“The Great War” World War I

1. “The Great War”World War I SOC 20

2. The Great WarAugust 1914 – November 11, 1918 Paul Nash, The Menin Road, 1919—depiction of a battlefield. Void can be seen as the archetype of the Great War landscapes: not a soldier to be seen, abandoned lorries and guns, flooded trenches, a limp corpse among the shells and rifles, smoke and, in the distance a plane, either dropping bombs or falling to the ground, we cannot tell. Pablo Picasso’s depiction of a soldier at war

3. The Great WarAugust 1914 – November 11, 1918 La Fresnaye brings together such symbolic elements as the flag, military music, the officer on the white horse, and descriptive elements such as the gun and its servers transported by a horse-drawn cart.

4. Lecture Outline • Canada’s Contributions • The War & Technology • Societal Impacts of the War • Aftermath of the War

5. Canada’s Response • Canada was still a part of the British Empire • Although Canada had become a political union in 1867, Britain still controlled the foreign policy of its dominions • In other words, when Britain declared war on Germany, Canada, along with the rest of the British empire was automatically at war • This raises a question of autonomy! • To what extent was Canada an autonomous country in 1914?

6. Canada’s Contributions “Watching” Canada, the young lion and first Dominion, is shown standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the mother country, ready to defend the empire.

7. Canadian Attitudes Towards War “We are part of the British Empire, so of course we are at war. That is the law. We must now decide on the kind of aid that we should send to Britain. I believe that we should send soldiers to fight alongside the British army in France. Canadians, I am sure, will be proud to fight for their King and country.” • ~Robert Borden (PM of Canada, Conservative) • Adapted from remarks he made in the House of Commons on August 18, 1914

8. Canadian Attitudes Towards War “It is our duty to let Great Britain know that there is in Canada but one mind and one heart and that all Canadians are behind the Mother Country.” • ~Wilfred Laurier (opposition leader, Liberals)

9. Canadian Attitudes Towards War Sources unknown “When the war started I wanted to go, but I was too young, only fifteen. By the time I was seventeen, I couldn’t wait any longer. I guess I was afraid the war would end before I got a chance to get involved.” “A lot of us were farm boys. Fighting was bound to be more exciting than farming and none of us thought we’d ever get another chance to see overseas places like England and France.”

10. Canada’s Contributions • Prime Minister Borden offered 25,000 troops; but more than 30,000 volunteers signed up in the first month • People volunteered because they believed the war would be brief, it would be an adventure, they would be patriots, and some were simply broke • Not all Canadians welcomed though: • Women – too weak and emotionally frail to fight • Those who did join, worked as nurses and ambulance drivers • Aboriginal People, African Canadians, Japanese Canadians

11. New Recruits @ Valcartier CampQuebec, 1914 Most volunteers came forward for an adventure, a sense of duty, and patriotism. The reality of war did not always meet these idealistic expectations.

12. Training the Troops • Canadians had only minimal basic training • Excited to go to war, but not well prepared • Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) • Wartime training brought Canadians together as a group, first at Valcartier, then at bases in England • Began to develop a National Identity (A national sense of being Canadian) • The CEF fought as a separate Canadian uunit; they maintained their independence and did not join British units. • This is a good example of national identity and Canada gaining independence

13. The 29th Battallion (Vancouver), CEF, training in Hastings Park, Vancouver, late 1914

14. The War Measures Act • After initial enthusiasm for the war waned, Prime Minister Borden knew that Canada would not meet the demands of the war • Government needed control over the country’s affairs • Total War -> Every aspect of society is involved in the war effort • Thus, Border introduced the War Measures Act • Granted the government the authority to do everything necessary “for the security, defense, peace, order, and welfare of Canada”

15. The War Measures Act • Government could: • Intervene directly in the economy and control: • Transportation & Manufacturing • Trade & agricultural production • Strip Canadians of their civil liberties • Mail could be censored • Habeas Corpus suspended • People who are arrested no longer have the right to be brought before a judge • Police had the power to detain people without reason • Immigrants from Germany and Austria-Hungary treated poorly • Half a million required to carry special identity cards and report to officers • Others sent to internment camps, where those who were considered a “threat” were detained

16. “The War At Home” • Canada’s economy was weak in 1914, but it had improved by 1916 • Many Canadians employed in factories that built ships, airplanes, and shells • Resources such as lumber, nickel, lead, copper, and Canadian wheat and beef were in high demand • Many Canadian goods were exported • However, there were shortages of Canadian goods in Canada, so prices skyrocketed • Canadians were made because they earned low wages, but had to pay high prices for goods • Canadians also wanted better working conditions

17. “The War At Home” Women's Canadian Club, Ottawa, Ontario, September 1918. These women are putting together parcels for wounded soldiers.

18. Paying for the War • Canada could not raise money to pay for its contribution to the war • Government tried to pay its debts through bonds, taxes, and loans • Canadians were encouraged to buy Victory Bonds, so they can cash in when the war is over • Income tax was introduced – 3% for families, 4% for businesses. Canadians criticized it was too low! • Government was forced to borrow money from other countries, especially the USA

19. Anti-Conscription parade in Montreal Conscription Crisis, 1917 Question: Why did conscription become a major issue in Quebec?

20. Conscription Crisis, 1917 • Since the war began, the act that required able-bodied male and female workers to register for essential war work was known as the National Selective Services Act • By 1917, the death toll was so high and so many Canadians were employed at home, that not many men volunteered for the war any more • Prime Minister Borden promised that there would not be conscription (required enlistment for military service) • But David Lloyd George, PM of Britain, convinced Borden that more Canadian troops were needed to fight in the war

21. Conscription Crisis: French Canadians • Didn’t want to join because they didn’t speak English and there were no French military units • Bad relationships with English-speaking Canadians because French was not taught in schools outside of Quebec • Felt no patriotic need to fight for Britain and France (had been in Canada for too long) • Henri Bourassa: French leader against conscription • Disgusted by the loss of Canadian life • Canada would lose more money • Felt conscription would divide Canada • Would hurt Canada’s agricultural and industrial production

22. Conscription Crisis: Others Prairie Farmers & Industry Coal Miners • Farmers needed their sons to do farm work • Industrial workers argued that they were already contributing to the war • Didn’t want to give up their jobs • Were currently not making enough money to support their families • Also worked in terrible conditions • If they joined war, they would earn even less money • Some reacted violently, while others hid from authorities

23. Conscription Crisis, 1917 • Borden introduced the Military Service Act • This meant that people had no choice but to join the war • As already seen, this divided Canada • Ultimately, Borden decided to call an election over the issue of conscription in 1917 • But, he needed to pass new laws to make sure that he would remain the Prime Minister • Military Voters Act: men & women overseas could vote • Wartime Elections Act: Canadian women directly related to servicemen could vote • Those who did not believe in their war became of their faith (pacifists) and immigrants from enemy countries could not vote

24. Conscription Crisis, 1917

25. Canada’s Most Important Election • Borden invited the opposition Liberals who supported him to join him in created a wartime Union Government • Wilfred Laurier, the liberal leader, was against conscription • The Union Government won the election – conscription went ahead • Anger from Quebec • Anti-Conscription riots in 1918 This 1917 election poster equates a vote for Laurier, the Liberal leader, with a vote for Germany.

26. The War… …On Land …In the Air …At Sea Question: How did technological innovations change the way the war was fought?

27. The War On Land • In August 1914, Germany introduced the Schlieffen Plan • Bold strategy of a two-front war • Western Front: France • Eastern Front: Russia • Plan: • German army would invade Belgium, then France, and capture Paris • Once Germany would do this, they would be able to invade Russia

28. The War On Land • But the plan failed! • German troops had almost reached Paris, but they got tired • France and Britain got together and decided to stop the German troops from reaching Paris • Germany responded by digging a defensive line of trenches • The allies dug their own trenches • Between the trenches, there was what became known as “no-man’s land”, a terrible wasteland of bodies, wires, and mud • Allies and German troops stayed in the trenches for a long time; no one would (or could) advance

30. The War On Land: No-Man’s Land

31. The War On Land: Trench Warfare • Technological advancements such as the machine gun were not met with improved military strategies • The old “line-up-and-fire” tactic was routinely used by generals early on in WWI • This led to horrendous casualties early on in the war • The only thing that people could do was to dig holes in the ground to hide in

32. The War On Land: Trench Warfare Sleeping in trenches under the rain

33. The War On Land: Trench Warfare • Life in the Trenches • Cold & Damp • Flooded by rain • Rats • Clothes with lice • Soldiers abandoned in no-man’s land because it was too dangerous • Men constantly feared for their lives because of weapon fire and exploding shells The Canadians (namely Major-General G .L. McNaughton) invented a 91 kg mortar bomb, 9.45-inch in diameter, which the Canadian infantry nick-named the 'blind pig'.  Generally unreliable and with a short range of 400 yards it nevertheless provided a boost to Canadian morale.

34. The War On Land: Trench Warfare Picture of Trenchfoot

35. The War On Land: Trench Warfare French Trench: living and dead together

36. The War On Land: New Technologies • New weapons were powerful and deadly • Machine Guns • Airplanes were newly introduced • Armoured (bulletproof) tanks were introduced • Could blast over trenches and through barbed wire • Soldiers and commanders needed to learn how to respond to these technologies • World War I was a war of attrition • Attrition warfare is a concept that in order to win, the enemy must be worn down to the point of collapse • Accomplished through continual loss of personnel and material • The war will ultimately be won by the side with greater reserves

37. Second Battle of Ypres (April 1915) The only defense against chlorine gas was goggles and wet gauze • The CEF & French troops against German soldiers • The Allied troops were blinded, burned, or killed when the Germans used chlorine gas • 6000+ Canadians dead • There was still no clear winner

38. Battle of the Somme(July 1916) British & French VS German soldiers The Germans were clearly victorious 1,000,000+ dead total 24,000 Canadians dead • The British commander, General Haig ordered his men to fight using traditional strategies • The Germans were using machine guns • Almost 85% of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, over 700 men were killed or wounded within half an hour! • Was this regiment Canadian? Who did they fight with during WWI? Think of Confederation…

39. Battle of Vimy Ridge (1917) Canadian Losses: -3500 dead -7000 wounded • The Germans controlled Vimy Ridge • The French tried to regain it, but were always unsuccessful • In 1916, Canadian troops were chosen to lead a new attack under General Byng (British) • Developed strategies for attack and trained troops well • Build tunnels in trenches so troops can travel without getting shot • Ultimately, the Canadians took the ridge, where France had failed • Canadians were proud of their accomplishment. • This whole world was! • How did this contribute to Canadian autonomy?

40. Battle of Vimy Ridge (1917)

41. Battle of Vimy Ridge (1917) Trench, Vimy Ridge, 1917. Extensive trenches were dug out of the forested landscape of Vimy Ridge. Despite suffering hundreds of casualties, Canadian soldiers made an enormous contribution to the Allied effort to capture Vimy Ridge and maintain the salient. In so doing, they established an enduring reputation for ability and bravery during battle. The campaign was not only a defining moment in Canada's military history, but also in the development of an autonomous Canadian nation.

42. The War In The Air • Pilots flew airplanes for Aerial Reconnaissance • Photographing and reporting on enemy troops • Small fighter aircraft with machine guns were then created • Pilots on both sides fired at ground forces and at each other (called dogfights) • If a pilot could prove that he had shot down 5 enemy aircraft, he was called an ACE • Seen as heroes • Life expectancy of a pilot was 3 weeks • Canada did not have its own air force – pilots joined the British air force • Canadian Aces

43. Billy Bishop—shot down 72 planes • Roy Brown credited with shooting down the German flying ace the “Red Baron” “Red Baron”- top German ace who shot down 80 planes

45. The War At Sea • Germany could not match Britain’s navy and strength, but it had U-Boats • U-boats were dangerous weapons because they could travel under water without being seen or detected • 1915: U-Boat sinks the Lusitania, killing many, including Canadians and Americans • 1917: Germany announces that U-Boats would sink all ships around the British war zone

46. Torpedoed German postcard showing the torpedoing of Lusitania

47. The War At Sea • Effect: • Britain couldn’t fight the U-Boats until Allies developed convoy systems and underwater listening devices that helped locate and destroy U-Boats • At the end of the war, Germany was required to give their remaining boats up • Canada’s military port in Halifax was a good location, because Allied warships could be repaired and refueled • Canada helped send munitions and food to Britain: this was dangerous because ships could be shot by U-Boats

48. Societal Impacts of the War -Changing Roles of Women -Propaganda -A new psychological disorder

49. Changing Roles of Women • Organized committees to send food and letters overseas • Involved in volunteer organizations, such as the Red Cross • Contributed to the labour force • Before war: women working in low-skill and low-paying jobs in food and clothing industries • During war: women got all kinds of jobs • Without women, Canada’s economy would never have met war demands • But…after the war, people thought that women would give up their jobs for the returning soldiers

50. Changing Roles of Women • The women’s suffrage movement also gained new ground • Before and during the war, women were not permitted to vote • By 1918, all Canadian women got the right to vote in federal elections because of all that they did during the war