-
The Chanak Crisis (Part 1)
Shortly after the First World War there were British soldiers stationed in the city of Chanak, Turkey. Turkish forces were threatening the British soldiers so Britain called on Canada to help. The Prime Minister of Canada, William Lyon Mackenzie King declined to automatically send Canada's soldiers into another British conflict. Instead King and his Cabinet wanted to let Parliament make the decision. By the time Parliament was even able to address the situation it was over. -
Period: to
Canadian Independence 1922-2016
-
The Chanak Crisis (Part 2)
The decision to avoid immediately coming to Britain's side was the start of Canada's legitimate independence. A repeat of sorts happened when the Second World War started. Instead of leaping to Britain's aid in that battle, Canada waited a week to evaluate the situation and declare war on Germany. These independent decisions were a good example of Canada becoming a strong nation, however, Canadian independence meant cutting ties with Britain. -
The Chanak Crisis (Part 3)
The consequences of separating from Britain were unpredictable at the time but we now know Canada's military is a lot weaker. It is likely that if Canada had remained closely tied to Britain they would have wanted Canada to have a much better military. Also Canada's economy is weaker than Britain's, they could have potentially assisted Canada to stop economic collapses and crises. The Chanak Crisis is significant because it changed the course of Canada's history. -
Newfoundland Forfeits Self-Government (Part 1)
During the Great Depression all of Canada was suffering as well as another member of the British empire, Newfoundland. Newfoundland had to keep borrowing money from Canada and Britain during the Great Depression because their relief efforts were failing. Eventually Canada and Britain stopped financially supporting Newfoundland because it was bringing a bad reputation to the Empire and Canada didn't have enough money to support itself and Newfoundland. -
Newfoundland Forfeits Self-Government (Part 2)
Eventually in 1933 Newfoundland voluntarily forfeited it's self government and allowed Britain to take control of the situation. Despite not necessarily wanting to give up self government it did help Newfoundland and restored stability in the coming years. Meanwhile Canada remained self governed and eventually rose out of the situation shortly after Mackenzie King was re-elected. -
Newfoundland Forfeits Self-Government (Part 3)
After the events of the Great Depression Newfoundland took their opportunity to join Canada. Seeing Canada's social safety net as a huge improvement to their people. This significantly changed Canada's economy because of the fishing market in Newfoundland. -
The Formation of NATO (Part 1)
Four years after the Second World War ended Canada joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The North Atlantic Treaty was created as a defense against the Soviet Union. After the Second World War they realized their military capabilities and so did NATO. Joining NATO made Canada more dependent and connected with Northern Europe and the United States. This was one of the first steps that would eventually make Canada the closest ally of the U.S. -
The Formation of NATO (Part 2)
The formation of NATO and the UN created a race towards global unity. This mindset threatened the very idea of an independent nation. During this time period there were few countries that remained legitimately independent because many countries saw large benefits from joining under a banner. This has changed nearly every country in the world as UN and NATO members send peacekeepers and look to expand the impact of their organizations. -
Rejection of Iraq War (Part 1)
After nearly fifty years of molding into several groups and organizations Canada made a very impactful independent decision. When the U.S. requested that Canada join them in Iraq because there was a chance that Iraq had nuclear and biological weapons Canada refused. This proved to be a decision that would save Canada from spending trillions of dollars trying to salvage a situation that couldn't be improved by outsiders. -
Rejection of Iraq War (Part 2)
Since the United States entered Iraq it has only caused more problems. Such as the Benghazi crisis in Libya, the rise of accidentally funded terrorist groups and the destabilization of three countries. Canada's decision proved to save them money and to restate their independence. PM Chrétien declared that Canada would not become the 51st state and wouldn't follow America everywhere. This has since made Canada-U.S. relations rough at times but at the price of independence. -
Summary/Conclusion (Part 1)
Canada's dependence has changed drastically in the last century and will likely change again in upcoming years. The shift for independence began with the Chanak Crisis in 1922, then the course of Canada's independence changed in 1949 with the introduction to NATO. The next fifty years were filled with treaties and trade agreements. One moment in 2003 stands out over these fifty years, however, and that was the opposition to the Iraq War. -
Summary/Conclusion (Part 2)
The Chanak Crisis and Iraq War are two similar events. Canada was pressed to provide military action and refused in both cases. because they decided they were not Canada's battles to fight. These actions speak for Canada's independence.
