Wednesday 5 March 2014

Here is the link to the presentation I gave in class today.  Make sure you know the vocabulary indicated.

Some things you need to know for the exam

Sunday 2 March 2014

The Importance of Vimy Ridge


Read the following article from CBC's Learning page from their series Canada a people's history.  Identify the phrases that prove why some people feel this event actually created the "nation"of Canada.  Enter your answer as a comment.

Pride at Vimy Ridge
Canadians win a great victory during WWI and help a young country discover its national pride
Just before dawn on April 9, 1917, Lieutenant Claude Williams lay in a muddy trench in northern France, cold and shivering and ready for battle.
During the Battle of Vimy Ridge in 1917, Canadians made greater advances, and captured more arms, and more prisoners than any other Allied offensive since the start of the war. Pictured here, Canadian soldiers returning from the Battle of Vimy Ridge.  (Na
During the Battle of Vimy Ridge in 1917, Canadians made greater advances, and captured more arms, and more prisoners than any other Allied offensive since the start of the war. Pictured here, Canadian soldiers returning from the Battle of Vimy Ridge. (National Archives of Canada, PA-001332)

Williams, along with thousands of other Canadian soldiers, awaited the signal that would launch one the great battles of the First World War and represent the coming of age for Canada.
"At the arranged time, to the absolute second, suddenly, as dawn was breaking, every gun on the whole front opened up. The roar of the heavy guns was deafening," remembered Williams, a 21-year-old medical student from Hamilton, Ontario.
The Battle of Vimy Ridge during World War I was a key event in Canada's development as a nation. Vimy became a shared symbol for Canadians and a source of national identity and pride.
The French and British armies had failed to take Vimy Ridge from the Germans, at a cost of thousands of lives. The icy, snow-covered ridge in northern France seemed impregnable; its slopes had three layers of trenches, shelters and tunnels protected by barbed wire and machine guns.
Vimy Ridge was key to the German defense. From the height of the plateau, 150 kilometres from Paris, the Germans can see the entire region.
The task fell to the Canadian army to take the ridge. It represented the first time, all four Canadian divisions were on the same battlefield. Fishermen from British Columbia, prairie farmers, workers from Ontario and Quebec, and miners from Nova Scotia prepared for battle.
From the height of Vimy Ridge in northern France the Germans could see the entire region. Pictured here, a view over the crest of Vimy Ridge showing the village of Vimy, which was captured by Canadian troops (National Archives of Canada, PA-001446)
From the height of Vimy Ridge in northern France the Germans could see the entire region. Pictured here, a view over the crest of Vimy Ridge showing the village of Vimy, which was captured by Canadian troops (National Archives of Canada, PA-001446)
Elaborate preparations were made for the assault, which was part of a major British offensive. Britain and its Allies built a fake ridge in a rearward area, an exact copy of the one at Vimy, including an identical maze of caves and tunnels.
Canadian soldiers trained intensively for two months under the watchful eye of Arthur Currie, commander of the First Canadian Division. Canadian military leaders made sure the soldiers knew the terrain as well as the Germans.
"Dear Father, ... If Old Kaiser Bill (nickname of the German leader Wilhelm II) only saw the preparations that have been made, he would throw up the sponge, I am sure," wrote Lieutenant Williams to his father.
Finally on the morning of April 9th Lt. Williams and the other Canadians waited for zero hour.
"The attack was at daybreak, we had to lie in the open trenches all the night: the morning turned out grey, cold and drizzling, everybody shivering and chilled to the bone."
The attack began at 5:30 a.m. with the roar of artillery fire. The infantry marched behind, doing the Vimy Glide - a 100-yard advance every three minutes, protected by a curtain of artillery fire.
They moved along increasingly dangerous terrain.
"At one place, we heard a Canadian who lying deep in a shell hole calling out, 'Water, water!'" Lieutenant Williams wrote. "The top of his head had been blown off, exposing his brain. We could do nothing. Orders were that we were not to stop to attend the wounded. They must wait for the stretcher bearer."
Shoulder to shoulder, the men advanced up the ridge. The Canadians fought through three lines of trenches, until they reached the top. Four days later the troops had captured all of Vimy Ridge. In all 3,598 Canadians died and 7,004 were wounded.
In the battle of Vimy Ridge, Canadian soldiers made greater advances, and captured more arms, and more prisoners (4,000) than any other Allied offensive since the start of the war.
The Battle of Vimy Ridge represented the first time all four Canadian divisions were on the same battlefield. Pictured here, the Canadian Light Horse going into action at Vimy Ridge (National Archives of Canada, PA-001111)
The Battle of Vimy Ridge represented the first time all four Canadian divisions were on the same battlefield. Pictured here, the Canadian Light Horse going into action at Vimy Ridge (National Archives of Canada, PA-001111)
General Arthur Currie was elated.
"A wonderful success. The grandest day the Corps has ever had. The attack was carried out exactly as planned. The sight was awful and wonderful."
The victory caused immense pride back home. Canadians had begun the war as colonials, as subordinates, but were now Allies; they had succeeded where others had failed.
The New York Tribune wrote that Canada had fielded a better army than Napoleons, and a French newspaper spoke of Canadas Easter gift to France.
After Vimy, Arthur Currie was knighted on the battlefield by King George V and named Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, succeeding British commander Sir Julian Byng. For the first time, the Canadian army would be led by one of its own.

Vimy Ridge was later chosen as the site of Canada's National Memorial in Europe. The physical evidence of the battlefield has been preserved, and a monument to the Canadian dead now rises from the highest point on Vimy Ridge.

Friday 28 February 2014

Napoleon Bonaparte

Take a look at this Khan Academy video on the Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Khan Academy Video on Napoleon Bonaparte

In the comments, identify how Napoleon used Nationalism to his advantage.

Tuesday 25 February 2014

The French Revolution

Here is a list of causes of the French Revolution.  Indicate which were underlying causes and which were immediate causes.

  • Debt
  • Bread Shortage
  • Unequal Social Structure (3 estates)
  • The Calling of the Estates General
  • Royal Spending habits\
  • Emergence of the Bourgeoisie
  • Storming of the Bastille

Saturday 22 February 2014

Activity#4- The Development of Nationalism

We look at  the American Revolution as an example to show how nationalism can develop within a group of people.  Watch this Crash Course in World History episode and then identify something that helped develop a sense of nationalism in the 13 Colonies.  Respond in the comments section.


Friday 21 February 2014

Activity #3- What kinds of Nationalism exist?

Nationalism comes in many forms.  What are the some of the different kinds of nationalism that we studied?  Fill in the blanks of this chart.

If you want to print this form off, here is the link to a Google Doc





Form of Nationalism
Description
Example
Ethnic Nationalism






Citizens are united by a sense of duty to the country or preserving the laws and constitution of the land.  
Joining the Army
Religious/Spiritual Nationalism







Citizens are united by a common language

Wednesday 19 February 2014

Activity #2 Which image is the best example of a nation?

Take a look at these images.  Which one do you think is the best example of a nation based on what we learnt in class.  Explain your answer.  Put your answer in the the comment section.

Boston Red Sox
Saskatchewan Roughriders
Map of Europe