history

WWI

⚔ Vimy Ridge (April 9–12, 1917)

• A major WWI battle fought in France, where all four Canadian divisions fought together.

• Planned by General Julian Byng and led by Sir Arthur Currie.

• Used the creeping barrage strategy, moving artillery ahead of troops to protect their advance.

• Seen as a defining moment in Canadian history — national pride and military respect grew.

• Over 10,000 Canadian casualties.

• Canada captured the ridge from Germany — something France and Britain had failed to do.

🕊 Armistice (November 11, 1918)

• Official end of World War I at 11 a.m., on the 11th day of the 11th month.

• Signed in Ferdinand Foch’s railway carriage.

• Ended the fighting, but the Treaty of Versailles (1919) finalized terms later.

• November 11 became Remembrance Day in Canada.

📉 Great Depression (1929–1939)

• Started after the 1929 Stock Market Crash.

• Caused massive unemployment, homelessness, and poverty in Canada.

• Canada was hit hard due to overreliance on exporting wheat and raw materials.

• Construction projects were cancelled, and workers laid off.

• Government responses (e.g., Bennett’s policies) were seen as slow or ineffective.

🪖 Conscription Crisis of 1917

• Prime Minister Robert Borden introduced conscription (forced military service) due to soldier shortages.

• French Canadians, especially in Quebec, opposed conscription — saw WWI as a British war.

• Created deep English-French divisions in Canada.

• Borden used the Military Service Act to enforce conscription.

🐴 Bennett Buggies

• During the Depression, people removed engines from cars and used horses to pull them.

• Named after PM R.B. Bennett, who was blamed for economic failures.

• Symbolized poverty and survival during hard times.

📊 Boom and Bust Cycle

• Describes the ups and downs in the economy:

  • Boom = Prosperity, jobs, investments.

  • Bust = Recession, job loss, economic downturn.

• The 1920s were a boom period (“Roaring Twenties”).

• The 1930s were the bust — the Great Depression.

👩‍⚖ Person's Case (1929)

• Five Alberta women (“The Famous Five”) fought to have women recognized as “persons” under Canadian law.

• The Privy Council in Britain overturned the Supreme Court of Canada and ruled in their favor.

• Allowed women to be appointed to the Senate.

• A key victory for women’s rights in Canada.

🍺 Prohibition (1918–1920 in Canada)

• Banned the sale and consumption of alcohol.

• Pushed by religious and temperance groups.

• Aimed to reduce crime and help veterans.

• Caused illegal alcohol trade (bootlegging).

• Ended in most provinces by the early 1920s due to economic losses and public dissatisfaction.

WWII

🌍 World War II (1939–1945)

• Canada joined WWII on September 10, 1939, declaring war on Germany after Britain did.

• Initially had no official army, but thousands volunteered.

• Canada was involved in key battles and supported Allies through troops, equipment, and resources.

• The war helped boost the economy and created jobs, especially for women.

• PM William Lyon Mackenzie King led Canada through the war.

☠ Axis Powers

• Germany (Hitler)

• Italy (Mussolini)

• Japan (Hirohito)

• These countries formed a military alliance and aimed to expand their empires through aggression.

✊ Allied Powers

• Canada, Britain, France, Soviet Union (after 1941), United States (after 1941).

• Fought to stop Axis expansion and restore peace.

🧊 Battle of Stalingrad (1942–1943)

• Turning point on the Eastern Front.

• Brutal battle between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.

• Soviet victory marked the beginning of Germany’s retreat.

• One of the bloodiest battles in history.

🇮🇹 Allied Invasion of Sicily (July 1943)

• Canada participated in the Italian Campaign.

• Goal: Attack “soft underbelly” of Axis Europe.

• Marked the beginning of the Allied push into Italy, leading to the downfall of Mussolini.

🏚 Battle of Ortona (December 1943)

• Fierce house-to-house combat between Canadian troops and German soldiers in the Italian town of Ortona.

• Canadians used tactics like "mouse-holing" (blasting through walls to avoid open streets).

• Known as “Little Stalingrad” due to the intensity of fighting.

• Major Canadian contribution to the war.

❄ Operation Barbarossa (June 22, 1941)

• Hitler’s invasion of the Soviet Union.

• Largest military operation in history.

• Broke the Nazi-Soviet Pact.

• Eventually failed due to harsh winter, strong Soviet resistance, and overextended German forces.

✈ Luftwaffe

• Nazi Germany’s air force.

• Key role in the Blitz (bombing of Britain).

• Defeated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) in the Battle of Britain (1940).

☢ Atomic Bombings (August 1945)

• USA dropped two nuclear bombs:

  • Hiroshima – August 6

  • Nagasaki – August 9

• Purpose: Force Japan to surrender and end WWII in the Pacific.

• Killed over 100,000 civilians, caused radiation sickness, and brought ethical debates.

🔥 Hiroshima

• Target of the first atomic bomb ("Little Boy").

• Estimated 70,000+ killed instantly; many more from radiation.

• Forced Japan to consider surrender — ended the war days later.

⚓ Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941)

• Surprise attack by Japan on the US naval base in Hawaii.

• Over 2,400 Americans killed.

• Caused the USA to declare war on Japan, bringing them into WWII.

🛡 Soviet Invasion of Manchuria (August 1945)

• The Soviet Union declared war on Japan shortly after Hiroshima bombing.

• Invaded Japanese-held Manchuria in China.

• Helped force Japan’s surrender, alongside US atomic bombings.

Cold war

Final Exam Study Guide: Canada and the Cold War (1945–1982)

 1. Cold War Overview (1945–1990)

 A geopolitical, ideological, and economic struggle between the United States (capitalist democracy) and the USSR (communist dictatorship).

 Iron Curtain: Symbolized the ideological division of Europe between communism and capitalism.

 Conflicts played out in arms build-up, space race, proxy wars (e.g., Korea, Vietnam), espionage, and propaganda.

 2. Igor Gouzenko (1945)

 Soviet cipher clerk at the Soviet embassy in Ottawa.

 Defected in 1945, exposing a Soviet spy ring operating in Canada.

 His actions marked the start of the Cold War in North America.

 Led to greater awareness of the threat of communism and influenced Canadian domestic and foreign policy.

 3. NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

 Formed in 1949 as a military alliance between Western democracies including Canada.

 Purpose: Collective defense against potential Soviet aggression.

 Canada played a founding and active role in NATO peace and defense strategies.

 4. NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command)

 Created in 1958 as a defense partnership between the U.S. and Canada.

 Main goal: Monitor and defend against Soviet bomber and missile attacks.

 Included installations like the DEW Line (Distant Early Warning Line) in the Arctic.

 5. Canadian Peacekeeping Efforts

 Canada developed a strong international reputation as a peacekeeper.

 Lester B. Pearson proposed the first large-scale UN Peacekeeping Force during the Suez Crisis (1956) — won the Nobel Peace Prize.

 Missions included Cyprus, Congo, and other conflict areas involving Cold War tensions.

 6. UN Peacekeepers

 Deployed to maintain peace and security in post-conflict zones or active war areas.

 Neutral forces aimed to reduce tensions between Cold War adversaries.

 Canada contributed troops, logistics, and diplomatic leadership.

 7. Uranium and Canada’s Role

 Canada supplied uranium to the United States and allies during the Cold War.

 Vital for the development of nuclear weapons and energy.

 Canada's natural resources gave it strategic importance in global geopolitics.

 8. Space Race

 Competition between the U.S. and USSR to achieve superior space capabilities.

 Canada participated by launching Alouette I (1962) — Canada became the third country in space.

 Partnered with the U.S. and Europe in various satellite and space programs.

 9. Arms Race

 U.S. and USSR built up vast stockpiles of nuclear weapons.

 Led to the doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD).

 Canada was involved via NATO and NORAD, including hosting U.S. nuclear weapons at bases like Goose Bay.

 10. Battles Within the Cold War

 Korean War (1950–1953)

 First major armed conflict of the Cold War.

 North Korea (communist) invaded South Korea (democratic).

 Canada sent over 26,000 troops as part of the UN force.

 Outcome: Armistice, no peace treaty, Korean peninsula still divided.

 Vietnam War (1955–1975)

 Canada did not send combat troops, but was involved in peacekeeping and medical aid.

 Large-scale Canadian anti-war protests.

 Many American draft dodgers took refuge in Canada.

 Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)

 USSR placed nuclear missiles in Cuba.

 U.S. responded with a naval blockade.

 World stood on brink of nuclear war.

 Canada was criticized for not immediately supporting the U.S., but played a background role in diplomatic efforts.

 Bonus Review Tips

 Review dates, key figures (Lester B. Pearson, Trudeau), and organizations (NATO, NORAD, UN).

 Practice cause-effect relationships (e.g., Gouzenko Affair ➝ Canadian Cold War policy).

 Understand how Canada balanced being a U.S. ally with its reputation for peacekeeping.

Civic’s 

 🪢 Wampum Belts

 Beaded records used by Indigenous peoples, especially the Haudenosaunee.

 Represented agreements, laws, and treaties.

 Key to oral history and respectful governance.

 The Two Row Wampum symbolizes peaceful coexistence and mutual respect between Indigenous peoples and settlers.

 🤝 Treaties

 Legally binding agreements between Indigenous nations and the Crown.

 Promised things like land rights, education, healthcare.

 Many were broken or ignored by colonial governments.

 Modern treaties still shape Indigenous–government relations.

 👑 Constitutional Monarchy and Parliamentary Democracy

 Constitutional Monarchy:

   Canada’s head of state is the Monarch (King/Queen).

   The monarch’s powers are limited by the Constitution.

 Parliamentary Democracy:

   People elect representatives (MPs) to make decisions.

   The Prime Minister leads the government.

   Must maintain the confidence of the elected Parliament.

 🇨🇦 Levels of Government in Canada

 🏛 Federal

 National issues: defence, immigration, banking.

 Leader: Prime Minister.

 Based in Ottawa.

 🏫 Provincial

 Regional concerns: education, healthcare, transportation.

 Leader: Premier.

 Each province/territory has its own legislature.

 🏘 Municipal

 Local services: garbage, libraries, public transit, zoning.

 Leader: Mayor or Reeve.

 Governed by city or town councils.

 🧮 Minority Government

 When the ruling party wins the most seats but not over 50% in the House of Commons.

 Must rely on other parties for support on key votes.

 Can be unstable and lead to coalitions or new elections.

 ⚖ How Laws Are Made (Steps to Pass a Bill)

1. Introduction – MP or Senator presents the bill.

2. First Reading – Bill is introduced; no debate.

3. Second Reading – Debate on the idea; then vote.

4. Committee Stage – Detailed study; amendments may be made.

5. Report Stage – Committee’s changes reviewed.

6. Third Reading – Final debate and vote.

7. Other House – Process repeated in the other chamber.

8. Royal Assent – Governor General signs it into law.

 🏛 Legislative Branch

 Makes and passes laws.

 Three parts:

  1. House of Commons – Elected MPs debate and vote.

  2. Senate – Appointed Senators review and refine laws.

  3. Monarch (Governor General) – Gives Royal Assent to finalize laws.