Turn of the Century and WW1 Flashcards
What types of history are there?
Political History, Social History, Military History
2 types of historical evidence
Primary evidence, Secondary evidence
What is primary evidence?
Directly from the time period. Often “eye witness” accounts of history.
Eg. Diaries, photos, music, film footage, etc.
What is secondary evidence?
Produced after the event(often by historians)
Eg. Textbooks, books, movies, etc.
When was the turn of the century?
1896-1914
What is the difference between provinces and territories during the turn of the century and now?
Only 7 provinces, one territory and several districts.
Alberta and Saskatchewan didn’t exist
NF was a British colony.
Economy during the turn of the century?
Mostly primary
Eg. Farming, fishing, etc.
Some manufacturing in eastern Canada(especially railroads)
Politics and government during the turn of the century?
Parliamentary democracy.
2 main parties (liberals and conservatives)
Prime minister was Liberal Wilfrid Laurier
How long was Wilfrid Laurier prime minister for?
1896-1911 (15 years)
Aboriginal rights during the turn of the century?
- Forced to live on reserves
- Forced to go to residential white schools
- Could not vote
- Government wanted to assimilate them
Immigration during the turn of the century?
- Racist
- Non whites and non Christians were denied entry or taxed heavily
Women’s rights during the turn of the century? What are the women who wanted the right to vote called?
- No legal rights
- Could not vote
- Not considered legal “persons”
- Women who argued for the vote were called suffragettes
Technology during the turn of the century
Electricity, cars, telephone and radio
French English relations during the turn of the century
French Canadians were demanding more rights.
French and English Canadians disagreed on most issues
Entertainment during the turn of the century
Playing piano, going to plays and dances.
Fashion during the TOC
Very formal, little skin was shown, hats were common
Education during the TOC
Compulsory for children until the age of 12
Foreign relations during the TOC
Foreign policy was controlled by Britain. Canada would wait for Britain to make a decision then follow.
Sports during the TOC
Only rich Canadians played sports like hockey, football or curling
What big events happened during the TOC?
The Boer War, The Alaskan Boundary Dispute, The Naval Crisis, Reciprocity Debate
When did the Boer War happen?
1899-1902(3 years)
Where did the Boer War happen?
South Africa
Who was involved in the Boer War?
Britain, Canada, Boers(Dutch South Africans)
Why did the Boer War happen?
Britain and the Boers were fighting over gold and resources
What happened during the Boer War?
Britain and Boers both wanted control over South Africa
Britain wanted Canada’s help
Laurier compromised and sent a volunteer force.
French and English Canadians are both unhappy.
Britain defeats the Boers
Why is the Boer War significant?
- Shows that it can act independently
- Laurier’s ability to compromise
- Division between English and French Canadians
- Canada’s first foreign war
When did The Alaskan Boundary Dispute happen?
1897-1903(6 years)
Who was involved in The Alaskan Boundary Dispute?
Britain, USA, Canada
Where did The Alaskan Boundary Dispute happen
Alaskan Panhandle
What caused The Alaskan Boundary Dispute?
A dispute over who owned the land
Why did The Alaskan Boundary Dispute happen
Gold was discovered in the Yukon, USA wanted control over the area
How did The Alaskan Boundary Dispute end? Who was the British dude?
A tribunal was held and the British lord Alverstone sided with the USA. USA got the land
Why is The Alaskan Boundary Dispute significant?
- Many Canadians felt angry and betrayed.
- Canada starts to demand control over foreign policy
- USA was a big threat to Canada
- Canada starts asserting more control over own affairs
When did The Naval Crisis happen
1910
Who was involved in The Naval Crisis?
Britain, Canada
Where did The Naval Crisis happen?
Canada
Why did The Naval Crisis happen?
A dispute over support for Britain and their empire
What started The Naval Crisis
Britain wanted Canada to pay for more ships to compete with the threat of a German navy
How did The Naval Crisis end?
Laurier instead decided to buy old British ships to create a Canadian navy that would come to help Britain.
Why was The Naval Crisis significant?
Creation of Canada’s navy
French and English Canadians were divided
Laurier is a skilled compromiser
When did The Reciprocity Debate happen?
1910-1911
Who was involved in The Reciprocity Debate?
Canada and USA
Where did The Reciprocity Debate happen?
Canada and USA
Why did The Reciprocity Debate happen?
Laurier wanted free trade with USA. His opponents were against this.
What happened during The Reciprocity Debate?
Debate about free trade. In the 1911 election, Laurier lost and free trade was defeated.
When did free trade happen?
1988(77 years later)
Why is The Reciprocity Debate significant?
Laurier loses the election.
Free trade doesn’t happen until 77 years later
What were the top 3 origin countries for new immigrants?
Britain, USA, Galicia
What were Wilfrid Laurier’s 2 goals of the immigration policy?
Fill empty prairies to prevent American expansion
Provide a new workforce for Canada’s growing industry in Central Canada (Ontario and Quebec)
Immigration Push factors
- poor economic conditions in Europe
- High unemployment
- Rigid social order(Hard to be successful)
- Overcrowded
- Religious and Political discrimination
Immigrant pull factors
- Free land ownership(160 acres)
- religious freedom and political stability
- social order was not as harsh
Who is Clifford Sifton?
Became Canada’s liberal minister in charge of immigration in 1896.
Created a successful “open door policy” that helped settle the prairies
Immigration in Canada
- Racist
- Only wanted whites and was discriminatory based on religion(preferred Protestant Christians)
- Only wanted English speakers
- Clifford Sifton relaxed the policy to allow non English speaking immigrants from Europe
What problems did the immigrants face?
- Given poor land
- No support
- Lots of discrimination
- Non English speaking immigrants were treated poorly
- Cities were crowded and filled with disease
- Immigrants were exploited for cheap labor and dangerous work conditions
How did the immigration Act change in 1910?
Only allowed English speaking immigrants
What was the goal of the Woman’s temperance movement?
Make laws prohibiting the sale of alcohol and allow women to vote
Which province first allowed women to vote?
Manitoba
Who is Henry Bourassa?
French Canadian who was against Wilfrid Laurier and started the le Devoir
How did Woodsworth assimilate new immigrants?
Open social gospels, start English kindergartens and classes to teach English to adults
Who turned against Laurier in the free trade debate?
Clifford Stifton
Who became Prime minister in 1911?
Robert Borden
Causes of WW1? What is the acronym
MAIN
Militarism
Alliances
Imperialism
Nationalism
Militarism
- Major countries were enlarging armies and navies
- Strong belief that war was imminent and only armies could solve disputes
Germany Militarism?
- Germany had been building armed forces for 50 years
- Confident in their abilities after easily defeating France in the Franco Prussian war of 1870
- expanded their navy and revolutionized warfare with advanced weaponry, planning and training
- The French were wary of the Germans and wanted revenge
Alliances
Germans allied with their Germanic cousins, the Austro Hungarians. Italy joined and became the Triple Alliance or Central powers.
Britain, France and Russia allied becoming the Triple Entente
Imperialism
Control over the territory, government and economy of another country
Who were the major imperialist countries?
Great Britain, France, Germany and Russia
Where did France and Britain have control? Imperialism
Africa, Asia and the Americas
Nationalism
Every country believed their culture was superior
What was going on in the austro Hungarian empire before the war
Austro Hungarian empire took control over a lot of groups. The Balkans was a volatile area of Europe with many cultural groups wanting independence
Where did the spark that ignited WW1 happen?
Sarajevo (Bosnia Herzegovina) (a Serbian area inside the Austrain empire)
Who is Archduke Franz Ferdinand?
He is the heir to the Austro-Hungarian empire who gets assassinated
Who is Gavrillo Princip?
The Bosnian Serb assassin who is part of a terrorist group called the Black Hand.
Where did the assassination of the archduke happen?
Sarajevo Bosnia
When did the assassination happen?
June 1914
What started the war after the assassination?
The assassins had ties to Serbia and AH demanded a list of almost impossible demands. Serbia could not meet all of the demands so AH declared war. Serbia was allied with Russia and war began.
How was everyone involved in the war?
Russia and Serbia were allied against AH and Germany. Germany attacked France through Belgium forcing Britain and France into the war. Canada is automatically in the war because of Britain.
Ross Rifle
1914
Canada/Europe
Sam Hughes
Gun was useless during trench warfare
Caused the death of some Canadian soldiers
Valtier Camp
1914
Quebec
CEF training camp
Sam Hughes was in charge - he was incompetent
Training was poor, equipment was bad
CEF had to be retrained in Britain
No 2 Construction Battalion
1914
Black only Battalion in the CEF
Canada/Europe
Gov feared that it would make them violent
Non combat battalion
Racism in the CEF
Enemy Aliens
1914
Canada
Immigrants from countries against Canada were deemed enemies
Ukrainians and Galicians were considered enemies and spies
They were arrested and their property was confiscated
They were put into camps
Leader of Germany?
Kaiser Wilhelm II
Leader of Austria/Hungary?
Emperor Franz Joseph I
Leader of Russia?
Czar Nicholas II
Leader of Britain?
Prime Minister H.H Asquith
Leader of France?
President Raymond Poincare
Leader of Turkey?
Mehmed V Ottoman (Sultan)
Leader of Canada?
Robert Borden
Leader of USA?
Woodrow Wilson
When was the war declared?
August 1914
What are the 2 fronts?
Western Front - Belgium and France
Easter Front - Russia and Eastern Europe
What was the Schlieffen Plan? Who came up with it?
- Created by Alfred Von Schlieffen
- knock France out of the war quickly to avoid a 2 front war
- have Germany sweep through Belgium(neutral country)
- thought that Belgians would put up little resistance and Britain would not defend them
Why did the Schlieffen plan fail?
- Germans were held up by the Belgian army
- Gave Britain time to rush their army to support Belgium and delay the germans
- In the eastern front, the Russians organized their army faster than expected and invaded German areas which made Germany have to move their men to the Eastern Front
Trench Tactics
Begin with a heavy barrage from artillery fire then a wave of men would go over no mans land and try to take the enemy trenches
What does CEF stand for?
Canadian expeditionary force
Who is Sam Hughes?
The Minister of Militia for Canada
Hates French Canadians
Insisted Canadian soldiers use Ross Rifles
Where were Canadians shipped for further training?
Canadians were shipped to Salisbury England
When did the CEF first fight? Where?
April 1915 in Ypres, Beligum
Ypres
April 1915
Belgium
First time Canada was in a fight
Germany used chlorine gas against Canadians
Canadians discovered that urine soaked rags would allow them to breath.
Eventually the German attack was repelled
The Somme
July 1916
France
The Canadians tried to bombard Germans with shells and underground explosives but it did nothing
Canadians walked(not ran) in with confidence but Germans were waiting with armed deadly machine guns
In 22 mins all Canadians were gunned down. The Newfoundland regiment was wiped out
Vimy Ridge
April 1917
France
All CEF divisions fought together
Allowed a Canadian general to plan the attack -> Arthur Currie
CEF’s plan - pinpoint German location with new listening technology to have targeted bombardment
Built railways to transport troops and ammunition
Machine guns firing over their own troops
Used a new technique called a creeping barrage(Vimy Glide)
Huge victory for the CEF
Where did Hill 70 happen?
Lens France
Hill 70
July 1917
Lens France
CEF attacked Lens in a diversionary attack on the town and hill outside
Currie came up with a plan to attack the hill then hit the Germans when they counter attack
Huge victory for Canada
When did Hill 70 happen?
July 1917
Passchendaele
Oct/Nov 1917 Belgium
Currie was against it but Britain ORDERED them to take the town
The battlefield was all muddy and swampy in a bad condition
Corpses everywhere
CEF took the town in the end but caused many casualties.
Britain abandoned the town soon after
Why was there a decline in voluntary enlistments? How did Borden solve this problem
A lot of Canadians are already in the war, people think there are enough
Mandatory conscription between ages 20-45
Major issue of the 1917 election and how did Borden ensure he would win?
He needed votes after the new bill
He allowed women with family in the army and army nurses to vote and said if he won he would allow women to vote
When did the Halifax explosion happen?
1917
What happened during the halifax explosion?
2 ships collided and left thousands of people injured or dead and destroyed a big part of halifax
How did Canada pay for the war?
Victory bonds and income tax
The Sea War
Germany specialized in Submarine warfare called U-Boats
1915 Germany sunk a British passenger liner on route from the USA
outraged USA because many Americans were killed
One of the reasons why US entered the war.
Russia on the Eastern Front
Germans had problems with Russia but then crushed them at the battle of Tannenberg in 1914
Ottoman Turks entered the war and blocked Russia from accessing the Mediterranean which hurt them more.
Gallipoli campaign
Designed by Britain and France to knock Turkey out of the war helping Russia
It was a disaster and was a costly failure
Italy in the war
Did not join war but in 1915 did and switched sides
Began an alpine war with Austria over territory
Neither gained any territory
Air War
Airplanes were recently invented but technology progressed during the war
Who was the German ace?
Manfred Von Richthofen(Red Baron) with 80 kills
Canada’s greatest ace?
Billy Bishop 72 kills
Russia out of war?
1917 after the Russian revolution
Czar was forced out of power and Bolsheviks seized power(communists)
Germans last offensive to win the war
Spring of 1918
Germany’s last massive offensive to win the war and came with 70km of Paris but ran out of resources
USA in the war
Spring of 1918
Tipped the balance in the Entente side’s favour
Fresh troops came to help France and was able to overwhelm the Germans
Tanks
Helped in the last few months of the war
Allowed troops to attack opposing trenches
100 days
August - November 1918
CEF was able to make major gains against Germans in France and Belgium
Won victories at Amiens and smashed through the German defensive Hidenburg line
Finished at the town of Mons where the first battle of the war were fought
End of WW1?
Signed a ceasefire or armistice on November 11 1918
How many Canadians died?
60,000
When did The Somme happen
July 1916
Where did The Somme happen
France
Where did Vimy Ridge happen
France
When did Vimy Ridge happen?
April 1917
When did Passchendaele happen
Oct/Nov 1917
Where did Passchendaele happen
Beligum
