Argumentative Essay: Canada's Growth

WWII Essay: Canada’s Growth Canada today is well known internationally as a strong and free nation and can easily be one of the most powerful countries in the world. However, it was not always the potent nation that stands before us today, in fact, it took multiple events that occurred throughout its history for Canada to go from the insignificant British colony it once was, to the influential country that it has grown to be. One such instance is Canada’s participation in the Second World War, as it has led Canada to become a stronger nation, and as an outcome, it has undergone a period of growth. Canada’s Autonomy, the role of women and Canada’s participation in Ortona, are just a few events that strongly illustrate this growth.

During the Second World War, after many of the men left to join the battle overseas, women were once again given the task of running the nation, and in order to do so they took over traditionally ‘masculine’ jobs, such as working in munitions bunkers, and on farms. By doing so, women were able to keep the economy running, which helped pay for war efforts and even provided the nation with more jobs. Contrary to WWI, women were now encouraged to take on more jobs directly related to the ongoing war. For instance, on the home front, an approximation of 35 000 women were working in munitions factories, making the artillery for the soldiers. Not to mention, for the first time in Canadian history, new positions in the military such as Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service (WRENS) and the Women Division (WD) in The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) were created so that women were able to contribute more towards the war efforts. This advancement in the military allowed both men and women to fight alongside each other and defend their land. Canadian women even had their own mascot, ‘Ronnie, the Bren Gun Girl,’ which inspired more and more women to get out of their houses and encouraged them to partake in jobs that portrayed them as strong independent women. By 1945, near the end of the Second World War, 1/3 of all Canadian women were employed in war efforts under the National Selective

From December 20, 1943, to December 28, 1943, in a city near the harbour of Italy, Canada participated in one of the deadliest and difficult battles of the entire Italian Campaign. After the Allies had taken over Sicily, the 1st Canadian Infantry Division moved up Italy planning on taking over Ortona, a city of high strategic importance. The plan was to quickly enter Ortona, secure the harbour and keep moving up towards Germany. Unfortunately, due to hidden German tanks and the German 1st Parachute Division, the battle of Ortona took 8 long and painful days of many intense street fighting. In fact, the street fights were so intense, that there were 2, 600 Canadian casualties, 1, 375 of which were deaths. Despite feeling desperate and slowly losing faith in themselves, as they had already lost in the Battle of Hong Kong as well as the Dieppe raid, Canadians persevered and worked side by side to take down the Germans. This was done by using a new tactic called ‘Mouse-holing”, in which the troops would blow-up a building and fight their way through German defences one house at a time. This showcased a tremendous amount of bravery as the Canadian troops fought till the very end and successfully pushed the German troops back, despite their enormous casualty rates. Due to this victory, the Allies were able to move into Germany and ultimately end the Second World War. This caused Canada to be