B. Canada, 1914–1929 · Canada, 1914–1929Why War? The Causes of World War I and Canada's Entry
B2.1 B2.2 A1.5 A1.6About 70 minutes
Learning goals- I can explain the long-term causes of World War I (militarism, alliances, imperialism and nationalism) and the spark that set it off.
- I can explain why Canada went to war in 1914, including its place in the British Empire and imperialist feeling in English Canada.
- I can describe different perspectives in Canada on going to war.
- I can tell long-term causes from short-term triggers.
Words to know
militarism
A belief that a country should build a strong military and be ready to use it; before 1914 it fed an arms race between the great powers.
alliance
A formal agreement between countries to support each other, especially in war.
imperialism
Building an empire by taking control of other lands and peoples; before 1914 European powers competed for colonies.
nationalism
Strong pride in, and loyalty to, one's nation; it can unite a people or make them want independence from an empire.
imperialist (in Canada)
A Canadian, usually English-speaking, who felt strong loyalty to Britain and wanted Canada to support the Empire.
Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF)
The Canadian army sent overseas in the First World War.
War Measures Act
A 1914 law that gave the federal government emergency powers during war, including the power to arrest, detain and censor without the usual rules.
A note on this lesson
This lesson begins our study of the First World War, a war in which more than 66 000 Canadians and Newfoundlanders died. We study it respectfully. Many Canadian families, including Indigenous families and families of many origins, lost relatives. There is no joke block in the war lessons.
A war nobody expected to last
In August 1914 crowds cheered in Toronto, Montreal and Winnipeg. Many people believed the war would be over by Christmas. Instead it lasted more than four years and killed millions. Why did it start, and why was Canada part of it?
Historians separate long-term causes (conditions that built up over decades) from the short-term trigger (the event that set things off). A common memory aid is MAIN: Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism.
The long-term causes (MAIN)
- Militarism. The great powers built huge armies and drew up detailed war plans. Germany and Britain raced to build battleships (dreadnoughts). Countries that are armed and ready can slide into war quickly.
- Alliances. Europe was split into two armed blocs. France, Russia and Britain formed the Triple Entente. Germany and Austria-Hungary were allied, along with Italy (the Triple Alliance). An alliance meant a local quarrel could pull in every power.
- Imperialism. European empires competed for colonies in Africa and Asia, and for trade and power. Rivalry, especially between Britain and Germany, created distrust.
- Nationalism. Pride in one's nation made people eager to fight. In the Balkans, many Serbs and other Slavic peoples inside Austria-Hungary wanted independence, which Austria-Hungary saw as a threat.
The spark: Sarajevo, 28 June 1914
Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, was shot in Sarajevo, Bosnia, by Gavrilo Princip, a young Bosnian Serb nationalist. Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia and, backed by Germany, declared war on Serbia on 28 July. Russia prepared to defend Serbia. Germany declared war on Russia and France, and invaded neutral Belgium to reach France quickly. Britain had promised to protect Belgium, and declared war on Germany on 4 August 1914.
Why was Canada at war?
1. Legal status. As a Dominion, Canada had no separate foreign policy. When Britain declared war, Canada was at war. Laurier, now Opposition leader, agreed: when Britain is at war, Canada is at war. But the Canadian Parliament decided how much Canada would contribute.
2. Imperialist feeling. Many English Canadians, especially those born in Britain, felt deep loyalty to the Empire. A large share of the first volunteers had been born in Britain.
3. Other reasons people enlisted: adventure, a steady wage (1914 was a time of unemployment), pressure from friends and family, belief in defending Belgium and France, and for some, a chance to prove their community's place in Canada.
Different perspectives:
- Many French Canadians felt less tie to Britain and France than English Canadians did to Britain. Leaders such as Henri Bourassa accepted Canada's part in the war at first but argued Canada should not sacrifice for Britain's empire while Ontario was restricting French-language schooling (Regulation 17).
- Many First Nations leaders pointed to their treaty relationship with the Crown; some communities encouraged enlistment, while others insisted their people were allies, not subjects, and should not be pressured.
- Black, Japanese and other racialized volunteers were often turned away at first by recruiters, even though they wanted to serve.
- Newcomers from Austria-Hungary and Germany suddenly found themselves labelled "enemy aliens" (you will study this in a later lesson).
Canada mobilizes
On 22 August 1914, Parliament passed the War Measures Act, giving the government sweeping emergency powers. Minister of Militia Sam Hughes gathered volunteers at a new camp at Valcartier, near Quebec City. In early October 1914, a first contingent of more than 30 000 soldiers sailed for Britain. Canada's army in the war was called the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF).
Worked exampleModelled example: Ranking causes
Which cause of World War I was most important? Rank the four MAIN causes and the trigger, and defend your top choice.
- Define the job: the question asks for a judgement, so there is no single right answer; there are stronger and weaker arguments.
- Test each cause with a "what if": If there had been no alliances, the quarrel between Austria-Hungary and Serbia might have stayed a local war. That suggests alliances turned a crisis into a world war.
- Test the trigger: Without the assassination, would war have come? Tensions were so high that another crisis might have started one, so the trigger was necessary for this war in this month, but perhaps not for war in general.
- Make a ranking: 1. Alliances (spread the war), 2. Militarism (made fast war possible: war plans like the German plan to go through Belgium), 3. Nationalism, 4. Imperialism, with the assassination as the trigger.
- Acknowledge another view: some historians stress German decisions in July 1914; others stress the system of alliances. A strong answer names a counter-argument.
Sample thesis: "The alliance system was the most important cause of World War I, because it turned a regional conflict between Austria-Hungary and Serbia into a war among all the great powers within six weeks." A different ranking is fine if it is argued with evidence.
Thinking skill: causes are not all equal
When you explain causes, sort them: long-term vs. short-term, political, economic or social, and intended vs. unintended. Then rank them and say why. That is how you move from listing to analysing (expectation A1.5).
Hands-on activityA family chain of causes
You need: a long strip of paper (or tape several sheets together), a pencil and about 20 minutes with a grown-up.
- Think of an everyday event in your home, such as "We were late for school on Monday."
- Write it at the right end of the strip.
- Working left, write the trigger (e.g., the alarm did not go off) and then long-term causes (e.g., staying up late all week, a busy schedule, the bus route changed).
- Circle the cause you think mattered most, and ask your grown-up if they agree.
- Now do the same for 1914, with the assassination as the trigger and the MAIN causes on the left.
Look for: a clear difference between the trigger and the long-term causes, and a reason for your ranking.
Your turn
1What does MAIN stand for?
Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism: the four long-term causes of World War I.
2Who was assassinated on 28 June 1914, and where?
Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, in Sarajevo, Bosnia.
3Why did Britain declare war on Germany on 4 August 1914?
Germany invaded neutral Belgium to attack France, and Britain had promised to protect Belgium. Britain was also tied to France and Russia in the Triple Entente.
4Why was Canada automatically at war?
As a Dominion of the British Empire, Canada did not control its own foreign policy; Britain's declaration of war applied to the whole Empire.
5What could Canada decide for itself?
How much to contribute: how many soldiers, how much money and supplies.
6What did the War Measures Act (1914) do?
It gave the federal government emergency powers during war, such as controlling the economy, censoring and detaining people, without the usual approval of Parliament for each action.
7Give two reasons men enlisted in 1914.
Any two: loyalty to Britain, adventure, steady pay during unemployment, pressure from family and friends, defending Belgium and France, proving their community's place in Canada.
More practice: warm-up
1Which countries made up the Triple Entente?
France, Russia and Britain.
2Which two empires were the main Central Powers in 1914?
Germany and Austria-Hungary.
3Who was Canada's Minister of Militia in 1914?
4Where was the army training camp built in 1914?
Valcartier, near Quebec City.
5Was the assassination a long-term cause or a trigger?
A trigger (short-term cause).
More practice: on your own
1Explain how the alliance system turned a local conflict into a wider war.
Austria-Hungary attacked Serbia; Russia backed Serbia; Germany backed Austria-Hungary and declared war on Russia and France; Germany's route through Belgium brought in Britain. Each alliance pulled in another power, so within a week the war involved all the great powers.
2Why might many French Canadians have felt differently about the war than many English Canadians?
Many English Canadians had close family ties to Britain and felt imperial loyalty. Most French Canadians' families had lived in North America for centuries; they felt less connection to Britain, and they were angry that Ontario's Regulation 17 limited French-language schooling at the same time Canadians were asked to fight for "freedom" overseas.
3Why were some Black and Japanese Canadian volunteers turned away in 1914?
Because of racism: many recruiters and commanding officers did not want racialized soldiers in their units, even though there was no rule against enlisting. Many kept trying and later served.
4How did nationalism contribute to war in the Balkans?
Serbian and other South Slav nationalists wanted independence from Austria-Hungary or union with Serbia. Austria-Hungary saw this as a threat to its empire, and the assassination by a Bosnian Serb nationalist gave it a reason to attack Serbia.
5Why do historians call the assassination a trigger rather than the cause of the war?
Because the assassination alone would not have caused a world war. The underlying conditions (alliances, arms race, rivalries, nationalism) turned one murder into a general war. The assassination was the spark; the long-term causes were the powder keg.
Challenge
1"Canada had no choice about going to war in 1914." To what extent is this true?
Partly true: legally, Canada was at war when Britain was, because Britain controlled foreign policy. But Canada chose its level of participation: Parliament voted money and the government decided to raise a volunteer army. Also, most English Canadians wanted to help. So Canada had no choice about being at war, but many choices about how much to fight.
2Use historical perspective: write two short statements, one by an English-Canadian imperialist in 1914 and one by a supporter of Henri Bourassa, about Canada's role in the war.
Imperialist: "Britain is our mother country. When she is in danger, it is our duty to send every man we can." Bourassa supporter: "Canada should defend Canada. Why should French Canadians die for the British Empire while Ontario takes away our children's right to learn in French?" Good answers reflect each group's values and context, not today's views.
3Rank militarism and imperialism as causes of the war, using one piece of evidence for each.
Example: Militarism higher, because Germany's war plan required a quick attack through Belgium, which brought Britain in within days; imperialism lower, because colonial rivalries (such as Anglo-German rivalry) created distrust but had mostly been settled by agreements before 1914. Other rankings are acceptable if supported with evidence.
Quiz
1. Which event was the short-term trigger of World War I?
2. Why did Britain declare war on Germany on 4 August 1914?
3. Which statement about Canada in August 1914 is accurate?
4. What did the War Measures Act (1914) give the federal government?
5. Which group was most likely to feel strong imperial loyalty in 1914?
6. In the MAIN memory aid, the "I" stands for:
Big idea: This lesson covers expectation B2.1 (causes of World War I and of Canada's participation) and the start of B2.2 (Canada's position in the British Empire). It practises cause and consequence thinking.
How to help: Ask your teen to explain the difference between a trigger and a long-term cause with an everyday example. Then ask: Did Canada choose to go to war? A good answer separates legal status (automatic) from the level of commitment (Canada's choice).
Sensitivity: The war lessons deal with death and loss. They are written without graphic detail. If your family has a connection to the war (an ancestor who served, or ancestors who were affected as civilians anywhere in the world), this can be a meaningful conversation.
Common difficulties: Treating MAIN as a list to memorize rather than causes to rank and connect; thinking all Canadians felt the same about the war.