The Battle Of Vimy Ridge: A Defining Moment In Canadian History

A defining moment is a moment in someone's life that really impacts their lives during the present and the future. Looking back over the past 150 years, there have been many events that make Canada what it is today. However, it can be said that there are three principal events that were key in defining Canada’s History. The Battle of Vimy Ridge, The Paris peace conference, and the great depression altered the image of Canada to how it is known today. These events proved Canada to be a strong, independent nation and boosted their value on a global platform.

The first defining moment that changed Canada's identity and importance on the world stage was the Battle of Vimy Ridge. The message of Vimy Ridge is one of bravery and sacrifice.

The battle, which took place on April 9, 1917 is commonly known as a turning point in Canadian history. this was the first time the four Canadian divisions fought together as a unified fighting force. Vimy Ridge is located in northern France about 170 km north of Paris the Germans captured Vimy Ridge early in the war and transformed it into a strong defensive position, with a well-designed system of tunnels and trenches managed by elite soldiers with many machine guns and artillery pieces. The Canadians headed to the front lines in the Autumn of 1916. The Canadians had extensively planned and prepared for this battle, they spent the previous winter vigorously training and preparing for this assault. In addition to that, they had modeled the trench systems and had prepared drills for soldiers on what they had to do. The assault troops were sent over at 5:30 a.m, they attacked in snow and sleet, driving into the enemy lines. They advanced behind a “creeping barrage”. The troops followed the lines of explosions closely and this allowed them to capture German positions in the critical moments. The Canadian soldiers on the first raid suffered a great number of casualties. The key to the success at Vimy was when General Arthur Currie studied the methods of the French. The French were known for rehearsing their tactics. Curry recommended the Canadians, like the French to go through various amounts of drills and preparing. In the end, Curry's idea played a decisive role. Because of him, every man knew his task. Due to the Canadians, the Germans were forced to withdraw and the Battle of Vimy Ridge was over. The battle was proved to be a great success, but it came at a heavy cost. “Canadian casualties amounted to around 10,600, whereas the German Defenders lost all his strength, including 4,000 prisoners” (History). This was definitely a nation-defining moment for the Canadians during the first World War. “Today, on land granted to Canada for all time by a grateful France, the Canadian National Vimy Memorial sits atop Hill 145, rising above the now quiet countryside. This great monument is inscribed with the names of 11,285 Canadian soldiers who were listed as “missing, presumed dead” in France during the First World War” (Veterans Affairs Canada). This memorial is present as a tribute for all the Canadian soldiers who sacrificed their lives to ensure the freedom of their people. The reason this is considered a pivotal moment in Canada's history is because Canada gained a sense of pride when they won the Vimy Ridge. This was something neither the British or the French were able to accomplish. Canada had gained the recognition and respect of the whole world. This gave the Canadians a reputation of being determined and it showed the rest of the world a sense of Canada's patriotism.

The Paris peace conference was one of the most pivotal moments in Canadian history.

The Paris peace conference convened in January 1919 at Versailles, just outside Paris. This Conference was held to establish the terms of Peace after World War I. Canada, United States, United Kingdom, France, Italy dominated the proceedings that led to forming the Treaty of Versailles, a treaty that ended World War I. The treaty broke up and redistributed the German Empire and held German liable for all financial reparations during the war. Negotiations at the Paris peace conference were complicated. The United Kingdom, France, and Italy together were the Allied powers during the first World War but they all had different arguments about what would happen to Germany after the war. US President Woodrow Wilson, French Premier Georges Clemenceau, British Prime Minister David Lloyd George led the conference, they were known as The Big Four. Regardless, Canada had an impact on the final shape of the treaty. Canadian Prime Minister Robert Borden lead a successful and historic fight for separate Dominion representation at the Paris peace conference. Canada was able to assert itself on the world stage as the Canadians had separate signatures on the treaty. With Canada's paramount participation during the war and with 60,000 war dead, they had paid the price of such a recognition. This gave the nation the opportunity to get out of Britain shadow and make its views known. The signing of the Treaty of

Versailles was a critical part in Canada's gaining of Independence and defining itself as a nation. It showed all the other countries in the world that Canada wasn't just another part of the British Empire, they were truly becoming their own country. “The treaty also made provision for a League of Nations, where Canada would have its own membership, providing another vehicle for the advancement of the country’s national status” (Historica Canada). A factor that made this a defining moment is that Canada had joined the League of Nations as an independent country. This was massive for Canada as they were able to hold talks with big Nations. They wanted to prove that they were not there for fun, they made sure to spend the time in the League of Nations wisely. They discussed the war with the likes of Britain and France, this would show that Canada is just as a big of a country like them. Everyone expected Canada to have little or no contribution while discussing the terms but Sir Robert Borden changed that. He fought to get Canada two seats as an independent country. He made his own suggestions on behalf of Canada getting the respect of Nations across the road. Canada had endured a lot through the war and The Treaty of Versailles was the beginning of Canada's trek towards standing on its own. The signing of the treaty served as a flashpoint in gaining of true independence from Britain's shadow. It began the shaping of what Canada is today. No matter the battles won or the events held, this was the true beginning to the forming of Canada identity. Making this, one of the most defining moments in Canada's history.

The Great Depression was another defining moment in Canada's history.

It began to unfold on 24th October 1929, Black Tuesday. It was when the value of the New York Stock Market fell dramatically, the Great Depression was a time when Canadians suffered groundbreaking levels of poverty due to unemployment. The employment rate went up to 30%, the highest it's ever been. “On Wall Street, 16.4 million shares were sold, almost 4 million more than Black Thursday’s unprecedented totals.” (Historica Canada). This dread spread to Toronto's markets, resulting in the suffering of municipal and provincial government as the extent and duration of unemployment during these years rapidly exhausted the ability of the government. The 10-year depression led to many lives lost through homelessness, starvation, etc. Most people lost their jobs leaving them and their family to die or live off of vouchers which were used to get food and water. The government had to do a lot to cope with these challenges. Private relief like charities, church groups, soup kitchens was developed to provide the people with second-hand clothes, food donations, and homeless shelters. At this point, a lot of people suffered mentally and physically, they were desperate for the great depression to end. Another thing the government developed was emergency relief, they made vouchers that you could trade in for food. A lot of people were forced to use this but there weren't enough vouchers and neither did they solve

unemployment. The government also developed relief camps for unemployed young men to work and keep busy, this provided young men with a place to live and work. Even though the government and people suffered in the Great Depression, they were the ones who caused it. In the 1920's, it was very easy to borrow money, people borrowed more money than they could pay back. This was a great factor coming towards the Great Depression as people had lost all of their money so they couldn't return it back to the banks or government, which resulted in a cash flow shortage in the economy. Another factor was the lack of financial regulations by the government to control the banks. The banks didn't look at the people's credit history and were blindly handing out money. This resulted in the people defaulting on their loans. Moreover, one of the biggest factors was Canada's dependence on the US economy, when the New York Stock Exchange crashed it spread to Canada, as when things turn bad with the US economy it directly affects Canada as they are great trading partners. Although this was a bad moment for Canada and it put a dent in Canada's economy, this would be considered a defining moment as the widespread loss of jobs and economic downturn, ultimately transformed Canada as they developed laws around social welfare, bank regulation, credit history, etc. This was an important moment in history, going through the struggles and challenges during the Great Depression, helped Canada learn to cope with these challenges and to ensure that something like this never happens again. The past helped Canada change the way the government runs today. After going through the Great Depression, our economy is stable as of today and the unemployment rate is the lowest it has been in the last four decades.

To conclude, Canada has been through a lot in the past 150 years. Various decision-making, struggles, battles and other changes shaped Canada to the country it is today. In many of these cases, a countless number of people have suffered but this helped Canada evolve in the future. The Battle of Vimy Ridge, the Paris peace conference, and the Great Depression all contributed to Canada’s future and are definitely considered defining moments in Canadian History.