Canada & WW 1, 1914 - 1918War Breaks Out!

Flashpoint: Sarajevo

June 28, 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria is assassinated while visiting Sarajevo

Assassin Gavrilo Princip belonged to Serbian terrorist group Black Hand

Serbian nationalists resented Austrian control of Sarajevo

Causes of WW 1

Militarism – strong armies & navies settle disputes

Alliances – countries band together for support during war

Imperialism – gaining colonies to develop empire for raw materials & markets

Nationalism – feeling of deep loyalty to one’s people & homelandGavrilo Princip

Serbian TerroristBlack Hand

Alliance System

Triple Entente (France, Russia, Britain)

Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy)

Triple Entente Allied Powers (gain Italy)

Triple Alliance Central Powers (gain Ottoman Empire i.e., Turkey / Bulgaria)

WW 1 Alliance Map

Final Steps to War

Austria-Hungary sends Serbia an ultimatum

Serbia agrees to 2 of the 3 conditions, but will not allow Austrian officials into Serbia

Austria declares war on Serbia

Russia mobilizes army to support Serbia & France mobilizes army to support Russia

Final Steps to War (cont’d)

Threatened Germany orders France & Russia to stop mobilizing, but they refuse

Germany declares war on Russia & France Aug. 1 & 2, 1914

Germany invades France through neutral Belgium to bypass French fortifications (Schlieffen Plan)

Aug. 4 Britain declares war against Germany in support of treaty with Belgium

Schlieffen Plan

Canada Goes to War

Canada was not a fully independent nation in 1914, but was part of the British Empire

When Britain was at war, Canada was automatically at war also

English & French Cdns strongly supported the war against Germany

Cdn PM Borden offered to train & equip 25,000 men two days after war declared

PM Borden

Canada Goes to War (cont’d)

Aug. 1914 Canadian Armed Forces 2 old navy cruisers, 3000 soldiers, 60,000 militia

Minister of Militia Sam Hughes organized massive recruiting campaign

Nationalism & high unemployment led to a flood of volunteers

Colonel Sam HughesMinister of Militia

Mobilizing the Troops

Hughes set up a military training camp at Valcartier, Quebec for 30,000 volunteers

Cdn made Ross rifle jammed in the mud of trench warfare causing Hughes to be fired

Cdn troops clashed with their British commanding officers who demanded unquestioning respect despite mistakes