Canadian History Exam

Canada's Role in WWI

Causes of WWI

• M.A.I.N. Causes: Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism.

These factors created tensions and rivalries, contributing to the outbreak of war.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand: His assassination by Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo in 1914 was the immediate trigger for WWI.

Alliance System:

Triple Entente: Britain, France, Russia.

Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy.

Order of Attack (1914): Austria-Hungary → Serbia; Germany → Belgium, France; Britain enters to defend Belgium.

Key Battles

Trench Warfare: Stalemate warfare involving extensive trenches.

Major battles where Canadian troops demonstrated resilience and strategic importance: Passchendaele, Ypres, The Somme, Vimy Ridge

Creeping Barrage: Artillery technique to advance troops under cover.

Significant Events

Halifax Explosion: Largest man-made explosion pre-atomic bomb, devastated Halifax in 1917.

Minority Groups: Contributions by French Canadians, Indigenous people, and women (e.g., in nursing and munitions work).

Post-War

Treaty of Versailles:

War Guilt Clause: Blamed Germany for the war.

Reparations: Payments by Germany to Allied nations.

War Measures Act: Gave the Canadian government broad powers during wartime.

1920s and Great Depression

Key Terms and Trends

Flapper Girls & Gibson Girls: Represented new social freedoms and changing roles for women.

Prohibition: Banned alcohol, leading to speakeasies and bootlegging.

Consumerism: Rise of appliances and urbanization.

Famous Five: Advocated for women's rights, achieving the "Person's Case."

Great Depression (1930s)

Causes:

Overproduction, tariffs, Black Tuesday (1929 stock market crash).

Buying on margin and lack of financial regulation.

Impact:

Unemployment, shanty towns, welfare programs ("pogey").

"On-to-Ottawa Trek" protests against government inaction.

Key Figures:

Prime Minister R.B. Bennett (Bennett Blankets, Buggies, Coffee).

Canada's Role in WWII

Key Events

Axis vs. Allies:

Axis: Germany, Italy, Japan.

Allies: Britain, USSR, USA, Canada.

Major Battles:

Dieppe, D-Day (Juno Beach), Ortona, Battle of the Atlantic.

Holocaust: Canada’s delayed response to Jewish refugees and internment of Japanese Canadians.

Home Front

Women in WWII: Worked in factories, military roles (e.g., WRENs).

Conscription Crisis: Divisive issue; led to a plebiscite in 1942.

Canada and the Cold War

Key Concepts

NATO vs. Warsaw Pact: Canada joined NATO to counter Soviet influence.

Suez Crisis: Canada's role as a peacekeeper (Lester B. Pearson’s Nobel Prize).

NORAD: Continental defense partnership with the USA.

Avro Arrow: Controversial cancellation of Canada’s supersonic fighter jet program.

Global Influence

Iron Curtain: Symbolized division between East (communist) and West (capitalist).

Marshall Plan: Economic aid to rebuild Europe.

Cuban Missile Crisis: Canada’s cautious role during the nuclear standoff.

Social Progress and Challenges

First Nations, Métis, and Inuit

Residential Schools: Forced assimilation policies.

Oka Crisis (1990): Armed standoff over Indigenous land rights.

Truth and Reconciliation: Efforts to address historical injustices.

Immigration and Multiculturalism

Chinese Exclusion Act: Example of systemic racism.

Multiculturalism Policy (1971): Celebrated diversity.

Evolving Technology

Advances in transportation, communication (radio, telephone), and health sciences (e.g., insulin discovery by Banting and Best).

Prime Ministers to Know

WWI: Robert Borden.

WWII: William Lyon Mackenzie King.

Post-War: John Diefenbaker, Lester B. Pearson, Pierre Trudeau.