Canada was immediately involved in World War One when Britain declared war on Germany on August 4, 1914. As a country under the rule of the British Empire, Canada did not yet have the independence as the imperial powers in the war such as: Britain, France, Russia, Germany and Austria-Hungary. Many battles were fought by Canadian troops fighting on the Allied side in this war including: The Battle of Somme in 1916, The Battle of Passchendaele in 1917 and the Battle of Amiens in 1918. But for present day Canadians, the most well known battle took place on Easter Monday on April 9, 1917. Canada was fighting for Britain and after failed attempts from both the French and British army to seize the ridge from Germany, Canada joined the fight and …show more content…
was the only Allied country that successfully won over Vimy ridge. The Battle of Vimy Ridge was historically significant for Canada as a nation. With the achievement of Vimy ridge for Canadians, Canada was now regarded as an almost completely independent country, for the first time, Canadian major- General Arthur Currie led an unified army of Canadian men into World War One and the endless training and preparation for the battle beforehand gave an advantage that would be significant for years to come. Success in the Battle of Vimy Ridge allowed Canada to be generally viewed as an independent nation.
Since 1793, at the Treaty of Paris, Canada was under British rule, France and Britain had fought for the power over Canada and France was defeated. But “in the 1860s the British colonies were facing many different kinds of problems” including political difficulties of English and French speakers having diverse opinions about the government. As well as economic troubles because there were not many places where colonies could vend their products and military dilemmas because of the unbalanced bond amongst the United States and British North America. The resolution to these complications was for the different colonies settled in Canada to unite as one abundant country. So in 1867, Canada “became a self-governing dominion of the British Empire” until 1931, when the Statute of Westminster was passed by the Parliament of Great Britain. , This Statute presented several countries under Dominion including: Canada, Newfoundland, New Zealand, Australia, the Union of South Africa and the Irish Free State their independence. With the success of Vimy Ridge, “Canada’s participation in the war won it a place at the table at the Paris peace talks in 1919 […] And in 1931, the Statute of Westminster gave Canada control over it’s own foreign policy.” Not only did the battle of Vimy Ridge prove Canada’s nationality, but it also united Canadians into a single unit led by a Canadian Major-
General. Major- General Arthur Currie was the first Canadian General to lead the four divided sections of Canada as an unified army in World War One. After General Julian Byng who was the “commander of the Canadian Corps from May 1916 to June 1917” was raised to the position of the Commander of the British Third Army, General Douglas Haig presented the job to Arthur Currie. , General Currie had a reputation as he “never lost a fight[…] turned the Canadian divisions into a serious fighting force[…] was a rebel who followed his instincts” and “completed all missions assigned to him.” With these defining characteristics, Major-General Currie led Canada into the Battle of Vimy Ridge and successfully won over the ridge from the Germans who “captured Vimy Ridge early in the war and transformed it into a strong defensive position.” General Currie along with Julian Byng meticulously planned and strategized exactly how the Battle of Vimy Ridge was supposed to play out. By rehearsing and drilling this plan into the soldier’s heads, everyone had a thorough understanding of the attack, giving Canadian troops an advantage over the Germans. The unified Canadian troops also used different warfare techniques at the Battle of Vimy Ridge that improved Canada’s war technology for years to come.
The years since the Battle of Vimy Ridge may have passed quickly, but the legacy of the Canadians whose accomplishments were great in that pivotal First World War battle lives on. Many people claim to this day that Canada came of age as a country on those hard April days in 1917. At first, through the meticulous planning of the battle, the world saw a nation capable of working together and making decisions as a team. Afterwards, with the range of technical and tactical innovations involved in the attack, the world saw a strong nation unafraid to protect and defend. In the end, through great sacrifice the world bore witness to the birth of the Canadian legacy.
It was once stated by F.R.Scott “ There are two miracles in canadian history. The first is the survival of French Canada, and the second is the survival of Canada.” His quote came to reality as of Canada grew to be a stable and secure country where everyone would want to be. Yet to accomplish this, many obstacles and events occurred such as the Spanish Succession war in 1713 , the seven years war in 1763, the constitutional act in 1791 and finally the Act of Union in 1841. First in 1713, the Spanish Succession war occurred where the British took control of Acadia. Soon after that, in 1763 the Seven Years War ended where the British took over New France and was later renamed British North America. Before the British most of the colonies were
Every 11 hour, 11 day of the 11th month we express our gratitude to those Canadian soldiers who fought courageously in the wars of World War I, World War II and the Korean War. Lest We Forget is a famous phrase that everyone has heard or seen in the month of Remembrance Day. This phrase reminds us daily about the losses of loved ones and the possibilities of declaring another conflict that could hurt millions of people. Canada's war experiences have defined its nation. Due to Canada's numerous contributions to the World War I, World War II and the Korean War, Canada has earned a reputation as an independent strong fighting force, a supportive ally and eventually as a valuable peacekeeping nation.
A century ago, Canada was under control by the British Empire. The battles we fought the treaties we signed and the disputes we solved all helped us gain independence from our mother country “Britain”. Canadians fought a long battle protecting others, and from these battles we gained our peaceful reputation and our independence from Britain. Canada became a nation on July, 1st 1867. Although we were an independent country, our affairs and treaties were all still signed by Britain.
In a war or conflict, there is no real winner. All members involved in the conflict will face many lasting negative effects. Naturally, World War One, being the largest global conflict at the time, was no exception. Despite that the fight was in Europe, Canada, being involved in the war, was both positively and negatively affected. As a result of the war, Canada did gain a reputation, pride, and a sense of nationalism. However, this came at the price of the lives of hundred of thousands of Canadians, distrust in the government, and increased cost of living and Canadian national debt. The negative effects of World War One on Canada far outweighs the benefits that were gained.
Canada’s eligibility to participate on the world stage and its move towards independence was proven after the accomplishments at the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Foremost, Canada’s first opportunity to partake on the world stage came soon after the end of World War I, during the Paris Peace Conference. The accomplishments of the Canadian Army in the Battle of Vimy Ridge helped to earn Canada a spot in the Paris Peace Conference, after long arguments made on behalf of Canada by Prime Minister Robert Broden. The Prime Minister argued that Canada’s wartime record had earned Canada a seat separate from Britain. Canada was granted the seat despite the disapproval of the American President, Woodrow Wilson’s, as they contributed greatly to the Allied forces, especially in the Battle of Vimy Ridge.
Canada became increasingly autonomous throughout the 1920's and 1930's. Being established officially as a nation apart from Britain certainly helped, but there were more than just official pieces of paper at play. The negotiation of the Halibut treaty was a large push towards become an autonomous nation from Britain. The final push were the seats Canada was given at various significant events.
The events of July and early August 1914 are known as the sparks that lit the explosion of World War I. Uneasy tensions that had been boiling beneath the surface of Europe for many years soon erupted and with that several alliances that were formed over the past decades were invoked, so within weeks the major powers were at war; via their colonies, the conflict advanced rapidly. When war officially broke out in 1914, Britain joined in the defense of Belgium and in reaction to Germany's violation of the treaty in which the countries neutrality was to be respected by all other nations. Upon this Britain requested that all dominions of the British Empire, including Canada were to fight on its behalf. Canada’s involvement in the War changed history, deepening our independence, strengthening our right the self govern and opening a gap between the French and English-speaking populations. Canadian's were a great asset in WW1, and it marked the beginning of independent Canadian forces fighting under a Canadian-born commander. On August 5, 1914, the Governor General declared a war between Canada and Germany.
After greatly contributing to the war, especially in the Battle of the Atlantic, Canada ended up having the 3rd largest navy and 4th largest air force. Now, for such a small nation of only around 11 to 12 million, this was a large military force. Since Canada had done so well in the war (already their second world war as a country) Canada started to grow further and further apart from Mother Britain. There was a feeling a greater sense of pride and a more nationalistic notion. Canadians everywhere no longer saw themselves as British, Scottish, or American, they were Canadian. Canada was now a respected country, and I might add, a pretty powerful one too.
Canada's sacrifices and contributions to the war changed its history and enabled them to become more independent and they friendship with Britain grew stronger and stronger. Canada was first inducted into the World War 1 when Britain declared war on Germany, August 4, 1914. Canada being allies with Britain had to support those in the war even know they weren’t in there and fighting all on the front they were backup just in case the German soldiers broke through the trenches and head towards France. Later on the Governor General also declared war on Germany but the Canadians fought under the ruling of a Britain commander. The achievements of Canadian military during the First World War came during the Somme, Vimy Ridge, and Passchendaele battles and what later became known as "Canada's Hundred Days". They help fight for the freedom and peace for the small village of Passchendaele and however as it was a muddy hell, they still persevered throu...
The Canadian Shield is a landform region that covers almost more than half of Canada, it was formed about 3 billion years ago and was formed by volcanic eruptions. The Canadian Shield has some of the world's oldest rocks and has a lot of trees, lakes and rivers, some things the Canadian Shield provides us with is minerals, water from hydroelectric power and trees. it is a medium populated area and the population is very scattered, most of the people live in the southern area.
The Confederation act of 1867 without question has had a major influence on the status of contemporary Canada. It has helped shape Canada into one of the worlds most politically and economically powerful countries; a country that is strong, independent, and united. There was a series of events which led to the confederation of Canada, some which are more significant than others. However, I believe that despite the significance of events such as the British encouragement of uniting its North American colonies, the central and key reason for confederation was the fear of potential American (Yankee) inhabitance (whether by persuasion or invasion) of the divided and vast British North American colonies, and the way that the “Fathers of Confederation” were able to take advantage of this situation and persuade reluctant colonies to join Confederation. A strong and united nation could not be easily invaded or bought. These essential factors will be discussed in the paragraphs to come.
The British North America Act went into effect July 1st, 1867 creating a union known as the Dominion of Canada, but this did not complete the debate on the Confederation issue. Many Nova Scotians continued their opposition to the idea and it would take considerable time before all Nova Scotians would accept the fact of Confederation. “These Nova Scotians, disgruntled at their treatment by Great Britain, found that their loyalty had markedly diminished. The more they considered taking over the responsibility for their own affairs from England, however, the greater trust they had to place in Confederation.”25 Confederation struck a balance between the rights of English and French speaking Canadians. Nevertheless, many divisions, conflicts, and debates would occur not only in Quebec but also in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick over this balance. Economic disparities between the Maritimes and the rest of Canada would also create many problems for the years following 1867. As a result, Confederation can be viewed as a beginning and not an end.
During world war 2, Canada had made many important war efforts. The Italian campaign was Canadas second longest battle in world war lasting 2 years in a allied battle across Sicily, as Canadians had served in heat, snow, and mud. Canadians had played a significant role in this battle, as the German army's respect for Canadian soldiers began to grow.
Canada has played a vital role in international relations for the majority of its 144 year history since the signing of Confederation in 1867. Canada first participated in World War I, then World War II in 1939-1945. Following World War II, Canada was also involved in the Korean War. Canada has been primarily a peacekeeping nation. There are many questions people ask when a high income country goes to help a lower income nation such as Afghanistan. What are Canada’s motives for helping out Afghanistan? Who will benefit from Canada going to war in Afghanistan? These are some of the questions many people have. While Canada has many domestic problems of its own such as homelessness, poverty and increasing national debt, why should Canada get involved with a problem that is across the globe? Are the costs of going to war out weight the political benefits? Modernity, modernization theory and gender stratification are some key concepts that are related to Canada going to war in Afghanistan.