1. Canada and World War I

2. War Begins
World War I broke out in 1914, shortly after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Britain declared war on Germany on August 4, 1914
Because Britain still controlled Canada’s foreign policy, Canada was automatically at war with Germany.
Canada’s Prime Minister at the time was Robert Borden

3. A New Kind of War
In the past, wars had been fought by small professional armies with weapons such as rifles, guns and bayonets
Artillery – Cannons
Cavalry – Men on horses with muskets
Infantry – Soldiers with bayonets on the end of their muskets

4. A New Kind of War
War would consist of a few decisive battles – whoever had the most men standing at the end would win
Armies would meet on a field, fire one round of shots every 30 seconds or so
“Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes” – close range, very bloody.
At the onset of World War I, this is all the world knew of war. This was the type of warfare they were used to: A quick decisive battle
Canadian solders were expecting “We’ll be home by Christmas”

6. A New Kind of War - Technology
Technology introduced new weapons capable of much greater death and destruction
Machine guns
Submarines
Tanks
Airplanes
Bombs

7. Submarines

8. Tanks

9. Airplanes

10. The Result? High body count / high numbers of soldiers needed to fight
Trenches – limited mobility
Static warfare (little to no movement)
Defensive style war – whomever is defending has the advantage
World War I became a war of attrition
Attrition: wearing down by friction / A gradual decrease in number or strength because of constant stress

11. The Numbers
By the end of the conflict in 1918, 65 million soldiers from 35 nations had served in the war.
Historians estimate that over 30 million people died
15 million due to battle related causes and an equal number due to pandemics such as the Spanish Influenza which followed the movement of troops around the world

12. Canada’s Human Toll
With just 8 million people, Canada was one of the smallest of the combatant countries by population, yet it contributed soldiers to the war effort
Over 1/3 of all eligible combatants in Canada signed on, most voluntarily
Over men and women died
Almost more were wounded
In cities, towns and rural areas there was hardly a family that had not been touched by the loss of a brother, a son, a father, an uncle, or a cousin
In some communities, an entire generation of young men were lost creating long term effects on demographics

13. The Home Front No one was exempt from “military service” at home.
Canadians who could not serve directly in combat were expected to participate in smaller, but still significant ways
Women volunteered for service overseas as nurses and ambulance drivers
Women knitted socks, wrapped food parcels, and packed medical kits
Women and young boys picked up the slack on the farms to keep food production going
Women began to work in factories and take over other jobs for the men who were away at war

14. STATIONS

15. Canada Goes to War