WW1

2 main alliances of WW1 Hi pookie!!

Triple Entente - Britain, France, Russia

Team Alliance (Central powers) - Germany, Austria Hungary and Italy

The Events leading to war

1 Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

2. Austria-Hungary declares war Serbia

3. Austria-Hungary issues an ultimatum to Serbia with the following unacceptable demands:

Put down all national hatred against Austria-Hungary
Punish all those involved in the plot
Allow Austro-Hungarian officials into Serbia to crush the Black Hand

4. Serbia agrees to the first two demands, but refuses the third

5. Austria-Hungary asks Germany, their major ally, for permission to deal with Serbia

6. Germany, knowing that Russia would act as Serbia’s protector (Serbia and Russia are the same ethnicity) & that Russia is in an alliance with France, promises support of Austria-Hungary against Serbia on July 5, 1914

7. Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia on July 28, 1914

8. Russia begins to mobilize its army to protect Serbia

9. Germany orders them to stop

10. Russia refuses

11. Germany must set the Schlieffen Plan in motion before Russia is prepared for war

12. Germany declares war on Russia on August 1, 1914, and on France on August 3, 1914

13. The German Army invades Belgium on August 3, 1914

14. Great Britain declares war on Germany after the German army violates Belgium neutrality on August 4, 1914

15. Canada automatically enters the war when Great Britain declares war on August 4, 1914

The Schlieffen Plan

The Schlieffen Plan was that Germany would attack France by invading Belgium and quickly defeat France
With France defeated the strong German Army would focus on the week Russian Army and defeat them too
Then their plan was that once both France and Russia were defeated, Britain would become weekers and wouldn't be able to fight Germany, so Germany would easily be able to take their land and colonies.

What is Canada’s reaction to the outbreak of war?

Canada reacted to the start of World War 1 by supporting Britain. When Britain declared war on Germany in August 1914 Canada joined and because they was part of the British Empire many Canadians felt it was their duty to help and volunteered to fight showing their loyalty to Britain even though some people were worried about the war

Robert Borden was the prime minister of Canada during WW1. He had agreed to join the war when Britain had declared it. He had encouraged Canadians to enlist in the military and had sent out a group of soldiers to fight with British forces. He initially sent around 30 000 soldiers to support Britain and he was a part of World War I.

Sam Hughes - Colonel Sam Hughes was a Canadian Military leader and politician during WW1. He had helped and encouraged more people to join the military.

Trench Warfare: aspects of the trench system, life, conditions, injuries etc. Trenches were big holes in the ground. Trenches expanded as the war continued. Their living conditions were terrible. Rats and lice had started coming in the trenches since there are rotten food and dead bodies everywhere. The rats had brang diseases. Soldiers had gotten thrat trench fever and had died from it. A lot of them had experienced the trench foot which is a frostbite from the mud that can lead to amputation. The trenches never allowed for a soldier to get a break from the war.Many soldiers experienced shell shock and many passed away from it. Soldiers would experience:

Paralysis
Uncontrollable shaking
Crying
Screaming
Blindness – mostly experienced by snipers
almost 10,000 Canadians were shellshock during the war. Shell Shock is also known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Major Canadian Battles: Ypres, Somme, Vimy and Passchendaele (significance of each)

The Battle Of the Ypres (City in Belgium) located in flanders region

Began on April 1915
The Ypres soldiers had suffered from chlorine gas that the German troops released on them.
The gas affected around 10 000 soldiers (over half the soldiers) within 10 minutes
Its was a yellowish green gas

Two days later the Germans released a second batch of chlorine gas directed at Canadian troops. Although German troops gained ground, they suffered heavy losses from defending Canadian and British troops.

Significance

In their first battle, Canadians showed they were strong fighters. There were 5975 of their soldiers injured and 1000 deaths. Canadians were the only ones who managed to keep their ground.

First war where a poison gas weapon was used.
The battle showcased bravery and resilience of canadians soldiers
Showed how tough and hard trench warfare was which was a big part of WW1

The Battle of the Somme

Began July 1- November 18, 1916.
Canadians fought under the British
Their goal was to drain German forces of reserves (armies ) to get territorial gain.
The Germans referred to the battle as “das Blutbad”. The Blood Bath because of how bad it was
On the first day of the battle 90% of their soldiers were killed or injured.
- 798 Soldiers
- 255 dead
- 386 wounded
- 91 missing

Canadian soldiers had arrived in late summer 1916. They had achieved their goal at the Somme and advanced into German territory. Canadains soldiers had earned a reputation for being heroic and tough.

Significance : In November, the soldiers only moved about 6 miles into Germany. The Battle had ended on November 18, days after the British took Beaumont Hamel. The first day of the battle was the worst day for that British, with many soldiers dying in an area call no mans land. It is significant because of its introduction and use of new technology during that battles

Battle of Vimy

Their goal was to take the ridge held by the Germans because it gave a clear view of the allied battle lines. At that time, the Germans seemed unbeatable. Currie was to send his men to their deaths.

Robert Borden - Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the eighth prime minister of Canada from 1911 to 1920. He is best known for his leadership of Canada during World War I

Sam Huges - He was in charge of Canada's army during WW1. He had made bad decisions like conscription and etc

War Measures Act - A Canadian law that gave the federal government special powers during times like war and rebellion. Was introduced at the start of 1914 ww1 and also used in ww2

Conscription - A law that forces men to join the army. First introduced in 1917 during WW1 and was introduced by Robert Borden, the prime minister of Canada during WW1. He had done this because there was a shortage of soldiers and there were no longer any volunteers. Men from age 20 - 45 were able to join the war. Many Canadians had felt that this was unfair, especially French Canadians because they had different beliefs and didn't want to fight in a war they did not support. Many of them also didn't wanna be fighting towards their deaths.

Enemy aliens are people in Canada from countries Canada was fighting during wars, like germany austria-hungary and internment camps were places where people got sent, even if they did nothing wrong. They were forced to live there and do hard work. Many of them were treated unfairly.they were detained without proof and that they were a threat. They did hard labour like building roads and working in mines. Most of them were immigrants, mostly Ukrainian canadians.

Halifax explosion took place on december 6 1917 in Halifax Nova Scotia.

2 ships had collided in the harbour

The Mont- Blanc was carrying explosives where the other ship, the imo was a supply ship.

The collision had caused a massive explosion that killed over 2000 people, around 9000 people were injured and most of the city was destroyed. It had made a huge impact on Canadian history because it showed the risks of war and it had led to changes for the future which is why its significance.

The Treaty of Versailles was a peace agreement that had ended WW1 in 1919. It was signed by the allied powers (france,britain and the U.S) and germany. The treaty had made Germany responsible for everything like the money for damages, etc. Although the harsh terms of the treaty caused resentment in Germany which had led to the rise of WW2.

Francis Pegahmagabow was a first nations canadian soldier in WW1. He was a sniper and scout with over 378 kills. He has received military medals for his advocacy and bravery. His significance is that he is one of the most known decorated indigenous soldiers. After the war he worked to improve the rights of indigenous people in canada. His bravery and leadership made him a key figure in both military and indigenous history.

The Wartime elections act happened in 1917, it had given women who were related to the soldiers in the war the right to vote. Although not all women, some women like immigrants were not allowed to vote because they were from enemy countries.