HISTORY OF WWI

Alliances System

Countries helping each other stronger

1914 Russia alliance with France and British to attack Germany

Germany also need to alliance to become stronger

Arms Race

Military force = a power of a country

e.g. British have the largest fleet =

Military Service Act

Numbers of soldiers decreased, no one wants to replace dead

Men were avoid conscription

Borden start Military Service Act let more men join in

Opposed Conscription

Many jobs need men, people opposed conscription

Borden doing election gets more support on men join in

When men were gone, women replaced them

Battle with Ypres

First use of toxic fog (chlorine gas) attack

killed 2000 Canadians in a short time

Canada heavy casualties, Germany didn’t break defense line

Battle with Somme

90% of Newfoundland Regiment were killed in 22 min

cost over half a million allied soldiers were dead

In 1916, July, Beaumont Hamel

First use of tanks attack

Racism in Canadian Military

Indigenous people, Chinese, Japanese and black people were not welcomed

they only can do odd jobs

also called “white men war”

Black Battalion

Black people still working hard even racism

In 1916, No.2 Construction Battalion created. Black people join military with non combat roles

important support a huge lumber operation to build trenches. undoubtedly great help to the war

Life in Trench

Lice on their clothes and big rats

Pressure from the frontline

Gunshooting sounds causes hard sleep

Affect mental health

Trench foot

Redness and swelling

Most likely have sequelae

standing in mud prolonged periods of time