1. The Causes of WWI

2. The Underlying Causes of WWI
Nationalism:
Eastern Europe was dominated by the Austro-Hungarian, Russian and Ottoman empires
These empires were destabilized by nationalist movements within their borders (e.g. Pan-Slavism)
Alliance System:
Goal was to reduce the threat of war in Europe, but it actually increased tensions between rival nations
Triple Alliance: Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy
Triple Entente: France, Great Britain and Russia
Nationalist groups within Europe desires their own independent nations (e.g. Poles, Serbs); the map of Europe would be redrawn after WWI to accommodate many of these groups
Alliance: agreement to come to another nation’s aid if it is attacked by a common enemy
Triple Alliance called Central Powers during WWI, partly because Italy does not initially take part in the war.
Triple Entente will be known as the Allies

3. The Underlying Causes of WWI
Militarism:
Rapid expansion of armies and build up of weapons
A tense naval race between Germany and Great Britain
Imperialism:
Conflicts arose as nations competed for overseas territories in order to expand their empires, especially in Africa
Industrialization increased desire for colonies as a source of raw materials to supply their factories & as places to sell manufactured goods
Alliance system and increase militarism upset the balance of power in Europe
Balance of power: strong nations attempt to remain equal in terms of military strength, alliances, size of empire, etc.
Many felt war was the only way to keep a powerful rival nation in check

4. The Official Cause of WWI
The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand:
On June 29, 1914 the Archduke and his wife were shot by Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian nationalist, in Sarajevo, Bosnia
The Archduke was the Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary and Bosnia was part of his empire
Serbian nationalists claimed Bosnia as part of Greater Serbia because the majority of the population was Serbian
The Black Hand, a Serbian nationalist group, targeted the Archduke for assassination
First connection to underlying causes: nationalism

5. The Official Cause of WWI
The Alliance System Comes Into Play:
Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia
Serbia’s ally Russia mobilized its troops
Austria-Hungary’s ally Germany mobilized its troops
Britain declared war after Germany invaded its ally, Belgium
Great Britain controlled Canada’s foreign policy, so Canada was automatically at war along with the rest of the British Empire
Second connection to underlying causes: Alliance system
Essentially tensions had built up in Europe over competition for military and imperial supremacy and the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the excuse everyone had been looking for to put their enemies in their place.

6. Canada’s Response to the War

7. Enlistment Borden promised 25 000 men, but 30 000 enlist:
Promise of adventure
Believed war would be over by Christmas
Needed job
Many English Canadians felt it was their patriotic duty to defend Britain
Women accepted as nurses & ambulance drivers in Canadian Army Medical Corps
First Nations, African & Japanese soldiers weren’t accepted at first & were rarely promoted once they were
Women kept behind front lines because of belief that they couldn’t handle battle
Canadian nurses nicknamed the “Bluebirds” because of the colour of their uniforms
Enlistment policies reflect the prejudices of the time

8. Training The Troops
Sam Hughes, Minister of Militia, set up a training camp in Valcartier, Quebec
Boot camp brought men from diverse parts of the country together for the first time & helped create a sense of national identity
Basic training was rushed & troops, known as the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF), were sent to Britain ill-prepared for war
CEF usually fought as separate units within the British army, further contributing to a sense of national identity
Canada had much fewer transportation and communication connections than it has today, so many of the enlisted men would have had no contact with people from other parts of the country before showing up at Valcartier
Camp was built in only 4 weeks
British had assumed they would absorb the Canadian troops into their more experienced battalions, but for the most part the CEF fought independently (though usually under British command)

9. War Profiteering
Sam Hughes was also in charge of supplying armaments for the war effort
Patronage to award contracts & many of these industrialists put profits before quality
Shell Committee oversaw the production of 1/3 of the shells for the British, but they often backfired
The standard-issue Ross rifle often jammed
Some soldiers were issued boots with cardboard soles that disintegrated in the rain
The Ross rifle was so unpopular with Canadian troops that they would often take the British Lee Enfield rifles off the bodies of dead British soldiers

10. The War Measures Act
Granted the Canadian government the power to do whatever was necessary “for the security, defence, peace, order and welfare of Canada.”
It gave the government unprecedented power to:
Control transportation, manufacturing and other aspects of the economy
Infringe on civil liberties (e.g. censor mail, arrests without warrants)
Recent immigrants (“enemy aliens”) from enemy nations were treated harshly under this act:
Over had to carry special identity cards
Over 8500 were sent to internment camps
Believed this level of control was necessary to win the war
Enemy aliens included people from Germany and Austria-Hungary