Exam (World War I and II, Interwar, Cold War) Flashcards
Where and when did Ypres take place?
It took place in Belgium from April to May of 1915.
Describe the battle of Ypres
It was the first time toxic chlorine gas was introduced, by the Germans, as a weapon to attack the French troops. A gap of 6.5 kilometers was made from the French defenders fleeing or dying from the gas.
What role did Canadians play in Ypres?
When the French left the gap in defense, the Canadians fought all night to close the gap.
When and where did Somme take place?
It took place at Somme river valley, Northern France from July to November of 1916.
Describe the battle of Somme
This battle took place to relieve pressure on the French defenders. Before the attack, troops tried to fire shells at the enemy, to weaken their army, but a lot of the shells were defective or missing fuses. On July 1st, the British went “over the top,” expecting an easy attack on the Germans, but were instead met with deadly weapons and an unsuccessful attack.
What 2 things did Canadians use to capture Courcelette in battle of Somme?
Tanks and creeping barrage.
Where and when did Vimy Ridge take place?
Northern France in April of 1917.
Describe the battle of Vimy Ridge
Battle began at 5:30 am when 15,000-20,000 Canadian soldiers started to attack. They advanced behind a creeping barrage, which allowed them to move closer to the enemy, ultimately taking them out. On the morning of April 10th, Hill 145 was captured, and two days later, “the pimple” was captured. These are both high ground, which helped have a clear view of the Germans.
The role of Canadians in Vimy Ridge?
They fought to take over Vimy Ridge and succeeded in that. This battle helped to define Canada as a nation because they were seen as one country and not as a part of Britain. Canada was also the only allied nation to take over Vimy Ridge, using all four of their divisions.
Where and when did Passchendaele take place?
Northwest Belgium from July to November of 1917.
Role of Canadians in the battle of Passchendaele?
Canadians fought hard in this battle and took over Passchendaele. Nine men earned the Victoria Cross.
Describe the battle of Passchendaele
This battle was to capture the village of Passchendaele. It was extremely muddy which caused several men and horses to drown in the mud. Soldiers had to fight hard and push forward.
Robert Borden
Was Prime Minister of Canada during WWI. He made conscription law and rigged the election. He allowed women relatives of soldiers the chance to vote in the election, knowing they’d vote for him. Conscription meant more men fighting which meant soldiers were more likely to come home safely. He took the vote away from enemy aliens also.
Woodrow Wilson
Was the president of the US during WWI and kept the US out of war with Europe and Mexico. He declared war on Germany because of unrestricted submarine warfare,
Franz Ferdinand
Was the leader of Austria-Hungary and his assassination was the trigger cause of WWI. It happened in 1914 by a 19 year-old man named Gavrilo Princip.
Alfred Von Schlieffen
Was a German field marshal and the man who came up with the Schlieffen plan.
Arthur Currie
Was commander of the Canadians in June of 1917. Under his leadership, the Canadians had victories of Hill 70 and Passchendaele. He also saved many lives by demanding more guns and preparation time for Canadian soldiers.
Which women could vote under Borden?
Mothers, sisters, wives, daughters
Manfred Von Richthofen (Red Baron)
Was a pilot for Germany and had many victories of shooting down other aircraft. Also known as the “Red Baron” because he painted his planes red.
Causes/events leading to war? M
Militarism- the build up of men and arms of a country’s army.
Causes/events leading to war? A
Alliances- countries have alliances with one another and are dragged into war to obtain loyalty.
Causes/events leading to war? N
Nationalism- love of your country, need support of citizens so they support war.
Causes/events leading to war? I
Imperialism- resources one country has that another one wants, so they invade.
Causes/events leading to war? Assas.
Assassination- assassination of Franz Ferdinand was the trigger that started WWI.
End of War (Treaty of Versailles)
The war stopped when Germany surrendered on November 11th, 1918. Britain, France, and US were the big 3 to decide Germany’s conditions. The US wanted to keep peace, France wanted to be harsh, Britain was in-between.
What conditions did Germany have to endure because of Treaty of Versailles?
Germany had to pay 30 million dollars and give up some of their land. They also had an immense amount of guilt put on them since they got blamed for war.
How did the Treaty of Versailles cripple Germany’s economy?
It crippled their economy because they had to surrender some land, which offered resources, which gave them profit. They no longer had this land and had to pay 30 million dollars to the allies, so there was no way to get the money.
Tank
Was introduced at the battle of the Somme in 1916.
Gas
Toxic chlorine gas was first introduced at the battle of Ypres in 1915 by the Germans. They had released the gas to attack French troops.
Fighter planes
Were used to capture pictures of enemy trenches and gain knowledge of the enemy.
Ross Rifle
Used in WWI because it could fire faster than some other guns. Downside was it easily jammed in muddy conditions and would seize if over-heated.
Creeping Barrage
A tactic used at Vimy Ridge where explosives would be fired while soldiers followed behind until they reached enemy trenches.
Submarines
Used by the Germans (U-boats) to sink ships that were carrying supplies to Britain.
Depth charges
A weapon that is dropped in the water and detonated, destroying any submarines nearby.
100 days offensive
In the final 100 days of war, Canada and the allied forces fought the German army in a series of battles, which drove them to surrender.
Victory Bonds
You give an amount of money to the government, and after a period of time, you get the money back with an interest rate on top. It was a way to fund war.
Income Tax
Used to fund government services that contribute to society. It was supposed to be temporary.
War Measures Act
An act that enforced conscription. Forced men to enlist in war, by law.
Conscription Crisis
The English felt it was their duty to go to war and to protect their home. The French didn’t want to go to war because they didn’t have a connection to Britain. They felt it wasn’t their duty.
Wartime Elections Act
PM Borden rigged the election by allowing women relatives of soldiers to vote, knowing they’d vote for him.
Propaganda (why posters)
TV was not invented, effective and cheap, radios were not accessible, had an impact
Stock Market
When you invest in a company’s stock. This means you own a percent of the company and can gain or lose money, depending on if the stocks rise or fall.
F - faulty stock values
Stocks weren’t valued properly so people thought they were making money and was a money grab. Stocks got properly calculated, people realized they lost money and sold.
O - over-production
Companies were selling lots, gained profit and put that back into making more products. Households only needed one of the products and had one already. Companies made more products then people were buying and had to let employees go since no one was buying.
P - panic
When people found out they lost money from stocks, everyone sold, made stock prices fall further.
Buy on Margin
Borrow money to buy stock. Usually borrow from a broker to magnify your money or because you can’t pay it all yourself. Broker pays a percent and you pay a percent of the price of the stock. Loss could also be magnified as well as a gain.
H - hoarding
Companies let go of employees, lost their jobs so they went to the bank to get their savings. The banks had invested their money so they couldn’t give the unemployed their money. Banks closed so people hoarded their money. If people aren’t spending money locally, it’s not circulating in the local economy.
Prohibition (bootlegging and consequences)
The ban on the production and selling of alcohol. This was illegal. Bootlegging was making, transporting, or selling illegal alcohol. Bootleggers would often smuggle in alcohol and sell it for a high price since it was exclusive and in demand. If caught, you could get charged or arrested.
Why did the stock market crash occur?
Lots of people were investing in the stock market, even if you couldn’t afford to, you would just go to a broker and get a loan. Everyone thought it was easy money since the stocks had always increased. Then they realized that they calculated the stocks wrong and people were actually losing money, people had to sell, so the prices plumeted and crashed.
What was prohibition and why was it a failure?
Prohibition was the law that banned the production and sale of alcohol. It was a failure because people resorted to smuggling liquor and lots of violence occurred. The mafia took control of the illegal booze trade. Police were against this law because they felt they had better things to do with their time then deal with bootleggers.
What did the Canadian government do to confront the Depression?
They introduced unemployment relief camps, ration booklets, and wheat board.
Naval service bill
1909, Britain forced its colonies to give them money to help build a navy, but Canada refused. They built their own navy and would lend it to Britain if needed.
Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (CCF)
Leader is J.S. Woodsworth. Wanted minimum wage legislation, unemployment insurance, and unions. Unions represent workers and speak on behave of employees to protect their rights.
Social Credit
Leader is Bible Bill Aberrant. Wanted a social dividend of $25 a month to encourage spending. Extra money will help the economy and help money circulate locally.
Union Nationale
Leader is Maurice Duplessis. Return Que to an agricultural economy, loans to farmers, and didn’t like unions/communists.
Liberals
Leader is Mackenzie King PM. Wanted to lower tariffs, have a trade agreement with the US so we could help each other.
Treaty of Versailles
1919, Canada signed T/V as an independent nation, which ended WWI.
Relief camps
Gave single, unemployed men a place to stay and gave them some money. The men would log or build roads, so it helped the country. Cons, the conditions were poor and they were paid very little.
What is appeasement?
World leaders gave Hitler what he wanted by letting him expand Germany to keep him satisfied and avoid war.
Battle of Dunkirk (where it took place, date, what happened?)
Took place in the town of Dunkirk on the French Coast in May 1940. Thousands of British troops came across the English Channel to help defend France. Canadian soldiers stayed in Britain to defend against German invasion. The Germans ended up advancing in France and left troops trapped. In May, British troops had to be evacuated from Dunkirk. Around 300,000 troops were rescued by boats and sailed across the British Channel to return home. Terrible defeat, France fell in 6 weeks.
Battle of Dieppe (where it took place, date, what happened?)
Took place in Northern France on August 19, 1942. Landing crafts that had tanks and Canadian soldiers aboard, opened the doors, and as men were storming the beach, they were shot by machine guns from the German pill boxes on the cliff. Tanks were useless on the pebble beach. The worst Canadian battle plan of the second world war. Canada was pressured to begin fighting, so they rushed planning. Allies (Canada) started the attack and Germany won.
Battle of Normandy (D-day) (where it took place, date, what happened?)
Took place in Normandy beach on the French Coast on June 6, 1944. In attempt to trick the Germans, they settled for the attack to take place in Normandy, since the Germans would expect it to take place in Pas de Calais. The code name for this mission was “Operation Overlord,” and five sectors of the beach would be attacked. Utah and Omaha would be American, Gold and Sword would be British, and Juno was Canadian. The night before the attack, thousands of paratroopers were dropped behind German lines and on June 6, 1944, the 156,000 troops landed at the five beaches. They were met with heavy resistance from the Germans but pushed through and secured safe landing zones. Germany’s failure to defend Normandy beach marked the beginning of the end for them. By the end, nearly 425,000 Allied and German soldiers were dead, injured, or missing.
Battle of Hong Kong (where it took place, date, what happened?)
Took place in Hong Kong from December 8 – 25 of 1941. Japan first attacked the then-British colony of Hong Kong, and almost 2 thousand Canadian soldiers were sent to help defend the colony when a lot were inexperienced. 783 casualties including 290 killed, and 264 died in Japanese prisoner-of-war camps. Japan began and won the war when the British colony surrendered.
Battle of Britain (where it took place, date, what happened?)
Took place in London, England from July to October of 1940. The battle was between the Royal Air Force and Luftwaffe (Nazi’s air force). July 10th was when Germany first bombed Britain air bases and civilians and there were nightly air raids. 900 allied pilots and 40,000 British civilian casualties. Germany began the attack, but Britain won. Hitler called off his invasion in 1940 and Britain won because they had better knowledge of the territory.
Stalingrad (location, date, what happened)
Took place in Stalingrad, Russia from August 1942 – February 1943. This was a brutal battle between Russian forces and Nazi Germany. The Germans had their mind set on Stalingrad because the city produced war goods and artillery for the country and the Volga River was an important shipping route in the city. Within a few days of Germany’s attack, they captured the Volga River and sunk Russian vessels. They eventually had control over the skies and two million were killed or injured in the fighting including thousands of Russian citizens.
Joseph Stalin (what country, dates, what he did)
Dictator of the Soviet Union from 1929 – 1953. Under his power, the society of the Soviet Union was transformed into a force of industrial and military power. Stalin did rule by terrorizing civilians, and many died under his power. When he became in control of the Soviet Union he aligned with Britain and the United States during WWII but also engaged with Hitler by signing the Nazi-Soviet pact. Was also the leader of communism.
Adolf Hitler
Hitler was the leader of the Nazi party and was a very powerful dictator. His violent actions, including the Night of Long Knights, allowed him to take control of Germany in 1933. When he invaded Poland in 1939, WWII broke out. Hitler’s hate towards Jewish people fueled the Holocaust and antisemitism.
Benito Mussolini
Became the dictator of Italy from 1925 – 1945. He formed Italy’s violent, fascist movement in 1919, and in 1922, declared himself Prime Minister. Was allied with Hitler during WWII and relied on him to support his leadership.
Harry Trueman
The 33rd president of the United States and was in the White House from 1945 – 1953. He was the one who decided to drop an atomic bomb on Japan. He also helped rebuild Europe post WWII and led the U.S. into the Korean war.
Winston Churchill
Was Conservative Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1940 - 1945. He was a leader who led Britain through WWII and to victory. When Nazi’s came into power, Churchill warned his countrymen of Germany’s nationalism but was ignored.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Commander of Allied forces during WWII and led the invasion of D-day on Nazi-occupied land in Europe. Served as the 34th president in the White House from 1953 – 1961 and led the United States through the cold war and the Korean war.
Robert Oppenheimer
Created the first nuclear weapon during WWII and was the director of a project called the Manhattan Project which created bombs that killed hundreds of thousands of people in the nuclear attacks of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
How could appeasement be considered a cause of WWII?
Appeasement could be considered a cause because no one was paying attention to what Hitler was promoting or his actions. Leaders just gave Hitler what he wanted to avoid him starting a war, but could have identified early on that he was not a good leader being how he spoke about the Jews, his violence, and his book. If leaders or people in general had recognized this, he may never have gained so much power and started WWII
Bombers
Harry Trueman becomes President of the United States and decides to drop a bomb on Japan. This reason he did this is because Japan refused to unconditionally surrender to the Allies and other alternatives to bombs would have had the same effect on Japan. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were the only two attacks with nuclear weapons in war history and these locations were chosen because of its military significance and large populations.
Firebombing
Is a bombing technique designed to attack or destroy an area with fire from a bomb.
Munich Agreement (date, what was the agreement)
A signed agreement that took place on September 30, 1938, between Germany, Italy, Great Britain, and France. The agreement was Czechoslovakia must surrender its border region that contained most people of German descent to Germany in exchange that Hitler would make a pledge for peace and withdraw his threat to unleash a war.
Nazi-Soviet Pact (date, what was the pact, was the pact broken?)
was signed on August 23, 1939, between Germany and the Soviet Union. The pact was an agreement that neither country would attack each other for 10 years, neither would assist a country in invading their counter partner, and not participate in an agreement that would affect the other country. The secret part of the agreement was to divide Poland which ended up happening that September. Hitler also broke this pact after 2 years by invading the Soviet Union.
What is Lebensraum
A German concept that emphasized the need for territorial expansion of Germany into the east. Hitler believed Germans were the superior race and so they deserve more living space.
Holocaust
The Germans wanted to exterminate the Jewish race. It was the inhalation and killing of Jews. Took place in Poland, Hungary, all throughout Europe from 1933 – 1945. Antisemitism was widespread throughout Europe and something that Hitler heavily promoted. By the end there were 11 million victims, 6 million Jews and 5 million non-Jewish victims.
Genocide
The deliberate killing of many people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the intention of eliminating them.
Concentration camps
Jewish people were kept in these camps and more then 44,000 camps were established. These sites were used for the purposes of forced labour, detention of people who were thought to be enemies of the state, and mass murder.
Ghetto
These were created to separate the Jewish community and isolate them from the non-Jewish population. Jews were forced to move into these ghettos and many of the inhabitants died from how poor the conditions were. Disease, starvation, shooting, or being murdered in kill shelters were all ways Jews died.
Auschwitz
Was the largest concentration camp used to carry out the Nazi plan of eliminating the Jews. Located in German-occupied Poland, consisted of 3 camps, a kill center, and where more than 1.1 million Jews died. Auschwitz contained a kill center, labour camp, large gas chambers, and a crematorium for the purpose of mass murder of Jews.
Japanese Internment
Took away the rights of Canadian citizens who originated from Japan because the government thought they could be spies for Japan and communicate with them. Japanese fishing boats were taken away and Japanese newspapers and schools close. All Japanese males from ages 18-45 were removed from the BC coastline and were also forced to turn over their properties to the government. Were sent to internment camps where huts were shared by two families with no electricity or running water and there were 2 bedrooms and a kitchen.
Residential Schools
To assimilate Native children into Canadian society, basically take away their identities and make them like everyone else. It was the law that children attend these schools and were taken far away from home. Run by the church and they couldn’t speak their own language, hair was cut, were given English names and different clothes. All lot of the children were abused emotionally, physically, and sexually.
Why did the U.S. drop the atomic bomb on Japan?
- They dropped it in an attempt to end WWII because it had gone on for 6 years.
- To save American lives because if they invaded Japan, there would be thousands of casualties.
- To justify the $2 billion spent on the Manhattan project.
- Get revenge for Pearl Harbour because over 3,000 Americans were killed by that attack.
- They wanted an unconditional surrender from Japan so that their actions could have consequences in the future.
- Intimidate the Russians.
What did residential schools cause?
Intergenerational trauma.
What was Hitler’s book called, and what did he write about?
It was called Mein Kamp, and he wrote about how he hated the Jews, and communism. Translated to English means My Struggle.
Evolution of Women’s rights in Canada.
Women’s rights have been evolving for decades, and we’re not done yet. Canada has had many milestones in women’s rights, whether that’s Manitoba women being the first to win the right to vote in 1916, the Famous Five fighting for the persons case in 1927, all women gaining the right to vote in 1960, or the first women Prime Minister in 1993.
Canada’s autonomy.
Canada gained full legal autonomy on December 11, 1931 when the Statue of Westminster was passed and marked Canada’s declaration of independence. This new found independence allowed Canada to pass laws without going through Britain first, Britain could not alter laws in Canada, and we could repeal our own laws.
Korean War
China became communists and started supplying North Korean communists with weapons. North Korea ended up invading the South using the Chinese and Soviet weapons, so the U.S. and Canada sent troops and arms to help the south. In 1953, a ceasefire was declared but no treaty to end the war.
Cuban Missile Crisis
In 1959, Cuba became allies with the Soviet Union and in 1962, the US discovered Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba. President Kennedy announced to the world that they had discovered these weapons and that they would invade Cuba if not dismantled. The Soviets responded by attacking west Berlin.
Vietnam
A long war between France and the US and Vietcong (communist Vietnamese). The Vietcong used ambush tactics to wear down the US army. US was involved for 10 years, lost 50,000 troops, and left in 1975. Millions of Vietnamese people died from starvation mostly.
John Diefenbaker
Conservative Prime Minister of Canada during late 50s early 60s. He realized Canada had a responsibility in the cold war and started multiple projects that were later cancelled, such as the Avro Arrow.
NORAD
(North American Air Defense program) A system of air defense between the US and Canada. Canada established radar bases in the arctic and the US provided planes to respond if there were to be a Soviet bomber attack.
Pierre Elliot Trudeau
Trudeau started relations with the Soviet Union and was a go-between for Soviet-American relations. He made peace with the Soviets and ended the Cold War in Canada.
Avro Arrow
A fighter interceptor designed and built in Canada during 1950’s. It was developed to shoot down Soviet bombers if they were to come over the Arctic. The project was cancelled due to the threat of missiles and how expensive the project was. All planes and documents were to be completely destroyed to prevent anyone from stealing the technology, and they were dumped into Lake Ontario. Because of this cancellation, a lot of Canada’s aviation team went to the U.S.
DEW line.
(Distant Early Warning line) series of radar stations in the arctic. The purpose of these stations was to detect Soviet air invasion, either by plane or missile. Main responsibility of Canada under NORAD and the U.S. paid for the stations.
Sonar
Used to detect submarines that were underneath a ship.
Zimmerman Telegram
Germany sent a telegram to mexico, which Britain intercepted and decoded, telling them to go into war with the US. Germany did this so that Britain’s supplies would be cut off and they’d focus on Mexico.
Propaganda (4 things)
Nationalism (need people to support war), rationing (ration food/goods to send overseas), enlistment (need men to enlist and fight), fund war (war is expensive)
Propaganda (7 tricks)
Name calling, card stacking (making your side seem like the better one), transfer (flag, national anthem), plain folk (regular person that can be trusted), testimonial (using a celebrity or well known figure to endorse something), glittery generality (vague statement that most people agree with), bandwagon (you want to follow what everyone else is doing)
3 reasons the Schlieffen Plan failed?
Belgium wouldn’t let Germany through to France and because Russia stabilized their army faster than expected. Also dividing their army between France and Russia, less powerful.
Main cause of WWI and how they’re related?
The main cause of war was imperialism because countries wanted the resources of other countries. The assassination of Franz Ferdinand was just the trigger of war, countries had been preparing for war prior. All countries wanted the biggest and strongest army and went to war to prove that. When countries have alliances, countries would get dragged into war to maintain loyalty. People have a love for their country and feel they need to fight for it
Unrestricted submarine warfare.
Germany lifted this rule, which meant their U-boats could sink any ships that were sending supplies to Britain. They did this to try and starve them.
Schlieffen Plan
Germany’s plan to take over Russia and France. Plan was developed 9 years before, so it was out of date since technology was always changing.
An event in history that applies today?
Assembly lines. Changed the way products and goods were produced forever. Assembly lines are still used today.
