Why was World War 1 considered a bad war in Canada?

Answer 1

No--quite the opposite. Canada proved itself as a nation, not just a colony of the British Empire (although it remained a loyal part of the empire). Canadian troops fought under the Union Jack at the beginning of the war, but as time went on, all-Canadian units and regiments were formed and became much valued contributors on the battlefronts. This culminated with the capture of Vimy Ridge in April 1917. This was a hill in France that was extremely important from a strategic point of view, and the British forces (and their allies) had been unable to capture it. The Canadian army was able to accomplish it, and begin the turning of the tide--although there would be no real victor in that first world war. At home, there was controversy over the issue of Conscription--whether the government could force young men to join the Army (not unlike the U.S. Draft). English Canadians (i.e. outside of Quebec) generally favoured the concept--believing in fighting for the Empire--whereas French Canadians generally opposed it. It really became a non-issue, since the war ended not long after the election where it was an issue.

Answer 2

From a practical standpoint, WWI was not a good war for Canada or any other nation. The fatalities for Canadians was 56, 000. All nations pay economic prices too, it takes tremendous time, money, and effort to put troops on the fronts, feed them and provide them with munitions, and get them to attack. However, there is an upside to Canada's involuntary service, which is that this is when we (and our Prime Minister Borden) made Canada legitimate, in a sense. It seems nations always have to be born in blood, and in Canada's case, we proved ourselves in WWI. It was at the Battle of Vimy Ridge (1916) where we proved ourselves. It was Canada's job to capture the ridge, and against all odds, the Canadians managed to take it. Our general, General Arthur Currie, becomes the only non-British general for our side. Then in 1919 at the Treaty of Versailles, Borden, our PM, insisted that we get our own seat at the table, independent from Britain. And lastly, in 1931, at the Statute of Westminster, partly because of our contribution to WWI, we were granted legal and constitutional independence. - IQ4U -

Answer 3

A nation of only forty-seven, Canada did not know what to expect in terms of the amount of fatalities, manpower, and economic need. Canada had not seen fatalities nearly so serious up to that point. Canada had dabbled in Britain's imperial wars overseas, but with little consequence. Our allies predicted an ephemeral conflict. It was Canada's presumed duty to defend Britain's interests. At the beginning of WWII Canada had seen the devastations of war: the fatalities, the gas, the bombardments, the submarines, conscription, the economic trials. King and Lapointe made speeches, Parliament was summoned, and the War Measures Act was enacted. We took time to monitor the situation and vote in Parliament after Britain and France had declared war on Germany. The decision over conscription was much more of a public one, with the plebiscite, and King's government pensively weighing its options. King wanted Canada to fight alongside its allies and maintain a place on the international stage. But he also wanted to keep his support in Quebec. At first, in the 1939 federal election, both the Liberals and Tories said they would not enact any type of conscription. Then, when France fell, King's prominent cabinet ministers Howe and Ilsley, decided on Conscription for the homeland only. This was an uneasy compromise. Then, finally, in 1940, King's government decided to put Conscription out as a plebiscite to all of Canada, not just Quebec, who would of course shoot it down. Even though the law passed, King held off on imposing it because the reinforcements were not yet needed. King was determined to wait as long as he could before resorting to conscription. In 1944, King actually dismissed his defence minister J.L. Ralston for demanding conscription after a trip to Europe. King then brought in A.G.L. McNaughton, who failed to recruit the masses in the ostensible Golgotha that was BC. It was then that King was forced to impose conscription. The issue was resolved by the end of the war, with King winning in 1945 because he kept his support in Quebec. He was seen there as not necessarily wanting conscription, but imposing it when it was necessary. Now war is a good war, but politically, World War II was beneficial for Canada. Most importantly, we were teamed up with the US and with Great Britain: we were on the winning team. This allowed for Canada to participate in the UN, and engage in trade agreements with the winners of WWII, and so on. At home, though, it was not such a great war. - IQ4U -

Answer 4

Perhaps the most divisive issue to face Canada in its first century as a nation was the issue of conscription. It caused riots, became a lightning rod for the Quebec sovereignty movement for decades to come and pitted English and French Canadians against each other in the most animous confrontation since confederation.

In the end, it was a massive failure. Of the nearly half a million men made eligible by the Military Service Act, vague exemptions and outright shirking meant that only 125,000 were ever drafted, and less than 25,000 were sent to the front.

(It should be made clear that an enormous number of Canadians volunteered for service before Conscription even became an issue. In all, nearly 600,000 Canadians enlisted, with over 400,000 of those killed overseas. About 59,000 died in action or from disease at the front, and more than 150,000 were wounded. It is interesting to note that Canada suffered more dead than the United States in the course of the war, despite having only a tenth of its population.)

Interestingly, the lasting impact of this First World War issue would not be completely evident until the beginning of the Second.

At the outbreak of the Second World war, Canada was sharply divided between those who felt Canada had a duty to fight alongside Britain, and those who felt Canada had no business in a second European war.

The objections were most vocal among French Canadians, many of whom saw Canada's declaration of war as an example of Canadian sycophancy towards England. Alas, this division was only the beginning. Soon, the question of a Draft would again threaten to tear the nation apart.

"Not necessarily conscription, but conscription if necessary" is perhaps one of the most famous quotes in Canadian history. It was then-Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King's less-than-reassuring (to both sides of the argument) response to the issue.

As the war progressed, talk of potential conscription had greatly polarized the nation. The idea met with almost universal rejection from Quebec, who saw this as an attempt to force French Canadians to fight once again for the British empire, however people in the Western provinces and Maritimes, who felt that they were already contributing far more than their fair share of men, were increasingly adamant that mandatory service was necessary and the only fair way to build up Canada's military strength.

Eventually, the ever-increasing demands for Canadian manpower could simply not be met with an all-volunteer service. The compromise made by King was to enact conscription, but exempt conscripts from overseas service. Even though thousands of conscripted soldiers volunteered for combat, and even though King kept his promise of not forcing conscripted troops to serve at the front, it's shadow was to have lasting impacts on the decision-makers at the end of World War Two.

Within less than a decade, Canada went from having the third largest navy on Earth and being a major land and air power, to becoming merely a military bit-player in the era of the Cold War. The mass-exodus of veterans in the post-war era, as well as the financial burden of maintaining a large standing force brought about a massive demilitarization of Canada.

Perhaps more than any other issue, Conscription in World War One was to be a watershed moment that would shape a large part of Canadian culture to this very day. It is unlikely that conscription would ever be accepted by Canadians again, except in defense of their own nation.

Answer 5

no it gave us an identity, after it we saw each other as Canadians not British, and people became familiar with Canada it wasnt just any country anymore

Answer 6

Halifax disaster

Spanish flu

women voting

propganda..... (y)

Answer 7

it gave canadians a sence of nationalism