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.