November 16th Lesson 1 The cause of World War I

● Four main cause of WW1:

● Militarism
○ arms (military weapons) race between different nations
● Alliances
○ Create to check the balance of power between nations
○ Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy (switch side: join Triple Entente 1915)
formed a Triple alliance (sometimes known as central power)(1907)
○ France, Britain, and Russia reacted by creating the Triple Entente
○ Belgium is neutral
● Imperialism
○ Empire building
○ Natural resources are extremely important in Europe (while they don’t have
many)---take over others’ land and colonize the other land
○ Germany was jealous that they didn’t have an empire and tried to take parts of
Africa
○
● Nationalism
○ Created the feeling the other countries were better than others
○ Horrible results: local people in Africa suffered from their colonization
○ All the countries who have huge military power all compete for natural resources
while all of them argued that they were superior to others

● More about alliances

○ All the Great Powers promised to support one another if they were attacked
○ Hoped alliances would reduce threat of war but did the opposite

● The Spark
○ On June 28, 1914, the heir of Austro-Hungarian, has been killed in Sarajevo (a
city in Serbia)
○ Reasons for why being killed: Serbia had recently declare their independence
○ Consequence: A.H declares war on Serbia on July 28, 1914 (first time)
○ Serbia is not the major power, but what happened there led to WWI.

● Consequences:
○ A.H declares war on Serbia on July 28, 1914 (first time)
 ○ Russia mobilizes (prepares) troops to defend its ally, Serbia - July 31, 1914
○ Germany declares war against Russia - August 1, 1914
○ Germany declares war against France - August 3, 1914
○ Germany invades Belgium - a neutral country
○ Britain and allies (inc. Canada) declare war against Germany
-August 4, 1914
○ A-H declares war on Russia - August 6, 1914
Everything happened at the same time which means that a huge war is inevitable. It is officially
underway

November. 21th Lesson 2 Expectations vs Reality

● Canada was volunteered to join the WWI

○ The last war was developed based on honorship.
○ The only one that has been romanticized (without realizing the danger and cruel
of a real world)
● Why Canadians wanted to participate in the war:
○ For king and countries, our loyalty to Britain
○ Winning of this fight—prove themselves for the world (honor)
○ Great Adventure for soldiers (stories for them to tell)
○ Peer pressure changes to (all the men went, why are you here?)
● Who didn’t want the war to happen?
○ In the early days, women will be proud if their husbands went to the war, while
later situation has been completely twisted
○ Farmers didn’t want it to happen; because no one is going to take care of the
farms besides women
○ French Canadian—The connection between French and Quebec wasn’t really
close (Britain and English speakers' connection is closer)---why are they going to
fight for an English war while they are French?
Reality The war stalls
○ No one is going to actually defeat others
November. 21th Lesson 2 Expectations vs Reality

● Condition in WW1
○ They live in small, damp trenches
○ They switch positions every a certain time
○ Harsh environment
○ Lots of letters about how terrible the condition were were not be able to send to
their families
● War of attrition
○ Gradual decreased amount of soldiers
○ Connect with militarism: tons of soldiers will be killed to win the battle (16
million men died)
○ Loss of generations
○ Cemetery

November. 28th Military Technology and the Role of Nurses

Collision of technology
Deadly zone between 2 lines
First scientific war
Enormous hours into scientific development (priority of power)
Change the way we understand
It doesn’t matter how brave you are, humans powers are tiny in front of cold fighting machines
No one cares about one individual’s life

Artillery & Shells

● Fly in all directions
● Kill more people than every other weapon did
● Kill as many as possible before attack
● Soldiers are trained for different specialties

Machine Gun
● Exist before WW1 (refined)
 ● Evolve during WW1 (600 bullets a minute)

Planes
● Not designed for military purpose but have been applied into warfares
● Reconnaissances (look at others)(also called “dogfights”

Poison Gas
● Exist before WW1 but the first time that it was used in a large scale
● April, 1915 at the 2nd Battle of Ypres (first major battle after arriving in France)
● Horrible effects on body
● Drift towards energy because of wind

● Why would women volunteer to be nurses?

○ Fight for honor; gender identities in being nurses to help
● What duties do you think the nurses had to perform?
○
● What hardships do you think the nurses had to face?
○ Expose to some danger

December. 6th The Homefront During WW1

 ● Emotions
○ Helplessness and uncertainty
○ Challenging to just wait
○ Being strong for family

● Propaganda
○ Posters guilt the men to join the war
■ Peer pressure
■ “Fight for honor and country”
■ Critiques to someone who didn’t participate

● Women’s roles in homefront

○ Organization applying to war efforts
○ Victories gardens in their backyard (plant materials)
■ Supply, canning for soldiers (sent overseas)
○ Raise money (1.5 m dollars for canadian troops, make shells)
○ Collect Sphagnum Moss
○ Gain officer status (only canadian)

● Economic difficulties for canada

○ Debt
○ Victory bonds—loan governments money
○ Personal income taxes started in 1917

December 2nd Vimy Ridge (canadian attack germans) (high casualties)

● The first time for canadian troops to fight together as a single unit
● Canadian General (Arthur Currie)
○ Canadian force specifically focus on
○ 4 divisions (10000 about people for each)(only canadian)
○ Try to win or concur Vimy Ridge
○ Britain approved the request
○ German army failed to take Vimy Ridge
○ Leader of one division
● Part of the battle of Arras
● Start: 5:30 am in the morning April 9th 1917
● Different
○ Models/rehearse
○ (1) Begin to practice (rehearse the battle)
○ (2) different responsibilities for soldiers
○ (3) Be aware of others’ roles (take over if being interrupted/killed)
○ Deep tunnels to allow supplies to enter (built by engineers)
○ The first complete win
● Creeping barrage ( canadian fire german) (not canadian invention)
○ When barrage happens, the canadian soldiers go approach to the German
trenches
○ This is extremely dangerous because if they go too fast, they are going to be
killed by their own artillery; if they go too slow, Germans hide in their own
trenches are going to come out and shoot Canadian soldiers
○ Careful planning (wonderful but still flawed)
○ 3 thousand be killed
○ The first time to be used so effectively
● Aftermath
○ Identity
○ Get rid of British shadow

● Reaction to the battle of Vimy Ridge

December 8th Conscription, Enemy Aliens & Indigenous Contributions to the War

● Definition: Conscription=mandatory enlistment in the army

● From 1916-1917, less men were volunteering
● The development of Military Service Act (enforce men to go to war)

● Enemy alien= a citizen of one country living in another country with which it is at war,
and viewed as suspect as a result
● Internment Camps
● Second class citizens
● Indigenous soldiers

● Black Canadians are rejected from participating in the war because that’s a white man's
war
● In July 1916, the first and only moment in which all Black soldiers in Canadian history
were allowed to volunteer for wars.
● White soldiers in the middle (officers command)
● Moral support.religious (discrimination)
● Drop down trees/supply for frontlines
● Keep separated

December 16th Lesson n — The end of the War

● US join the war

- They realize that Entente will win if they join the war.
- Their participation in WW1 enables them to get resources and sit on the table as winners