Transcript Economic and Diplomatic Effects of World War II on Canada

ECONOMIC AND DIPLOMATIC EFFECTS
OF WORLD WAR II ON CANADA
Period 2
Alyssa Sanchez
Raveena Songu
ECONOMIC EFFECTS OF THE WWII ON
CANADA
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Canada supplied many resources and raw
materials to the war and thus their economy
boomed, despite their debt of over $10 million
dollars. The supplies Canada gave to the war
had to be made in large supplies fast, resulting
in many factories across Canada.
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Many factories also converted in order to send
supplies to their Canadian troops. For example,
Inglis Appliances, in Toronto made Bren
Machine Guns, and Sten sub Machine guns,
and General Electric made search lights and
radar for ships. Canadian Steel Car in Hamilton
switched from making freight cars , to making
fighter planes. General Motors in Oshawa,
made over ONE MILLION trucks in WW2.
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Because of this the agricultural sector was
overtaken by the industrial and manufacturing
sectors in Canada.
CONTINUED…
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WWII fought in a more economically efficient manner
Economic style of warfare, “Total War”(Horizons Textbook), was introduced.
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Included the entirety of Canada in an effort to thwart the enemy by making all aspects of life centered around an Ally
victory
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Number of employees in the manufacturing industry increased by 50% while the unemployment rate dropped to less
then 1%.
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Economic boost because of the sacrifices of more then 1 million housewives made factory workers and Britain’s heavy
dependence upon Canadian products such as wheat and meat.
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Women the work of men by making as much as 815 000 military vehicles by the war’s end
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Canada created a credit for the country amounting to 3 billion dollars overall
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Finance this massive progressive loan through sales of raw materials to the United States
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Money owed to Canada would be beneficial in evening out the debt of 20 billion dollars created by Canada’s
involvement in the war
Economic stance was much the same as it was in WWI
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Both women and men helped on the home front by working long hours in their jobs
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Victory bonds placed so ordinary people could invest in the government
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Economies the same with steady growth throughout the war in the agricultural, munitions and industrial sectors.
(Horizons Textbook)
One critical difference was the way the Canadian government reacted to the new economic prosperity.
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Fearing inflation, government increased the income tax so economy could stay relatively stable during and after the war
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Increased relations with the US during the war
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If it was in trading Uranium for the benefit of the Manhattan Project or borrowing money for the mass
investments in the British Isles.
World War II had a greater impact on our economy and a more positive long term impression than WWI
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World powers worked well with Canada, Canada had more economic independence, and Canada was better prepared for
the atrocities of war.
“WAR BABIES”
—JOHN COLLINS
September 15, 1941, 20th century
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What is Collins message here?
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Why is this valuable to historians?
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What are some limitations of this
cartoon?
http://www.mccord-museum.qc.ca/scripts/viewobject.php?
section=162&Lang=1&tourID=GE_P4_5_EN&seqNumber=10&carrou
sel=true
DIPLOMATIC EFFECTS OF THE WWII ON
CANADA
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Canada entered the war on
September 9, 1939
The National Resources
Mobilization Act 1940: in early
1942 but not put into effect until
November 1944, the purpose of it
was to allow conscription for
overseas
 Atlantic and Pacific Commands
were established
 Law was met with passive
resistance, especially in
Quebec, where they had no
conscription since World War I
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/
second-world-war-wwii
CONTINUED…
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On August 18, 1940, King and Roosevelt announced an
agreement (not a formal treaty) to set up a Permanent
Joint Board on Defense, which met quite often to
discuss mutual defense problems
 In 1941 Canada's balance of payments with the US
became serious, mostly because of the difficulty of
financing imports from the US resulting from
Canada's industrial production for Britain. It was
solved by the Hyde Park Declaration on April 20.
CONTINUED…
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In April 1942 the first Canadian army was formed in England
under Lieutenant-General A.G.L. McNaughton .
 In contrast with WWI, it was a long time before the army
saw large-scale action
Public opinion in Canada became disturbed by the inaction,
and disagreement developed between the government and
McNaughton, who wished to reserve the army for a final,
decisive campaign.
CONTINUED…
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The government arranged with
Britain for the 1st Canadian Infantry
Division to join the attack on Sicily
July 1943
Canada also played a part at
Normandy (D-Day) and at the Battle
of Rhineland
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/se
cond-world-war-wwii
CONTINUED…
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The Air Campaign
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The war effort of the Royal
Canadian Air Force was deeply
affected by its management of
the British Commonwealth Air
Training Plan
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Great numbers of Canadians
served in units of Britain's Royal
Air Force
Canadian airmen served in
every theatre, from bases in the
UK, North Africa, Italy,
Northwest Europe and
Southeast Asia
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http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/secondworld-war-wwii
CONTINUED…
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The Naval War
 The Royal Canadian Navy was tiny in
1939, but expanded immensely during
the war
 Its primary task was convoy, protecting
the troop and supply ships across the
Atlantic
 After the Atlantic Convoy Conference in
Washington in March 1943, the
Canadian Northwest Atlantic Command
was set up, covering the area north of
New York City and west of the 47th
meridian
 Apart from their main task in the Battle
of the Atlantic, Canadian naval units
took part in many other campaigns,
including supporting the Allied landings
in North Africa in November 1942; and
to the Normandy operations of June
1944 the RCN contributed some 110
vessels and 10 000 men.
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/secondworld-war-wwii
CONTINUED…
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At the end of war
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Canada had little share in
making the peace
The peace conference in
Paris in the summer of
1946 merely gave the
lesser Allies, including
Canada, an opportunity of
commenting upon
arrangements already
made.
Canada signed treaties
only with Italy, Hungary,
Romania and Finland.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Peace_Treaties,
_1947
OPVL
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What is the overall message of this
poster?
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What is the value of this poster to
historians?
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What are some limitations to this
poster regarding its use for historians?
OPVL
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Origin: May 11, 1942: Canadian Parliament approves full conscription.
Purpose: This propaganda’s purpose was to try and get the Canadians to
enlist in war.
Value: As a historian, this poster has value because it shows how the
Canadians wanted to fight in the war so badly and when they could they
tried to get all their people motivated to fight in it.
Limitation: This poster has its limitations because it is in the point of view of
the person that made the poster, and doesn’t fully represent all of the
Canadians’ point of view.
WORKS CITED
"The Canadian Encyclopedia." Second World War (WWII). Historica-Dominion, n.d. Web. 4 Nov 2012.
Horizons Textbook
Economic Effects of World War II Compared to World War I.” Web. 3 Nov 2012.
http://www.canadianeconomy.gc.ca/English/economy/1939ww2.html