Transcript The Great War

“THE GREAT WAR”
WORLD WAR I
SOC 20
The Great War
August 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
The Great War
August 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 horsedrawn cart.
Lecture Outline




Canada’s Contributions
The War & Technology
Societal Impacts of the War
Aftermath of the War
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?
Canada’s Contributions
“Watching”
Canada, the young lion
and first Dominion, is
shown standing shoulderto-shoulder with the
mother country, ready to
defend the empire.
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
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)
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.”
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
New Recruits @ Valcartier Camp
Quebec, 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.
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

The 29th Battallion (Vancouver), CEF, training in Hastings Park,
Vancouver, late 1914
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”
The War Measures Act

Government could:

Intervene directly in the economy and control:





Strip Canadians of their civil liberties
Mail could be censored
Habeas Corpus suspended





Transportation & Manufacturing
Trade & agricultural production
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
“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

“The War At Home”
Women's Canadian Club,
Ottawa, Ontario, September
1918.
These women are putting together
parcels for wounded soldiers.
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
Anti-Conscription parade in
Montreal
Conscription Crisis, 1917
Question:
Why did conscription become a major issue in Quebec?
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
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

Conscription Crisis: Others
Prairie Farmers & Industry


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
Coal Miners

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
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
Conscription
Crisis, 1917
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.
The War…
…On Land
…In the Air
…At Sea
Question:
How did technological
innovations change the
way the war was fought?
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
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

The War On Land: No-Man’s Land
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
The War On Land: Trench Warfare
Sleeping in trenches under the rain
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.
The War On Land: Trench Warfare
Picture of Trenchfoot
The War On Land: Trench Warfare
French Trench: living and dead together
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

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
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…
Battle of Vimy Ridge (1917)
Canadian
Losses:
-3500 dead

The Germans controlled Vimy Ridge


-7000
wounded
In 1916, Canadian troops were chosen to lead a
new attack under General Byng (British)



The French tried to regain it, but were always
unsuccessful
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?
Battle of Vimy Ridge (1917)
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.
The War In The Air

Pilots flew airplanes for Aerial Reconnaissance


Small fighter aircraft with machine guns were then created


Photographing and reporting on enemy troops
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

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
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
Torpedoed
German postcard showing the torpedoing of Lusitania
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
Societal Impacts of the War
-Changing Roles of Women
-Propaganda
-A new psychological disorder
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
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
Propaganda: A Tool of War



Propaganda = information usually produced by
governments, presented in such a way as to inspire and
spread particular beliefs and opinions
Appealed to a sense of patriotism
Encouraged people to:
Join the army
 Buy savings bonds
 Ration (controlled distribution of resources and scarce
goods or services: restricts how much and what you are
allowed to purchase and consume)
 Support the government

Propaganda: A Tool of War

Propaganda tends to only tell part of the truth
 Conditions
about the Western Front were not correct
 Death reports were not true
 British commanders were praised, even though they
wasted lives in attacks
 Germans were considered evil and Germans in
Canada became hated
Propaganda: A Tool of War
Propaganda: A Tool of War
Shellshock

Upon their return home, thousands of soldiers had
developed a perpetual condition of hearing whistling
and other wartime noises
The whistling was a result of the nigh-perpetual mortar
bombardment that soldiers had faced
 Soldiers were unable to sleep, and many had difficulty reentering society and the workforce




Families were torn apart
These men needed medical care
We recognize this condition now as a form of PTSD
(Post-traumatic Stress Disorder)
Aftermath of the War
-Punishing the Aggressors
-League of Nations
-Casualties
Collapse of the Central Powers

In 1917, Czar Nicholas of Russia was forced to quit and a new
government was created


This new government was replaced by the Bolshevik government which
promised Russia “peace and bread”
Russia, under Lenin, signed a peace treaty with Germany

Germany could now just fight on the Western Front
Collapse of the Central Powers

But in 1917, the USA joined the war because Germany’s UBoats had sunk too many ships that weren’t a part of the
war



Germany got too tired – they had no fresh troops, food, or
supplies
Final months of the war:



The USA helped British and French troops in the Western Front
Canada’s offenses were the most successful of the Allied forces
Able to win significant battles against Germany
Germany lost the war and signed an armistice, a treaty that
said that the war had ended

This was on November 11, 1918
Canada on the World Stage


After Germany’s surrender, Allies and a new leader
in Germany met in Paris
At the Paris Peace Conference, Canada had its own
sea; it was not represented by Britain!
 What

is this an example of?
At this conference, the new leader of Germany
signed the Treaty of Versailles
 This
document set out the terms of the peace agreement
in 1919
Paris Peace Conference

The “Big 3” were the most
significant nations present at
the Conference




President Wilson suggested a
14-point plan. He wanted to
forgive Germany
The French and Belgian
leaders wanted payment from
Germany for all of the
damage they had suffered
during the war
The Italian leaders desired
additional land
George Clemenceau
-France’s Prime Minister
Woodrow Wilson-American
President
Why do you think Wilson was
the only leader who wished to
forgive Germany?
Lloyd George
British Prime Minister
Paris Peace Conference

At the conference, the leaders agree that Germany had
to agree to a “War Guilt Clause”
Germany had to say the war was its fault
 Germany had to pay for war damages (30 billion)
 Germany lost much of its territory – the map of Europe was
changed again
 The German army was limited to 100,000 men; Germany
was not allowed to have any U-Boats or an air force


A lot of these elements bolstered nationalism in
Germany and are seen as some of the causes that led
to World War II
League of Nations

The creation of an international organization was also
implemented through the Treaty of Versailles




This organization joined countries together so that they could help
maintain peace and security in the world.
Principle: Collective Security
If one member of the League is under attack, all members
must fight against the aggressor
Not everyone agreed to the League of Nations

France and Britain wanted to concentrate on imperialist goals


Nevertheless, they agreed to the basic concept, in principle at least
The Americans didn’t join, even though their president was the one
who created it
League of Nations

Not a useful organization

Nations required to cooperate with one
another, but this was hard to achieve

The League could only punish aggressive
nations through economic sanctions (restrict
trade)


Weak


No military or force – so how can it help nations
being attacked?
The USA, a powerful nation, did not join
Germany’s punishment was particularly
harsh, because they did not have the ability
to pay the reparations

Germans were also angered at being blamed
entirely for the war
Casualties
THIS SUM WOULD HAVE BEEN SUFFICIENT TO:
The Cost of
the War
1 in 7 men at
the front died
(9 million)
1 in 3 were
disabled (22
million)
$400,000,000,
000.00 in 1919
values
$4 trillion today
-Provide every family in England, Ireland, Scotland, Belgium, Russia, the USA, Germany,
Canada, and Australia with a $2, 500 house on a $ 500 Five-acre lot and furnish it with
$1,000 worth of furniture;
AND provide a $5,000,000 library and a $ 10,000,000 university for every
Community in those countries possessing a population of 20,000 or more;
AND create a fund (5% interest) which would pay $1,000 a year to 125,000
Teachers and 125,000 nurses;
These sums don’t take into account the disruption of the European economy,
The crippling of soldiers and civilians, or the vast sums to be appropriated to generations
in the form of pension. Added to this were the irreconcilable hatreds engendered by the
conflicts
Source: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Question: Was World War I a justified war?
Casualties
Austrian soldiers hanging villagers in Serbia
Casualties
In Flanders Fields
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
The most asked question is: why poppies?
Wild poppies flower when other plants in their direct neighborhood are dead. Their seeds can lie on the ground for years and
years, but only when there are no more competing flowers or shrubs in the vicinity (for instance when someone firmly roots
up the ground), these seeds will sprout.
There was enough rooted up soil on the battlefield of the Western Front; in fact the whole front consisted of churned up soil.
So in May 1915, when McCrae wrote his poem, around him blood red poppies blossomed like no one had ever seen before.
But in this poem the poppy plays one more role. The poppy is known as a symbol of sleep. The last line We shall not sleep,
though poppies grow / In Flanders fields might point to this fact. Some kinds of poppies are used to derive opium from, from
which morphine is made. Morphine is one of the strongest painkillers and was often used to put a wounded soldier to sleep.
Sometimes medical doctors used it in a higher dose to put the incurable wounded out of their misery.
Let us remember the sacrifices that all soldiers made in World
War I
National War Memorial in Ottawa