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Why Is The Battle Of Vimy Ridge Important For Canada

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Many Historians believed that the victory of Vimy Ridge was a memorable and unreal moment for Canadians. At that time, Canada was known to be a part of the British Empire. This meant that if Britain was to go to war, then Canada would automatically have to go to war as well.1 The Battle took place on April 9, 1917 and it was a huge victory for the Canadians.2 The significance of the battle of Vimy Ridge to Canadian history was that Canada became famous for its heroic soldiers, its large sacrifice and it was the birth of Canadian patriotism.3

To begin, the battle of Vimy Ridge was not just considered to be the greatest achievement for Canadians, but it became famous for the clever tactics which the Canadian troops used during the war.4 To start off with, The Battle of Vimy Ridge was the first battle in which Canadians from all over the land fought as a united team.5 This gave them an advantage and brought them much success during the war because they outnumbered the Germans.6 This is witnessed when Brigadier General A.E.Ross announced, "In those few minutes I witnessed the birth of a nation."7

Furthermore, the carefully thought out attacks of the …show more content…

Furthermore, Vimy also became symbolic of Canada's overall sacrifices in the First World War, especially its 60,000 soldiers who sacrificed their lives in war.10 As the sun rose out, nearly 100 000 Canadian soldiers were ready to fight the Germans.11 Frankly only one out of four Canadian divisions failed to conquer all of the goals by noon.12 Then on April 12th a telegram was sent from one of the brigade commanders saying "I am the king of the pimple".13 This told the Canadian commanders that the job was finished.14 This persuaded Prime Minister Robert Borden to step out of Britain's shadow and become a separate representation for Canada and the other countries at the Paris Peace talks after the war.15 Vimy then became a symbol for the sacrifice of the young country and also a symbol of the birth of Canadian

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Source III portrays that Canadian nationalism was created by the victory of the Battle of Vimy Ridge and how the battle unified and strengthened Canada as a nation. The source embraces civic nationalism and illustrates how a strong sense of patriotism for one’s country can be founded and can further inspire and establish nationalism. For example, the Canadian soldiers that fought at Vimy Ridge were patriotic and fought for Canada, and the results and rewards of the battle were significant to the war. At the time, German leaders and soldiers that fought at Vimy Ridge would disagree with the source, as they believed the Battle of Vimy Ridge did not considerably influence the outcome of the war. They would argue that although the location and

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Vimy Ridge was one of the greatest battles of Canadian history, it was part of the opening phase of the British-led Battle of Arras, a diversionary assault for the French Nivelle Offensive. This essay will describe the success of the Canadian troops, the battle’s significance, and the importance of the positioning with respect to the geography of the land. The actual battle took place 5:30 am Easter Monday April 9th 1917, but the planning of the attack took place for more than 5 months beforehand starting in November of 1916. Rehearsals and training also occurred, and the soldiers were trained specifically for each position in the war.

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This essay will talk about the negative and positive effects of the treaty on Canada. Canada's military underwent massive changes not only after but before the treaty as well. One of the most notable changes was the Canadian military’s shift towards an independent military stance. Evidence of this can be seen in world war I with Canada's contributions to the war effort during the war. Both the battle of the Somme and Vimy ridge were great examples of this.

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Julian Byng became the commander of the Canadian corps on May 1916 and he finished in late 1917. Julian Byng forged Canada to be elite fighting group that enemy would be scared to fight, he led Canada through 3 battles. He came from a long line of military forebears his grandfather had been a senior officer at Waterloo in 1815. After about two months following the battle of Byng was promoted to the role of commanding the third British army so his previous position as commander of the Canadian corps went to Arthur Currie. Sir Arthur Currie was considered as a brilliant Canadian military commander during the Great War during the battle of vimy ridge he carefully planned and reformed to protect his men throughout the war to reduce the amount of

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2014 Borden Vs King: Conscription Before World War I and World War II, Canada had the reputation of a small colony that was controlled by the British Empire. Being a member of the Empire, Canada had to participate in the wars because when Britain is threatened so is Canada. With Canada participating in the wars, men had to volunteer to partake in the military. However, the number of casualties exceeded the number of volunteers.

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One of Canada’s strengths was its major contributions to the war such as soldiers, supplies and victories that helped Canada gain a new sense of maturity. After gaining their own Commander of Canadian Corps. in 1917, Canada was seen as being less dependent on Britain, because it was slowly starting to become its own separate nation. Canada was invited to the Paris Peace Conference and given two seats. Canada signed the Treaty of Versailles in its own right as an independent country, and the identity of Canada had changed as a result of WW1.

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Finally, the accomplishment of capturing Vimy Ridge was a part of the reason why Canada was given the honor of signing the Treaty of Versailles as a separate nation. As a result of this, Canada would not be overshadowed by the British empire and their decisions. Thus, the Battle of Vimy Ridge proved to be an event that allowed Canada to make their push for

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On April 9th 1917, at 5:30 AM , Canadian soldiers were tense and no one dared doubt their commander, the battle of Vimy Ridge was about to take place. This 110m high, 8 km front2 gave an advantage to Germany as they were able to look down and fire at any enemy troops as they approached. Previous allies such as the British and French3 have tried to take over the Ridge but resulted is a failure, leading to hundreds of thousands of casualties. The Canadians planned their attack very throughly and strong by the help of Major- General Arthur Currie and British Lieutenant-General Julian Byng.4 Strategies were created like the creeping barrage and aerial photographs were taken to pinpoint exactly where German artillery were. 20 000 Canadians5 followed a carefully thought-out plan where specific tasks were essential to meet because they could possibly result in a casuality.

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Before this conflict, Canada was nothing but a small British colony, living under the control of England, incapable to be brave and victorious. After this war, Canada came out as a bright and strong nation of its own; it received its own signature in the Peace Court, more autonomy from England, and the unification of all Canadians. At that moment of victory, every soldier was for once, proud to be

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The British and French had already attempted to take this area, and although it was valiant they still lost. This put weight on Canada’s soldiers. On April 9th, 1917, 1000 guns opened fire on German positions. 15000 Canadians attacked the Germans and after four days and 10000 casualties, Canada single handedly took Vimy Ridge (Vimy Ridge, 1). This victory gained the nation immense respect from the rest of the world.

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Canada wanted to be recognized for their war efforts, and they opposed to further fight without representing their own country, indicating that they could be independent, a step towards developing their constitution. Next, the notable war records and successes in battles such as Vimy Ridge won them recognition on the Treaty of Versailles. Prime Minister Robert Borden, in the Liberal-Conservative Handbook , ‘Equal status or Equality of Nationhood', stated, "The highest future for this Dominion lies within this Empire upon conditions of equal status." This statement by Borden foreshadowed Canada’s important role in the Paris Peace Conference and the eventual signing of the Treaty of Versailles. This was a significant milestone in Canada’s history and the signing showed the world that Canada is a new independent nation that can support and represent

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The way of life for the common man in Canada had changed drastically. It was a major interest on Canada’s side; civilians were using this war to prove their points, thousands died to save their families from shame. Things changed socially as well Canada was an

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World War 1 was a historic event which began in 1914 and ended in 1918. This bloody conflict took the lives of more than 17 million people who were fighting for their countries. Being a British colony at the time, Canada was dragged into the war that did not impact the country in any way, yet thousands of Canadians volunteered to devote their lives for their nation. The first World War had the greatest impact on Canadian history during the 20th century, as this event helped Canada gain more independence from Britain, it helped introduce women in the workforce, and also introduced non-white Canadians in the army. For the longest time, Canada had been under British control, however, this changed a bit after World War 1 took place.

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After World War I the belief among Canadians and historians that Vimy Ridge and the major battles fought by Canadian troops were when Canada was truly formed as a nation. The War in general was seen as Canada rise to nation hood, and when it somewhat broke its imperialist identities and attachments and became its own individual force. Despite the war being almost 50 years after confederation, Canada was not a nation. It was merely a member of the Dominion, but after the conflict it had proved itself on an international stage. Whether the “Birth of a Nation” belief is true or not is irrelevant, what matters is that it was presented that way.

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