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CANADA’S INVOLVEMENT IN WORLD
WAR ONE
The goals of this unit:
1. To assess Canada’s participation
in World War One
2. To examine the impact of the
war on Canada (the country and
its people).
Outbreak of World War One (The
Great War)
This “spark” would have been much less serious if
there wasn’t a situation in Europe that was ready to
explode.
Outbreak of World War One (The
Great War)
The assassination (murder) of Archduke Franz
Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary was the “spark” that
started World War One.
Outbreak of World War One (The
Great War)
The “explosive situation” was largely because of two
major alliances in Europe which included the Triple
Alliance and the Triple Entente.
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Outbreak of World War One (The
Great War)
The Triple Entente included Britain, France and
Russia. The Triple Alliance included Germany,
Austria-Hungary and Italy.
Outbreak of World War One (The
Great War)
All of these factors contributed to the outbreak of
World War One and the automatic participation of
Canada as one of Britain’s colonies.
Outbreak of World War One (The
Great War)
These opposing alliances created a tense and volatile
situation which caused countries to practice
militarism.
Outbreak of World War One (The
Great War)
Canadian soldiers fought valiantly in many important
battles of the war and many Canadian lives were
lost. The major Canadian battles were fought in
Belgium and France.
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Outbreak of World War One (The
Great War)
Many Canadian soldiers did not have proper
equipment to deal with the conditions. The clothes
were not warm enough, the boots fell apart in the
trenches, and the machine guns often stopped
working. This was due to profiteering.
The “New” Type of Warfare.
Trench warfare and new war technology like mustard
gas, machine guns, tanks and airplanes made
World War One a very bloody and tragic war.
Machine guns were the most deadly weapon of the
war and led to the most deaths.
Outbreak of World War One (The
Great War)
Profiteering is the practice of businesses making
money off of war. They don’t really care about the
safety of the soldiers, their main concern is making
money. In many countries profiteering is illegal.
The “Home Front”
Back in Canada, Canadians had many problems
including conscription and the creation of the War
Measures Act. These problems made life difficult
for people not directly fighting in the war.
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Major Battles
Ypes: (April 1915-May 1915) This battle was
significant because of the use of trench warfare.
Ypres
Trench warfare created horrible conditions where
soldiers would develop sickness and “trench foot”
from being in trenches for a long time. Also rats
infested the trenches where soldiers lived. It wasn’t
even safe at night to leave the trenches so many
soldiers stayed there for long periods of time.
Ypres (Belgium)
Trench warfare is the practice of digging long ditches
in the ground and soldiers using the ground as
protection from gunfire.
Ypres
Ypres was also the first time poison gas (chlorine
mustard gas) was used in war. Many Canadians
were killed by this new technology.
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Ypres
John McRae’s famous poem Flanders Fields was
written after he witnessed the horrors in the battle
of Ypres.
Somme (France)
(July 1916-December 1916)
This battle was an attempt to end trench warfare
once and for all (completely).
Ypres
Overall, 6000 Canadians were killed, captured or
wounded in the battle of Ypres.
Somme
Poor planning and implementation caused over one
million casualties (injuries and deaths), 24 000 of
them Canadian.
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Somme
Germans used the machine gun (a new technology) to
quickly kill Canadian soldiers that were in no man’s
land. The Somme was a battle of attrition because
both sides killed each other until one side gave up.
Somme
No man’s land was filled with barbed wire so tanks
were eventually used to help get across the enemy
lines.
Somme
No man’s land was the area of land between the two trench
lines of opposing armies. Usually this area had barbed wire
that made it difficult to pass. Also, it was very easy to kill
enemies because they had no protection in no man’s land.
Vimy Ridge (France/Belgium Border)
(April, 1917)
Vimy Ridge was a strategic strongpoint (important
place in the war). 3 000 Canadian soldiers were
killed and over 7 000 were wounded.
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Vimy Ridge (France/Belgium Border)
(April, 1917)
Vimy Ridge was the first time that the Canadian corps
fought as a single Canadian unit (all 4 divisions).
Arthur Currie was the commander in charge of the
1st division.
Passchendaele (Belgium)
October, 1917
This battle is know for the heavy mud and rainfall.
Canadian troops took control of the town, and held
control until reinforcements came (help).
Vimy Ridge
Canadian troops gained international recognition for
their efforts and success at Vimy Ridge.
Passchendaele (Belgium)
October, 1917
Canada lost around 15 500 soldiers in horrible and
muddy conditions at Passchendaele.
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100 Day Campaign (October 1917)
France/Belgium
Germany took advantage of weakened allied forces
with one final push through Belgium to Paris.
Canadian troops helped to push the Germans back.
Convoys
Many supplies were shipped from Canada to Britain in
WW1. To prevent the ships from being destroyed by
German submarines, Canada created convoys.
Convoys are groups of ships that travel together so
they are not easy targets. This system was also used
in WW2
100 Day Campaign (October 1917)
France/Belgium
This resulted in taking control of France and Belgium
and also the eventual surrender of Germany.
The War’s Impact on the Home
Front
During World War One, the major
battles were fought in Europe.
However, back in Canada there were
also many important effects that
were created by the war.
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