CANADA IN THE GREAT WAR I WAKE OF WAR http://www.passchendaelethemovie.com/canada_ In_ The_ Great_ War... The Great War I Wake of War The war comes full circle and ends where it began, in the Belgian city of Mons on November 11, 1918. 48,830 Canadians have been killed, wounded or went missing. The terms of the armistice are hard on Germany which will lose the territory it gained in the war, pay reparation and will feel humiliated. Many historians feel the seeds of WWII are planted. World Context The peace treaties signed at the end of the war are unilateral, tough on Germany and spark resentment in Central Powers. National Impact Women get the vote, factories outpaces farm and Car goes dry, but not for long..k~gacy_ Canada's leading role in the Great War puts it on the diplomatic global stage and forges a strong Canadian identity. 1 of I 3/6/2013 12:00 PM
CANADA IN THE GREAT WAR I WAKE OF WAR I WORLD CO... http://www.passchendaelethemovie.com/canada_ln _l he_lireat_ Wa... The Paris Peace Conference In January, 1919, the leaders of the Alliesincluding Britain, France, Italy, the United States and Japan -gathered in Paris to forge the peace settlement that would formally end the Great War. In all, 27 countries gathered in the City of Light, each there to demand its rightful place in the new world order. Members of the British Commonwealth - Canada, Australia and New Zealand - attended to back up Britain's demands and to demand recognition for their own respective contributions to the victory. Complicating matters even more was the presence of the Poles, Czechs, Finns and even the Chinese, all interested in staking their claim amidst the re-drawing of the map of Europe - and the world. Uninvited were the vanquished Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey and the newly-minted Bolshevik Russia. They would have no say in the terms of the new peace. Canadian Officers under Bridge While leaders negotiated the terms of peace, Canadian soldiers and officers waited in the cities of Europe to be returned home to their wives and families. 1 of 1 3/11/2010 1:44PM
CANADA IN THE GREAT WAR I WAKE OF WAR I WORLD CO... http://www.passchendaelethemovie.com/canada_ln _The_ Great_ Wa... The war had come to a close amid controversy. Many military leaders, including Canadian General Arthur Currie, believed the Allies had cut the war off early, instead of pounding German forces into total submission. Canadian General Andy McNaughton voiced these concerns in words that would be prophetic: "That means that we shall have to do it all over again in another 25 years." At the peace talks, similar controversies raged. American President Woodrow Wilson was convinced that any lasting peace must be fair and balanced. In his famous Fourteen Points of 1917, Wilson outlined a treaty that was not unduly harsh based on an idea he called "Peace without victory." Unfortunately, the major Allied leaders were having none of Wilson's high moral tone and equanimity. French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau (who was nicknamed "The Tiger" for his dominating presence and fierce negotiating style) and Britain's Lloyd George were determined to render Germany militarily impotent and to make it pay -pay for a war it had started. The British Exhibition Months after the Allied victory, Queen Mary and the Prince of Wales take a moment to look at an exhibition of war pictures in London, England. 11~1~11:15.1 12 1 of 1 3/11/2010 3:18PM
CANADA IN THE GREAT WAR I WAKE OF WAR I WORLD CO... http://www.passchendaelethemovie.com/canada _In_ The_ Great_ Wa... Ib~_S'L~t War I Wake of War I World Context The Group of Ten In short order, ten countries- Britain, France, the United States, Italy, Japan and five others - took control of the talks. But before long, three leaders- Wilson, Lloyd George and Clemenceau - dominated the talks. The French Prime Minister wanted revenge for the defeat in 1871 at the hands of the Germans and demanded reparations for the massive loss of French life (almost 1.5 million dead) and the damage to the country, particularly in the north. British Prime Minister Lloyd George had campaigned on the slogan "make Germany pay" and was acutely aware of the more than 760,000 British men and women who had given their lives in the war. After six months of intense negotiations, Britain and France were successful in punishing Germany in what would come to be called the "Victor's Treaty." In all, the Peace of Paris consisted of five separate treaties, one for each of the defeated countries: Austria, Germany, Turkey, Hungary and Bulgaria. Ignoring Wilson's advice to draw new borders based not on military victory but on the nationality and language of the people, the leaders re-drew the map of Europe and drafted harsh terms for the defeated countries, sowing the seeds of future conflict. Of the treaties signed, though, by far the most important for the world was the treaty with Germany - the famous Treaty of Versailles. Celebrations at King and Yonge Back home In Canada, relieved citizens poured Into the streets - here at the corner of King and Yonge streets in Toronto- to celebrate the end of the Great War. 1IZ.I~I1151QIZ 3/ll/20!03:19PM
CANADA It\.,.:.. GREAT WAR I WAKE OF WAR I WORLD CO... http://www.passchendaelethemovie.com/canada _In_ The_ Great_ Wa... Treaty of \/e ilies On June 28, 1919- the fifth anniversary of the assassination in Sarajevo that sparked the Great War- Germany signed the peace treaty in the Great Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles in France, with no discussion of the treaty's terms. And the terms were harsh. Germany would disarm and would be allowed no naval warships or submarines, no tanks, no air force and limited artillery. It would be restricted to an all-volunteer standing army of no more than 100,000 men. $5 billion in reparations was payable immediately, with estimates of the civilian damages alone to be as much as $25 billion. Germany would cede all its overseas possessions to Britain and France and would lose Alsace-Lorraine to the French. France was given the rights to the coal mines of the Saar region for 15 years to compensate for the Germans' destruction of French mines during their retreat. In all, the crushing terms of the Treaty of Versailles would lead to catastrophe. The German people, many of whom were convinced they had not really lost the war, bristled under the harsh terms of the "dictated peace." Humiliated, some Germans blamed weak politicians, socialists and the Jews for their situation, sentiments that would be exploited by an embittered German soldier of the Great War- Adolph Hitler. Conference Table The Allies, the victors, joined around the conference table to divide the spoils. The harsh terms of the treaty they created sowed the seeds of discontent and, in 20 short years, another war. 1IZIJI115:1!21Z 3/11/2010 3:35 PTv1
CANADA IN THE GREAT WAR I WAKE OF WAR I LEGACY http://www.passchendaelethemovie.com/canada _In_ The_ Great_ Wa.. < The Great War I Wake of War I Legacy Legacy S king Independence Even before the conflict's end, Canada's Prime Minister, Sir Robert Borden, was determined to ensure that Canada's war effort did not go unrewarded. Borden wanted no less than for Canada to throw off its semi-colonial status and take its rightful place among the leading countries of the world as a fully independent sovereign nation. Though Canada had declared independence in 1867, it was automatically in the war when Britain declared war in 1914. This lack of autonomy in international affairs rankled Borden and he believed Canada's contribution to the war was evidence of the "maturity of Canadian nationhood." With that in mind, Borden was pleased when Canada achieved a seat at the Imperial War Cabinet in April, 1917. He saw it as a big step forward in Canada's advancement from being a colony in the Empire to a fully independent Dominion within the Commonwealth. As the war drew to a close, all the Allied nations began to jockey for position at the Paris Peace Talks and Canada was no different. Borden arrived in Paris just after the armistice and was emboldened by General Currie's report of Canada's contributions to the victory. When Canada and the other dominions were initially not granted direct representation at the peace table, Borden joined forces with Australia and South Africa demanding parity with other small nations. In January, 1919, they got their wish and each of the dominions was granted two delegates at the negotiations. Though Borden felt the dominions should be separate signatories to the treaties, Britain signed on behalf of the British Empire and the dominions were allowed signatures below. League of Nations Emboldened by Canada's contributions to the Allied victory, Sir Robert Borden fought for recognition of the Dominion and secured Canada a position at the Peace Talks and a seat at the League of Nations. l of l 3111/20103:41 PM
CANADA IN THE GREAT WAR I WAKE OF WAR I LEGACY http://www.passchendaelethemovie.com/canada _In_ The_ Great_ Wa... < eat in the League of Nations Through these trials, Borden became more and more convinced that Canada must "assume full sovereignty." Though the real peace negotiating would fall to the big nations- the Council of Ten - Borden saw the talks as an opportunity to ensure that Canada took its rightful place in a brand-new, soon-to-be-formed international body, The League of Nations. The League was largely the creation of American president Woodrow Wilson. The formation of the League, a body designed to resolve international disputes, had been one of his famous Fourteen Points put forward in 1918. The League's Covenant was drafted in Paris in 1919 and the mandate of the new body would be, among other things, to mediate disputes, prevent war and promote world health. Though Borden was pleased that Canada was granted a seat at the League, he was disappointed that the country Canadian delegation at the League of Nations The Canadians took their rightful spot at the League of Nations. The delegation included O.D. Skelton, Philippe Roy, Raoul Dandurand, Rt. Han. W.L. Mackenzie King, Charles Dunning and W.A. Riddell. 112.1~11 3111/20103:41 PM
CANADA IN THE GREAT WAR I WAKE OF WAR I LEGACY http://www.passchendaelethemovie.com/canada _In_ The_ Great_ Wa... < was not eligible for a spot on the Council of the League, the true governing body where Britain, France, the United States, Italy and Japan would sit. When Borden got wind that Canada would be expected to fight to protect France against future German aggression, he warned the British prime minister that Parliament and the Canadian people would "bitterly resent" such a proposal. The League relented and allowed that Canada could be one of the four rotating nations elected to the Council. Though the League would accomplish little (including being unable to prevent the next world war) Canada had finally achieved its own spot on the world stage. Imperial War Conference Prime Minister Robert Borden attended the Imperial War Conference in 1917 to make sure Canada had a voice In the progress of the war. 1121JI'l 3/ll/20 I 0 3:42 PM
CANADA IN THE GREAT WAR I WAKE OF WAR I LEGACY http://www.passchendaelethemovie.com/canada _In_ The_ Great_ Wa... The Great War I Wake of War I Legacy The Econon1ic I111pact The Great War had a tremendous economic impact on Canada and the world. It is estimated that the war cost almost $340 billion dollars with more than half of that going to the direct cost of waging it. For Canada, paying for the war changed the economy and taxation structure of the country forever. Before the First World War, Canada had no income tax and the then minister of finance thought it would be necessary to institute a tax to pay for the soaring costs of the war effort. Surprisingly, a 1915 appeal to the public raised more than $100 million and the Victory Loan Campaign, launched in 1917, raised hundreds of millions more. Canada's stagnant economy was pushed into high gear by the war. The demand for shells, rifles, tanks, aircraft and all types of armaments sparked the rapid creation of a new industrial manufacturing sector in Canada. The war transformed Canada from a largely rural economy to an industrialized nation. At the outset of the war, Canada had no munitions industry to speak of, but through the Shell Committee (and later, in 1917, the Imperial Munitions Board) the country's capacity expanded rapidly. By 1915, Canada had almost 250 factories, employing 60,000 to 70,000 people. By 1918, some 300,000 Canadians (30,000 of them women) were at work in factories. This rapid change brought hardship too. Inflation soared and higher prices bit into the income of many families. Workers were disgruntled and labour unrest was common. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the government in 1917 relented to the economic pressures of the war effort and instituted the "Income War Tax Act," bringing income tax to Canadian Winnipeg General strike After the war, soaring inflation, unemployment and a looming depression caused labour unrest across the country, highlighted by the Winnipeg General Strike of June, 1919. liziji'l: 3111/2010 3:42PM