The Second World War (WWII)

To say Canada played an important role in World War Two would be an understatement. Canada’s significance in the war will forever be remembered as one of the greatest, and the Battle of Hong Kong is a prime example of just that. The fact that Canada provided troops even with the optional not to, and the struggles the troops endured not only on the battlefield, but as prisoners of war, and the amount of physical and moral support the Canadian soldiers gave to the British soldiers in Hong Kong is proof that Canada was a major contributor in World War Two.

Losses like the Battle of Second Ypres where 60,000 Canadians died and Battle of the Somme where 600,000 of Allied troops were wounded had a big impact on Canada. The Canadian troops had started to doubt the British leaders. Since Canada had a lack of experience with wars they didn't have many commanding roles. This began to cause resentment but changed in 1916 when Canadians were promoted.

Canada was no longer seen as a colony of Great Britain but as a country. In Canada’s past, one battle brought Canada together as a nation and that battle is ww1’s Vimy Ridge. This battle shows how a group of men and one leader with the state of mind that thought the lives of his men are worth more than endless bullets. This created the greatest victory in Canadian history.

Some of Canada’s greatest challenges and major contributions on land during the Second World War were centered in D-Day, Hong Kong, and the Italian

Canadians had played a key role in this battle. It was a well fought battle by the Canadian navy and the other countries. Canada’s role in this battle was important because they were in charge of protecting supply convoys from being destroyed by the German submarines and supplying Britain with materials. The Canadian military did this strategically by finding out the safest routes, providing protection to ships carrying troops or supplies

more than 1.6 million were killed in Auschwitz, they didn 't feed babies to see how long

From the fall of 1939 to the fall of 1945, it was evident that the recent World War had greatly affected various countries around the world, especially those who [struggled] through it on an almost national level. One of these countries includes Canada, who fought alongside the United Kingdom, United States, France and the Soviet Union in a military alliance known as The Allies against Nazi Germany and the Axis Powers. At the time, it was a comparatively new and independent country, with a smaller military force compared to others involved in the wars’ efforts. Their declaration of war was approximately one week after the powers of Britain and France; on September 10th, 1939. This was likely done to show that Canada can make its own decisions as a nation, and that it was not as committed to Britain’s declaration as much as in World War I, which started just twenty-five years prior. Despite the country’s military size, Canada still played a significant role in World War II. Due to the nation’s contributions of military, economic and social advances, the Allies were able to win the war, and Canada was able to improve on its own as a country.

Same is the case during Second World War, with Canadian playing major role during the Battle of the Atlantic and joining Allied army in airstrikes across Germany. It is indeeed laudable that Canada, during that time, a tiny nation of just 11 million population, contributed, between 1939-1945, more than 1 million fighting men and women soliders, who served full time during war time. Nearly 43,000 Canadian soldiers lay down their lives during WWII.

Canada displayed their power and abilities to the rest of the world during the normandy landings on June 6, 1944 and proved themselves as a middle power. D-Day was the day Allied forces planned an invasion to push German forces back into Germany and end World War Two. Canada contributed a lot to the Allies such as materials, ammunition, ships, etc. They had the third largest navy and fourth largest air force. “The Royal Canadian Navy sent 110 ships and 10, 000 sailors, and the Royal Canadian Air Force contributed 15 fighter and fighter-bomber squadrons. They also sent 14, 000 Canadians to fight on the beach.”(CANADA AT D-DAY, WarMuseum.ca)

World War I (WWI) had many main events from 1914 – 1918. It was known as the Great War and the war to end all wars. It also introduced us to many new technology to including Barbed wire, machine guns, artillery, poison gas, airships, aircraft 's, new naval vessels and tanks. All these wartime machines and equipment resulted in unprecedented carnage and destruction, with more than 9 million soldiers killed by the end of the war. This First World War or the Great War, was a global war centered in Europe. This global conflict pitted 2 groups against each other “The Allied Powers” and “The Central Powers”. The Allied Powers was made up of Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy and The United States. Important people that were known for the Allied Powers were Herbert Henry Asquith, Prime Minister (UK), Woodrow Wilson (U.S. President), Aristide Briand, Prime Minister (France), and Prime Minister (France). The Central Powers was made up of Germany, the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria. Important people that were known for the Central Powers were Prince Max Von Baden, Chancellor (Germany), Heinrich Von Clam-Martinic, and Prime Minister (Austria).

“Atom bomb”, “Nazis”, “Hitler”, “Pearl Harbor”, “concentration camps” are all words that make you think of World War II (WWII) and these are all closely related to WWII. What about “Rosie the Riveter”, “war bonds”, “the family dynamics”, “rubber and aluminum drives”? Does it ring any bells? These words are related to WWII also but refer to the home front. The absence of many men due to WWII, caused the dynamics of the workforce and of the “women’s place in the family” changed forever.

“Atom bomb”, “Nazis”, “Hitler”, “Pearl Harbor”, “concentration camps” are all words that make you think of World War II (WWII) and these are all closely related to WWII. What about “Rosie the Riveter”, “war bonds”, “the family dynamics”, “rubber and aluminum drives”? Does it ring any bells? These words are related to WWII also but refer to the home front. The absence of many men due to WWII, caused the dynamics of the workforce and of the “women’s place in the family” changed forever.

Two of the most agonizing periods in the 20th century, World War I and II, left a lasting impact on society economically, politically, and socially. As we have read in detailed archives on both world catastrophes, the nature in which violence shaped society after the war varied greatly. Ernst Jünger in Storm of Steel shares his heroic memoirs from fighting on the German front in World War I. Art Spiegelman tells the very personal and emotional story of his father, a survivor of World War II’s Holocaust. Throughout the war, Ernst reminds us of his heroism and his withstanding sacrifice, up until he is badly injured and no longer able to fight. Ernst is proud of his achievements in the war, and shares his book with the world so that we can admire his heroism. Where as Art Spiegelman’s parent’s, lived on after the Holocaust depressed—Art’s mother committed suicide 23 years after the war! After reading these two accounts, the biggest difference between World War I and World War II, was how society reacted to the violence and harsh conditions enforced upon them. Civilians after World War I persevered their struggles to counteract the destruction that impeded their nation’s growth. On the other hand, Civilians of World War II were left in a state turmoil.

When we entered the war we were a colony of Britain, we had loyalty towards them, supported them, and were committed to defending them in the war. Later on April 9th, the battle of Vimy Ridge took place and the Canadian soldiers claimed victory. This battle ultimately marked a defining moment in Canadian history because it was the first time that Canadians fought solely as Canadians. Without this victory Canadians wouldn’t have developed feelings of nationalism towards themselves and in turn would have kept us as a colony of Britain. This battle created a sense of loyalty to Canada; Canadian citizens and soldiers started to consider themselves Canadian first. This influenced the ideals of independence and sovereignty throughout the minds of Canadian citizens. After the victory at Vimy Ridge the Paris Peace Conference was held where it marked the end of World War One. Pulling through the war Canada now considered itself an independent nation. During the Paris Peace Conference Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden insisted that Canada represented itself as a sole entity and was granted the same representation as Belgium and other smaller nations. During the negotiations Canada had its own vote and its own voice separate from Britain, creating a larger role in world affairs. This is a proud moment and should be remembered as the start of an independent Canadian nation and pursuing Canada’s national interests. It should be strongly embraced because nationalism among Canadians had changed focus to Canada

During the first world war, Britain, and Canada’s allies demanded multiple resources from Canada. The allied countries were France, Serbia, and Russia. Since they were all in a coalition, they agreed to help each other, and send needed resources that would assist them in winning the war. Some common resources that were sent included food, munitions, money, and men. Since Canada during WW1 was still developing and expanding, the allies thought it was a great place to collect the necessities from, as they were in an abundance. Canadians at the commencement of the war were very eager to fight, as the war had been glorified, and made to look adventurous. So without any hesitation, Canada sent over as many resources the allies demanded. Canada then became responsible for supplying resources to the allies soldiers, and their own. Since so much effort was going towards the