Transcript Document
WWII- Canada and the World React Fact: More than one million Canadians served in the Second World War and approximately 45,000 gave their lives. As a result of two World Wars, there are 109,980 Canadians killed. They are honoured by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission at sites in over 70 countries. Canada’s Role in WWII After economic despair, Canada was thrown into another global conflict in 1940: WWII Canada’s Role in WWII Canada went into the war an independent nation and proved itself as an important country on the world stage as one of Britain’s most significant allies 9 days after Britain Declared WarSeptember 10, 1939 Canada’s Role in WWII Canada sacrificed men and women, supplied the war effort, faced the question of conscription, saw the role of women change, and witnessed the horrors of war At the end of the war, Canada once again emerged a changed nation Canada Declares War PM King did not want Canada to become involved in another conflict He knew that the issue of conscription would deeply divide the country He hoped that Britain’s policy of appeasement would be successful The War Begins Shortly after coming to power in Germany in 1933, Adolf Hitler began to rearm the country and expand its territory (map 97) Western nations soon realized that the only way to stop him was to declare war against him The War Begins: Canada at War On September 3, 1939, Britain and France declare war on Germany once again; peaceful responses to Hitler’s aggressive actions in Europe had failed The War Begins: Canada at War Canadians were shocked by the news of war—there was little enthusiasm and excitement about it…no parades, no flags waved, no mad rush of men to enlist The horrors and senseless tragedy of WWI were still fresh in peoples’ minds The War Begins: Canada at War Despite these reservations, Canada joined the war against Germany…but this time on its own terms Canada was no longer obligated to follow Britain’s lead but decided for itself Canada at War King assured Parliament, and Quebec, that as long as his government was in power, conscription would not be enacted Liberal position to going to war was supported by the Conservative opposition party; only the CCF argued against going to war On September 10, 1939, Canada officially declared war against Germany…but it will take some time to truly prepare for what lay ahead Canada at War: BCATP In the early months of war, King hoped Canada’s contribution to the war would remain at home In December 1939, Canada decided to host the British Commonwealth Air Training Program The BCATP trained over 130,000 pilots, navigators, flight engineers, and ground crew Total War It soon became clear that Canada’s role in the war would go far beyond the BCATP In April 1940, Prime Minister King appointed C.D. Howe as Department of Munitions and Supplies Howe had extraordinary powers to gear up the economy to meet wartime demands If the private sector was unable to produce what Howe wanted, he created Crown corporations to do the job Allied Forces Britain France (surrenders June 10, 1940) Commonwealth Countries: Canada, Australia and New Zealand United States (enters Dec. 8, 1941) Axis Powers Germany Italy (1939) Japan (enters war in 1940) A New Type of War Hitler had aggressively enlarged German territory during the 1930s. He had occupied and annexed (take over) territories near Germany, such as the Rhineland, Austria, and the Sudetenland (A region of the northern Czech Republic along the Polish border) (see p. 96 map) The final stroke the brought the world to war was Germany’s invasion of Poland in September 1939 A New Type of War The invasion of Poland also marked the introduction of a new and deadly form of warfare known as A New Type of War. Blitzkrieg, or lightening war, involved the coordinated attack by planes, tanks, and infantry on an unsuspecting enemy. The assault was so rapid that the enemy was overwhelmed before it could properly organize itself Germany would use blitzkrieg tactics to quickly subdue Poland. Then the world waited…where would Germany strike next? Europe at War: The Phony War After Germany invaded Poland, allied troops were quickly stationed along France’s border with German They waited for Germany’s next move—for seven months nothing happened This period became known as the “phony war” Many people believed that there might not be a war A New Type of War The idea was shattered in the spring of 1940. In just a few short months the German army used blitzkrieg tactics to conquer much of Western Europe, including Denmark, Norway, Holland, Belgium, and France. The German panzers while the Luftwaffe above conducted constant bombing It took Germany just hours to conquer Denmark, and two months to subdue Norway