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War is Declared on Russia by the Germans
Cause and Effect:
-Austria Hungary had first declared war on Serbia in July earlier that year, and as the country’s ally, Russia joined Serbia
-Since the country was allies with Austria Hungary, German declared war against Russia
Historical Significance:
-This event caused several other countries around the world to join in on the war as well -
The Schlieffen Plan
Cause and Effect:
- Due to Germany invading Belgium the previous day in an attempt to reach France, Great Britain declared war on Germany
-Germany declares war on France, which means the Germans are going through with the plan, created by Alfred von Schlieffen, of having two-front war against both Russia and France
Historical Perspective:
- As Belgium was considered neutral during the war between France and Germany, they would not have expected the Germans to invade them -
The War Measures Act is Passed
Cause and Effect:
- The Canadian government issued several laws that were to be followed by the citizens, but caused outrage with both their people and the ‘enemy aliens’
Continuity and Change:
-The War Measures Act has been decreed twice more, once during World War II to lock up Japanese Canadians, because of their involvement with Germany during the War, and then during the October Crisis of 1970, due to the abduction of two high-ranking British officials -
The First Battle of the Marne
Cause and Effect:
-Since the Schlieffen Plan had not managed to rid France of the Allied Forces, it was them who came out victorious after this battle
Continuity and Change:
-Throughout out the advancement of the War, France eventually got back the land that had been invaded by the Germans -
First Use of Trench Warfare
Historical Significance:
-The first use of trenches in the War was between the Allied and German forces
-Redefined battle during those times, trench warfare was the perfect weapon to be used offensively and defensively
Ethical Dimension:
-Forced soldiers to live in very unsatisfactory and unsanitary locations
-Caused diseases, such as Trench Foot -
Germany Declares the British Isles a War Zone; German Naval Blockade
Cause and Effect:
-The British declared that every neutral and enemy merchant vessel found in the area would be demolished
-The blockade caused the death of 763,000 German civilians
Historical Significance:
-It is thought that this contributed greatly to the eventual outcome of the Allied Forces being victorious during the War -
The Second Battle of Ypres (First Major Use of Poison Gas)
Historical Significance:
-Quickly introduced a new and effective way of killing the army on the battlefield
-The use of poison gas played a big part in how Germany fought the war
Continuity and Change:
-Chemical Warfare has evolved several times throughout time: small amount of tear gas in 1914, chlorine/phosgene gas in 1915, chloropicrin gas in 1916, mustard gas in 1917 & 1935, during World War II, herbicides/chemicals in 1962-1967, poison gas against Iran in the 80’s, 2013 Syria is attacked -
The Battle of Gallipoli/ The Dardanelles Campaign
-Cause and Effect:
-In an attempt made by the Allied Forces to take control over sea route from Europe to Russia, it resulted in this battle
Historical Perspective:
-The Allies considered the aftermath of this battle a great disaster, as they had lost too many lives to count. However, through the eyes of the opposing side, this fight ended up being one of the Ottoman Empire’s greatest triumphs -
Italy Signs Treaty of London; Joins the Triple Entente
Historical Significance:
-Italy switched from the Triple Alliance to the Triple Entente
-With another partner, the Allied Forces were gaining strength, while Germany and Austria-Hungary began falling back
Historical Perspective:
-Italy had switched because while the Austro-Hungarian Empire was refusing to give back the land they had taken from them, the Entente promised that if they joined them, they would allow Italy to obtain all the territory where people with Italian ethnicities lived -
The Battle of the Somme
Historical Significance:
-With over 1,000,000 deaths, the battle of the Somme is known as one of the bloodiest battles in war history
Ethical Dilemma:
-There has been a lot of controversy when talking about this battle. Some believe that it was ineffective to send so many people to their deaths with no proper weapons or tactics they could use to defend themselves, while others believe that there was nothing else that they could do anyways to try and win the war -
Tanks Are Introduced to the Battlefield
Historical Significance:
-Allowed the armies to create many casualties for the enemy
-Could travel over the rough terrain of the trenches
Continuity and Change:
-Tanks are used still today in warfare, but are always being updated. Newer tanks are now a lot faster, reliable, and can also shoot a lot better than the ones used during World War I -
The US Joins the War
Historical Significance:
- Provided the Allies with more weapons and supplies, as well as a larger number of troops
Historical Perspective:
-After three years of fighting this war, the Germans were most likely exhausted. To see an army filled with newly-trained, strong soldiers ready to fight, it would have been quite discouraging for the opposing side. -
The Battle of VImy Ridge
Historical Significance:
-This was the first battle where the four Canadian Divisions, known as the Canadian Corps, fought together and won
-Despite their victory, the Canadians Corps had suffered over 10,000 casualties
Historical Perspective:
-Provided Canada a better reputation, and were given an identity as a reliable and trustworthy nation
-Made the Canadians feel both honourable and prideful as they were now able to identify as their own, and not as a part of the British troops -
The Battle of Passchendaele
Ethical Dilemma:
-Nearly a total of 500,000 casualties were suffered on both sides because of this battle
Historical Perspective:
- Recruits for the army in Canada, Britain, and France had become very hard to find became very hard to find as less and less people had begun enlisting as the war had been dragging on for so long -
Conscription System in Canada
Cause and Effect:
-Since there were not many recruits coming from the Canadian population, the government was forced to establish a conscription system, and force the men to join
Ethical Dimension:
-This would not have seemed fair to the Canadian citizens, and this could have resulted in riots and protests -
The Battle of Cambrai
Historical Significance:
- This battle was the first where tanks had been used on a large-scale attack
Cause and Effect:
-Resulted in the casualties of 44,000 British men and 45,000 German men -
Germany Launches the Spring Offensive
Cause and Effect:
-This was Germany’s attempt at trying to end the war
-Though Germany gained a lot of land, they were forced to retreat as they had lost too many men
Historical Perspective:
-At that point in time, Germany was confident in its abilities to end the war, however, the Germany army had taken a great hit and had suffered 230,000 casualties -
The End of World War 1
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Germany Signed an Armistice With the Allies
Historical Significance:
After a long, four-year battle, Germany signed the armistice, which brought this brutal war to an end
Cause and Effect:
-In total, there was a great loss of weapons and troops, with over 37,000,000 citizen and military deaths
