killed over 10000 Germans. When raided with tanks the Germans were confused. This operation was a success and made way for the battle of Paschendaele.
At the end of September, British lines made it to the base of Passchendaele ridge.
Paschendaele had thick mud caused by all the rain. The mud was so bad that some soldiers would drown in the mud while other soldiers were left waist deep, plowing through it. They then began laying down wood planks to travel across the mud.
During the first battle the mud made it hard for them to make any advancements.
During the second battle, although advised against attack by Arthur Curry, Haig went through with his attack. It was a very costly operation which was difficult in the mud. However, in under 15 days Canadians seized all the high ground of Paschendaele, ending the battle.
This battle left the Canadians and Australians mad at the British for wasting their men.
Vimy Ridge
Vimy Ridge was one of the most fortified positions the Germans had because of its elevation and its ability to see every move the allies made, French and British failed miserably beforehand in their attempts to take it.
Canadians were tasked to break the fortress of vimy ridge, Sir Arthur Currie led the operation
Planes took many photos above vimy ridge to create a replica model of the ridge to use when instructing soldiers
Currie had engineers dig a massive Tunnel City under Canadian lines, this would allow soldiers to enter the front lines without the Germans seeing, thus making them unaware of a large-scale attack coming
Every soldier was briefed on the plan and objective so they knew what they were doing and could step up and take charge if needed.
Curries tactic: Creeping Barrage.
It required some artillery to fire continuously at positions just in front of the advancing troops while the rest of the guns bombed the enemy trenches
Days before the attacks the Canadians bombed German trenches for a week, with better accuracy then the battle of somme
They attacked on April 9th and caught the Germans by surprise for when they ran to their machine gun posts and Canadians were already there
In 3 days, the Canadians captured Vimy ridge.
Ypres:
Ypres strategically was a part of the route the Germans were taking to get from Belgium to France.
The Canadians arrived after the first battle of Ypres when the British successfully captured the town. However, the Canadians came right in time for a second battle, where the Germans would introduce their new weapon, chlorine gas.
On April 22, 1915, the Germans released the gas onto the French front lines. This heavily affected the French lines, for they were caught off guard and did not have proper protection like gas masks to save them from the gas.
The Germans began advancing and the Canadians rushed to the front lines. The Canadians held the Germans off for three days. The Canadians held their positions until they received reinforcements.
Somme
The British and Canadians decided to bomb the German trenches for seven consecutive days. Resulting in 1.5 million shells falling on the German lines.
After the 7 days, Field Marshal Haig was confident the German lines had been completely obliterated. However, they were wrong, in reality, most Germans stuck out the bombings in their dugouts and were left untouched. In fact, 70% of German machine guns were still fully functional.
So, when the Canadians/British headed to the German front lines, they were met with their machine guns. A disaster was about to unfold.
The Canadians and British suffered immense casualties, with 60000 total and 20000 on the first day. This battle continued for the next three months. Tanks were then introduced on September 15, 1916, and were able to advance them a couple thousand yards.
This battle was considered a small British Victory.
Sir Arthur Currie:
Was under command of Byng during WW1
Strategist in charge of Vimy Ridge operation
Battle At Sea:
Dreadnought Scare: The Dreadnought Scare was when Germany challenged Britain.
Jutland:
Naval battle fought by Royal Naval Grand Fleet, against Imperial Germany High Seas Fleet
Largest Naval battle in the war.
Battle in the Air:
Aircrafts served two main purposes: gather intel and bombing
Dog fights: two planes fighting in the air, shooting each other pistols which later became machine guns
Zeppelins: Large blimps used to drop bombs.
Halifax Explosion:
Two Allied ships collided in the busy harbor (Mont Blanc and Imo)
The ship caught fire, drifted and at 9:06 am, the Mont Blanc’s cargo of high explosives
Government funding of WWI:
Recruiting stations were overflowing, many people were eager to enlist
Canada was in a depression before WW1, however factory jobs opened up to supply the army.
Homefront:
The federal government decided in 1917 to conscript young men to overseas military services
Racism in Recruitment: indigenous people initially not allowed to apply, asian canadians reluctantly allowed, black canadians put in black-only-battalions.
Enemy aliens; people required to carry around ID’s. People were sent to internment camps to do labour.
Women: Got better work conditions, the right to work for women, got the right to vote and own land.
Women began volunteering, helped in recruitment, got jobs in the industry.
Trench Warfare:
Soldiers would climb out of the trenches and charge across the battlefield
Both sides would make trenches
Served as defence and stopped enemies from making advancements
Treaty of Versailles
Discussed Germany's fate
Germany had to reduce the size of its military
Peace treaty signed in Versailles, Paris.
Redrew borders
Required germany to take responsibility for all the lose and damage it caused the allies and civilians
Germany had to pay for all wartime damages
Propaganda:
are facts, opinions and allegations that are used to promote one’s cause or damage an opposing cause
Spread mostly through posters in public places during WW1
Encouraged men to enlist, buy victory bonds, give to the patriotic fund, Canadians to be thrifty, the just war and enemy as evil.
Billy Bishop:
Top Scoring Aceof all allied pilots!
Victoria Cross recipient
William George Barker:
Most decorated Canadian during WW1
Victoria Cross Recipient
Convoy System:
Groups of merchant ships are protected by naval escort ships
a method of transporting ships or vehicles in groups for protection and support
Also collected intel
Douglas Haig
Commanded British army on western front during WW1
Achieved great victories
Lusitania:
In 1915, a U-boat torpedoed the Lusitania, a British passenger liner that was also Secretly carrying war supplies to Britain (remember, officially the US wasn’t taking a part in the war)
More than half the passengers, including 128 Americans, went down with the ship
What led the Americans to enter the war
Roberet Borden:
Prime minister during WW1
Declared war when Britain did
Sam Hughes:
Sam Hughes served as Canada's Minister of Militia and Defence from 1911 and was removed by Robert Borden in 1916.
Success: Oversaw construction of Camp Valcartier and boosted Canada's pre-law regular force
Failures: Provides soldiers with poor equipment and the Ross Rifle.
Hitlers Plan:
Final Solution: plan that the nazis have against the jews and the whole world
1920s
How did WWI change world
Created new countries, new attitudes and expectations
People wanted to forget the war and losses and return to normal life
Canadian Economy
Canadas economy began growing stronger
Demand for Canadians products grew, which created more jobs
People began mass producing items like cars, radios and telephones.
Politics
Liberal party divided over conscription issue
Wanted a leader who would unite the party and win the election. New leader was Mackenzie King
Arthur Meighen, conservative leader after Borden resigned, Prime Minister till 1920.
King wins in a minority government
King Byng affair: King asked Byng (the representative for the king) if he could call a new election. Byng declined, which caused an argument of who should have the most power. The one running the country or the person representing the king. An election ended up happening and King won.
Treatment of Aboriginals
Residential schools were created to assimilate first nations children through education. became mandatory in 1920 and made it so that children between the ages of 7 and 15 to attend these schools. The conditions of these schools were horrible. Students were forced to do labour, had poor healthcare, experienced abuse from teachers and had inadequate living conditions. Weremainly run by churches, so religious values were engraved into the children whilst suppressing their original indigenous spirituality.
Denied war pension and the right to vote and govern themselves.
Reserves were created
Immigration Policy
Prevented certain people from entering Canada: African Americans, Asians from India, China, and Japan were all unwelcomed.
Blacks were openly discriminated against
Chinese immigrant act: workers in canada couldn't bring their wife or children
Winnipeg General Strike
A general strike of all union members, their goal was to bargain as a group with employers, better pay and improved working conditions.
Quality of Life
economy is good and stable
People are able to afford more extravagant lifestyles
People began moving into towns and cities
Canadians could afford consumer goods
New Technology (car, radio)
Automobile: Top consumer item, a car
Radios, electric toasters, irons, sewing machines, and washing machines.
Frederick Banting:
Created insulin in 1921
Flappers
Flappers were woman who lived conformist lives
Buying on Margin
getting a loan from your brokerage and using the money from the loan to invest in more securities than you can buy with your available cash, in hopes to make more money.
Prohibition
Made alcohol illegal in 1917 in all provinces except Quebec, many ignored this law. Speakeasy: place to buy liquor. Bootleggers: Those who sold it.
Assembly Line
Breaks the manufacturing of goods into a sequence of steps
1930s
Black Tuesday
asset value is what something is really worth
market value is what it's sold for and what people are willing to pay for it
everyone tries to sell their stocks on black tuesday, leaving no one left to buy them.
People bought stocks with other people's money from banks and loan sharks and still owed them money, however they lost their money when the stock market crashed, leaving them in debt.
Economics of Recession/Depression
Caused by stock market crash
Many people lose their jobs
Businesses are forced to shut down
People cannot afford goods which caused economy to suffer
Banks demand money from unpaid loans
New Political Parties in the 1930s
Mackenzie king lost 1930 election after telling Canadians business was never better, before the stock market crashed
Conservative leader R.B Bennet becomes prime minister
Dust Bowls:
the earth gets so dry that the earth looks like “dust” creating dust storms.
Major drought in the west that ruined crops.
Relief Camps
various levels of Gov’t began to worry about the number of unemployed men roaming the country
Created camps for unemployed single men
Overpopulated and had poor living conditions.
On to Ottawa Trek
Protest of relief camp members in 1935 during Great Depression
Government Response to Depression
nothing
R.B. Bennett
Prime minister from 1931-1935
business man
Quality of Life:
Many canadians faced starvation
People left in debt to pay back loans
Unemployment increases
Riding the Rods:
Hobos riding at the bottom of trains as a means of transportation.
Bennett Buggy:
Bennett buggies are vehicles with their engine taken out and a horse pulling the car. This is because they cannot afford gas and they could make money off selling their engine. some people purposely brought bennet buggies
WWII
Causes of WWII
Treaty of Versailles
Fascist Italy and Germany
Japan invades china
Germany’s invasion of germany brings the allies into the war
Germany post WWI
Germany facing severe economic depression, inflation and political unrest.
Germany faced restrictions during the treaty of versailles to prevent them from being able to threaten people again; The restrictions were military restrictions, reparations (paying money to the countries they damaged), Lost border land (between denmark), lost coal mines and factories.
Fascism in Italy and Germany
Fascist Italy: Benito Mussolini was a fascist leader who took power inItaly and took away its democracy.
Hitler formed the NAZI party: National Socialist German Workers Party
Hitler unleashed his master plan with a powerful army
Joseph Stalin:
leader of the Soviet Union from 1922-1953
Ruthless Dictator
Communist
Benito Mussilini:
Benito Mussolini was a fascist leader who took power and italy and took away its democracy.
Mussolini aka. Il Duce stormed rome with ww1 veterans and took power with his followers known as the black shirts.
He banned political parties.
Adolf Hitler:
Would profit from Germany’s desperation
Decorated WWI Veteran
Master public speaker
Said out-loud what many Germans secretly thought and wanted
Leader of Nazi party
De fuhrer
The Munich Agreement
Leaders of italy, france and britain met with hitler.
Hitler could have Sudetenland, however, hitler must stop asking for additional territory.
Importance was to prevent war from breaking out.
Nazi-Soviet Pact:
Hitler hated communism
Stallin hated nationalism
Both agreed not to go to war with one another.
Secretly divided poland into two.
Policy of Appeasement
Chamberlains policy
Returned german demands
Chamberlain told the world what he wanted to “appease” him.
People thought hitler was being reasonable to they adopted the policy’s
Kristallnacht
Jews sent to concentration camps
Jewish business and synagogues are ransacked by german police.
Anschluss:
Nazi Germany unionizes with Austria
Austria was mostly German speaking
Blitzkrieg
Lightning war
First seen in poland
Hard, usually a surprise attack and fast warefare.
Fall of Poland/France
Winston Churchill warned France to guard its mountainous regions for fear of German invasions
The French fell for the manstein plan, a plan that would fool them into thinking the Germans were coming through the north when in reality they were coming through the south.
Nazi’s march into Paris in 1940, 3 days later France surrenders.
Nazi’s take hold of france and use greedy french politicians to oversea french colonies.
Miracle at Dunkirk:
Between May and June 1940, Allied soldiers were evacuated from Dunkirk, France, after being cut off and surrounded by the German army during the Battle of France.
Despite initial estimates of 10,000 saved, 340,000 were rescued.
Some believe that this was the miracle that prevented the germans from taking over britain.
Battle of Britain:
Savage air attack by nazi germany onto britain.
Hitler tries to break the will of people
Churchill orders bombing to berlin
Hitler bombs London
Giant air battles
London Blitz
Battle of the Atlantic:
Invasion of british imminent
Maintain continuous supply of food and munitions.
Offense would need to be launched from Britain to win the war.
War in the Air:
250 000 Canadian participants
Attacked Nazi Germany France by attacking German Air Bases, Gun positions, Military HQ’s and railroads.
Pearl Harbor
Japan surprise attacks Pearl Harbor (located in Hawaii), brings USA into ww2
Happened in 1941
Dieppe
Known as Canada’s darkest day
Battle across english channel where canadians faced many loses
Tanks got stuck in large beach pebbles, leaked intelligence (Germans knew they were coming) and due to Germany's elevation, their forces were able to fire down on landing crafts.
Italian Campaign (Sicily and Ortona)
Canadians face German troops in Ortona - Ortona is on route to rome.
Canadians put the civilians first and act in a more costly manner that decreases the amount of citizen deaths.
Operation Barbarossa
1939 russia signs a pact with germany if non aggression
In 1941 Germany broke this pact and invaded the Soviet Union.
This attack is called Operation Barbosa.
Russia joins allies
The German military underestimates the Russian climate and is ill-equipped for the harsh winters.
D-Day and Juno Beach
Stationed at Juno beach ( 1 out of 5 beaches), second most guarded beach
Canadian army was the only allied force to achieve its goal in the first day
Took over many towns, cleared the english channel for invasion.
Liberation of Netherlands
Largest Canadian assault in history
Drove out Nazis into northern germany.
War in Pacific/Atomic Bomb
America dropped the atomic bomb in Hiroshima and nagasaki.; save American lives, Japanese refuse to surrender.
Concentration Camps
Camps were used to slowly get rid of the Jewish population in regulated and manageable manner
The holocaust was the prosecution of over 6 million jews.
Technology and Innovations
Atomic bombs
radars
Conscription:
King rejected conscription in 1939 and 1940 (wanted to keep country united)
1942 King held a Plebiscite (special vote on specific proposal)
1945-1990
U.N., Cold War and the Iron Curtain
Cold War” = power struggle being fought by every means short of all-out war. Tension between US and Soviet Union. Fought with Spies (espionage), Propaganda, Economic and Political Pressures, Limited Military Aggression, Arms Race
UN: international organization, nations could meet, replace the league of nations, and find peaceful solutions.
Iron curtain: divides communist europe with democratic europe.
In 1962, the world came very close to nuclear war
U.S surveillance discovered soviet missile crisis in Cuba
NATO and Warsaw Pact
NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Warsaw Pact: Soviet Union response to NATO. The Soviet Union makes alliances with several European countries. West and East Berlin separated with Berlin Wall
Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan
Marshall Plan: 706 million in food, equipment, and raw materials to Europe. Fearing a weak Europe could be overthrown, the US and Canada donate 13.5 billion.
Gouzenko Affair
Young clerk in Soviet Embassy in Ottawa
Placed under protective custody
He defects
St. Laurent, Diefenbaker
St.Laurent: 12th prime minister ,Liberal, prime architect of Canada' international policies after WWII and promoted Canadian membership in NATO
Diefenbaker: Conservative, Wins 1957 election, Creates bill of rights
Korean War
Communist North Korea attack Democratic South Korea in 1950
UN authorized a military to attack North Korea after they failed to comply
Kapyong:
Battle of Kapyong - 2nd Battalion, PPCLI, tasked with the defence of the Kapyong Valley.
Delayed Chinese forces for three days
U.N. forces withdrew to a new defensive line, thus saving Seoul.
Avro Arrow
Fastest and most advanced of its time
Cancelled in 1959, potential reasons; too expensive, american interest
Many people lost their jobs because of its cancellation.
Lester B. Pearson
Liberal
Wins 1969 election
1st Canadian to win noble prize forhis role is Suez crisis
Creates medicare, canadian pension plan, and public housing.
Canadian Flag
New flag in 1965
60s Scoop
Happened through 1960’s-1980’s where indigenous children would be taken out of their homes and put up for adoption for non-indigenous parents. Usually done in the best interest for the child, not good living conditions, parents unfit to parent etc.
Pierre Trudeau, Just Society
Was elected to the House of Commons before he became liberal leader
Liberal leader after Lester B. Pearson died
His intelligence, wit and charisma captivated many canadians.
Quiet Revolution
Quiet Revolution: Leader Jean Lesage, after last premier of quebec died.
Promised to end corruption and patronage that has characterized the Duplessis government.
Victory marked the start of a stunning transformation in Quebec society on all fronts, political, social, cultural and industrial.
They called it La Revolution tranquille (The Quiet Revolution).
Quebec Separatism, FLQ/October Crisis
Separatists: People who wanted Quebec to be separated from the rest of Canada
Quebec Separatism
Quiet Revolution led to Quebec nationalism and terrorism
Trudeau combatted this by enforcing the War Measure Act
Fronte de Libération du Québec, FLQ kidnap 4 men
War Measure Act: Take away civil rights, Police arrest without reading rights or reason, 400 arrests in Quebec and send in Canadian troops.
Official Languages Act
Gave equal status to French and English languages and made Canada a bilingual nation
Constitution and Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Passed by trudeau
Protects rights and freedoms, includes right to equality and expression
Bill 101, Meech Lake Accord
Give provinces more power
Was only a proposition for the constitution
Would recognize quebec as a distinct society within Canada
Peacekeeping – Medak Pocket
War between borders of croatia and serbia during croatian war of independence, happened between 1992-1995
7 days of ethnic cleansing by serb forces
Canadian soldiers watch villages burn and hear screams of tortured civilians
Most significant fighting for Canada’s forces since the Korean War
Canadians pushed Croats back to their original lines and restored the UN’s missions credibility.
Trans-Canada Pipeline:
Carry Oil/Natural Gas from Alberta to Eastern Canada
Bill of Rights
Human rights and freedom
Gave indigenous people the right to vote.
James Cross:
Kidnapped by FLQ members during October Crisis
Pierre Laport:
Deputy Premier of Quebec who was kidnapped by FLQ and killed.