WWI Student Study Guide
WWI Student Study Guide
Causes of WWI
National Identity: A sense of, and pride in, the character of one’s nation.
Nationalist: A person who has a strong feeling of attachment to his or her nation.
Alliances: A pair or group of nations which sign treaties agreeing to support each
other if any one member became involved in a conflict.
Balance of Power: The situation, especially before World War I, in which the strong
nations of Europe attempted to remain of equal strength militarily and in their alliances.
Canada at War
Halifax Disaster: Much of Halifax was destroyed by two ships carrying dynamite
colliding in the harbour and exploding. 3000 people killed, 10,000 injured.
War Measures Act: An act of the Canadian Parliament that gave the federal Cabinet
emergency powers, especially during wartime. It included the right to suspend habeas
corpus, the right of a person under arrest to be brought before a judge to determine the
lawfulness of the arrest.
Trench Warfare: Muddy trenches became stinking cesspools, overrun by rats, lice
and the stench of death. Conditions were so horrific that many men developed trench
foot, and in some cases, shell shock.
Suffragists: People who advocated that women should have the right to vote. All
Canadian women won the right to vote in federal elections in 1918 in recognition of
their patriotic effort during the war. Counterpoints pg 37.
Changing Role of Women: With so many men overseas, women had to take on new
roles in wartime Canada. Women were hired for all types of work, from running fishing
boats, to prairie farms, to working in factories. Women were empowered because they
were making good wages and enjoyed independence. When the men returned, many
women did not want to leave the paid labour force. Counterpoints pg 36 & 37.
Federal Income Tax: The War was expensive and the federal government introduced
income tax as a temporary tax to pay for the war. The tax started at 4%, today it can
be up to 40%. Counterpoints pg 36.
Feminism: A belief that women should have equality with men in political, social, and
economic fields, and not be discriminated against on the basis of their sex.
Russian Revolution: 1917, Russia was forced to quit WWI because Russia was in
the midst of a civil war as the Russian people revolted against the Tsar (King of
Russia). The revolution was led by the Bolsheviks- a communist party. 1917, marks
the birth of communism on the global stage and the birth of the USSR. Counterpoints
pg 42.
Paris Peace Conference: Canada was granted a seat at the conference that decided
on the fate of Europe after the war. Counterpoints pg 43.
Treaty of Versailles: The official peace document that ended the war and started the
League of Nations. The terms of this treaty will become extremely significant with
respect to the start of WWII. Counterpoints 43.
League of Nations: The precursor to the United Nations. Designed to be a union of
nations that would police and mange the world, the primary objective being to prevent
another war. The league was lacked support and was not influential in reality as major
world powers (i.e. USA) were not members. Counterpoints pg 45.
Collective Security: The principal of the League of Nations. If one member state of
the League came under attack, all members were to cooperate in suppressing the
aggressor. Counterpoints pg 45.
Vocabulary