Canada In World War 1 Essay

Canada played critical roles in World War 1, making history. Many sacrifices were made but there were wins that sparked national pride. World war one challenged Canadians on the field, the front, and at home.

Militarism, alliances, imperialism and nationalism were all causes of World War 1. Two main groups in alliances were the Triple Entente (Great Britain, France, and Russia) and the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and The Ottoman Empire). In 1914, Canada was a self-governing dominion of the British Empire, but did not control its own foreign affairs. The Canadian government decided the extent of Canada’s war effort, but legally the country was at war when Britain declared one. Great Britain was one of the allies, so Canada automatically

The Germans charged against Canada and it was the first time they used chlorine gas, a deadly gas that killed men instantly. Canada held their line, thus Britain saw that Canada had strong troops. In July, 1916, the Somme had the Newfoundland regiment army fight, and it was the first time the British used tanks. This battle led Newfoundland’s Memorial Day on July 1st. In April, 1917, the battle of Vimyridge was the first time a country practiced fighting. The Canadians practiced on a mock battlefield and used a technique called the creeping barrage were they would shoot artillery overhead while creeping forward, this lead to Canada making the largest gains since the beginning of the war. In November, 1917, Passchendaele was a hard time for Canadians. Canadian general Arthur Currie was chosen to lead the Canadians. He said that Canada should not participate in the battle of Passchendaele due to the severe muddiness of the field. Britain insisted that that they go to war. The Canadians were very upset about how the British treated them. There were huge amounts of Canadian casualties, so the Canadians learned that they have to make their own decisions and be independent. Along with battles on the

Canada’s smart planning, ideas and endurance help led to Germany surrendering on November 11, 1918, and all nations had agreed to stop fighting while the terms of peace were negotiated. On June 28, 1919, Germany and the Allied Nations signed the Treaty of Versailles, formally ending the war. The war taught the world that wars caused so much death they never wanted it to happen again. About 61,000 Canadians were killed during the war, and another 172,000 were wounded. Many more returned home hurt physically and emotionally. If Canada did not participate in World War I, we might have not become an independent country, there would be less supplies to the allies, and many battles many have been lost. Till this day we celebrate Remembrance Day on November 11 in honour of all the soldiers that fought for