The Suez Crisis

Located in Egypt, the Suez Canal is an artificial waterway that connects the Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea. Although the canal belonged to Britain and France at the time, during the summer of 1956, the Egyptian leader seized control of it, as he planned to use it as a shipping route. Egypt’s act of seizing the Canal left France and Britain very angry, as they used the canal as a link to Asian markets. Due to their anger, Britain, France and Israel joined forces to plan an invasion on Egypt in order to regain control over the canal. With Israel, France and Britain teaming up against Egypt, the Soviet Union united with and took Egypt’s side. At this point, the world appeared to be on the verge of breakout for war.

However, at the United Nations, Lester Pearson approached a different plan, that would maintain global peace and avoid the breakout of war. The idea was to get France and Britain to completely withdraw, while leaving a United Nations force to watch over the area and secure the situation. Although most British and few Canadians were not pleased with Lester’s idea, the majority voted for his proposal, as avoiding war sounded appealing. Nobody wanted to start a 3rd World War, as the nations wanted to maintain peace throughout the globe. This was recognized as the first large international peacekeeping force, as 6000 men from ten countries participated, under the command of a Canadian General. Until the year of 1967, when Egypt demanded it to leave the area, Pearson’s proposal succeeded at maintaining peace in the Middle East.

I believe that Lester Pearson was a very, very wise man, as he proposed the idea of peacekeeping. When conflict arose and surrounded him, rather than joining the situation that could have led to World War 3, he stepped out and tried to create and maintain peace. He understood that war was unnecessary and unavoidable, as no nations wanted to participate in another war. He fought for what he believed in; world peace, and achieved it. Pearson later on won the Nobel Peace Prize, as he returned from Suez Canal, recognizable as a true hero to all. Fulfilling his dreams, Lester also gave Canada an independent place on the world stage.

What Lester Pearson did was not only beneficial for his reputation, but for the entire nation’s. Ever since peacekeeping at the Suez Canal took place, From the perspectives of countries all around the world, Canada was finally seen as a peaceful, independent, powerful and giving nation, that stood up for its beliefs and fought for what was right.

Teenagers in the 1950s

From about 1945-1965, the Baby Boom was the huge increase in the number of babies born in Canada. After the horrifies of the war were gone and the economy was at a good state, the citizens wanted to move on and continue with their lives. Men returned from war and reunited with their women. Many young couples decided to get married and build families. There was a huge increase in the number of babies being born, as this led to a rapid increase in Canada’s overall population. Many of these “baby boomers” became teenagers throughout the 1950s.

Back then, in the 1950s, in some ways, teenagers behaved and acted very differently than they do nowadays. Although, there are still many similarities between the generations. Back then, arenas, recreational facilities and organizations were developing and being constructed for youth’s entertainment. Teenagers joined sports and marching bands, but also enjoyed hanging out at shopping centers, drive-in movie theaters, and restaurants, like they do today. However, something that differentiated was the generation’s taste of music, as it was definitely different than it is nowadays. Teenagers enjoyed listening to rock n’roll sensations, such as Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, and Paul Anka. For the youth of North America, Rock n’ Roll became a subculture.  However, despite how laid-back and fun this generation sounds, there were many rules and restrictions that teenagers had to deal with.

At schools, there were so many rules, restrictions and regulations that had to be followed. Girls were not allowed to wear pants, boys weren’t allowed to wear blue jeans, boys’ hair touching their ears was unacceptable and any talk about sex was prohibited. Any breaking of these rules could have led to expulsion, as they were very strict and serious. Society worried about physical contact between two teenagers of the opposite sex, as dating sounded very alarming. Adults generally disliked the new slang, as it bothered most and was often considered offensive. There were so many rules and regulations that teenagers were expected to follow, as failing to do so would have led to serious situations.

When I imagine being a teenager during the time of the Baby Boom, I could come up with reasons as to whether or not I would like growing up in that generation. I would enjoy it because of the taste of music they had back then, as many extremely talented artists were alive and singing during that generation. I would like the drive-in movie theaters, as they sound appealing to me. However, I do not think I would have enjoyed attending school back in that time period, as the rules sounded really strict and harsh. It was a time when everyone had to be extra careful and consider everything they said, as anything minor could result to big trouble. So many regulations had to be followed, as society sounded harsh; specifically on teenagers.

Women After WW2

After the 2nd World War, by the 1960s, women began to attend universities, colleges and workplaces outside of their households. I believe that in these workplaces, women were treated unfairly. They received lower salaries than men did for doing the same job, and they were rarely promoted to powerful jobs. Women were also strictly encouraged to become nurses, work in offices, or become teachers, as no other jobs were recommended for the gender. The discrimination towards women had been clearly seen by some, as the Royal Commission on the Status of Women had been created.

The Royal Commission on the Status of Women was created in the 1960s, with a report that outlined 167 ways to ensure women`s equal opportunities in comparison with men. Some of the commission`s recommendations were for women to receive equal for equal work to men, and disabling employers` gender discrimination. They had succeeded, as several of these recommendations had turned into today`s laws.

A movement designed to prevent sexual discrimination and to gain full legal educational, economic and social rights and opportunities for women, the Women`s Movement had many effects on women. To establish a career, many women delayed having kids or getting married, there was a greater demand for daycare, women won the right to leave their jobs for maternity purposes, women won the right to return to their previous jobs after having kids, and contraception developed.

Even though that these issues were resolved after women’s campaigns, commissions and movements, I believe that women were treated extremely unfairly after the war. During World War 2, while the men were away fighting on the battlefields of Europe, women contributed greatly to Canada’s success throughout the war. They worked at factories, industries, hospitals, and took over men’s jobs while they were away. Women manufactured ammunition, uniforms, airplanes and other supplies for the war. Without women participating and taken over the role of men, Canada would not have resulted to such a great success.

For helping contribute to the war and supporting the men on the battlefields, women should have been acknowledged for their hard work, as they were very successful. However, when the men returned from war, many women were stripped of these jobs, as people believed they were not fit for such roles. I believe that women not only wanted to find employment, but they were fully capable of taking over the roles of men. They were just as capable as men, therefore being discriminated only seems unfair. They should have been allowed to continue with the jobs they were maintaining so well, and not be sent back to their households to stereo-typically cook and clean.

Blitzkrieg

In German, Blitzkrieg means “lightning war”. During the time of World War 2, Blitzkrieg was a military tactic used by Germany to instantaneously kill soldiers and defeat other nations throughout different battles. The idea of Blitzkrieg was to surprise and shock the enemy at the beginning of battle. Germans wanted to instantly kill their opponents and move onto the next enemy, using tanks, air, speed and artillery, in order to avoid a long war.

To do so, Germany would start by weakening the enemy before they sent troops to fight with artillery. They would align and advance tanks to cross the enemy’s borders and attack, while sending planes to drop bombs over the cities. This all occurred at an extremely fast pace, as it prevented the enemy from thinking or considering the situation, putting their entire militia into panic mode. Once the tanks and planes had done their jobs, then, the German troops would fight. This strategy was extremely effective, as it instantly killed or weakened thousands of troops. Everything happened so fast and strong that those who had been affected by it were completely shocked.

I believe that the reason why Blitzkrieg was so effective was because no one had expected the Germans to use such a powerful, fast military strategy, as no one was prepared for it. They had expected German troops to fight on the land with artillery, followed by tanks, but not in reverse order. The Germans saved many of their own troops by using Blitzkrieg, as their opponents instantaneously weakened from the wrath of the tanks and planes’ attacks.

Blitzkrieg became an instant success, as Germany faced many victories throughout different battles in the 2nd World War. Using the military tactic, they claimed victory against Poland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Yugoslavia and Greece. Despite their numerous victories throughout the continent, Blitzkrieg lost its effect when they invaded the Soviet Union. At first, the tactic seemed to succeed, as the Germans managed to kill thousands of citizens. Although, after Germany declaring war on the United States, many countries joined together to fight against the troops. The Soviet Union, Britain and the United States brought Germany out to a long war, finally leading to its defeat in 1945.

The reason why Blitzkrieg failed to work on the Soviet Union was because of the Germans’ lack of judgment of the troops. They assumed that the nation would collapse within 6 months, as they underestimated the nation’s large population and cold weather conditions. They believed that with Blitzkrieg, like all the other nations, they would instantly kill the troops and defeat the country. Although, the more Soviet troops Germany killed, the more Soviets participated in fighting the battle. The war became really dragged-out and long for Germany, as the Soviet Union did not collapse within 6 months. At this point in time, Blitzkrieg had failed to prevent a long war. In conclusion, the German troops were far from prepared for the weather conditions of the Siberian winter. It became extremely cold and the long winter was unbearable for the Germans, as they eventually ran out of supplies. On the other hand, the Soviets were well prepared for a long war, as they were dressed properly and equipped. After Germany’s failure of defeating the Soviet Union, Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union all teamed up to defeat Germany. As a result, Germany had officially lost the war in May 1945.

Hitler’s Rise to Power

Like others in Europe, Adolf Hitler was eager to join World War 1. He was a good German soldier, he never complained and he fought well for his country. After the war, he trained to become a spy. There, he had random antisemitic outbursts in meetings, attracting his superiors’ attention. Soon after, Hitler discovered he was specifically talented at public speaking, and was assigned to give lectures on his behalf. Becoming a popular public speaker, he joined and renamed the Nationalist Socialist Workers Party. After a few speeches and meetings, Hitler was named leader of the party and becoming more and more famous, he became a main attraction. This is how Hitler got into politics.

After the occurrence of several events such as Hitler publishing his book Mein Kampf, the Nazis getting elected and Hitler running for presidency, he only became more and more famous, until he was elected as Fuhrer of Germany during the time of The Great Depression. During the Depression, German citizens were desperate. They were living in poor conditions, as they continuously pleaded for help. I think that Hitler took advantage of how desperate people were throughout The Great Depression, as he saw this as his time to act. He was able to bring the country out of the Depression and lead Germany to power. Not only was he in complete power, but he had gained absolute control over Germany, as everyone had been loyal and supportive towards him. At the time, everyone in Germany respected Hitler and were willing to listen to anything he had to say, or obey any command he proposed.

After gaining support from his people, Hitler brought the German army to power and started revealing his war plans. He wanted to invade other countries in order to expand Germany and become the greatest nation. Hitler started to invade country after country, which caused the breakout of the 2nd World War.

I believe that the reason why Hitler managed to come to power so effectively and gain control over Germany was because of two factors; talent and timing. He was definitely talented in public speaking, as he knew how to capture the attention of the crowd. At the time, when Hitler was Fuhrer, everyone was dying to find out what he had to say next. His strategy was to come up and face the crowd, and simply wait, quietly, until everyone was completely silent and he had their full attention. After a approximately a minute of waiting, Hitler would start to speak. He would start at a quiet and slow place, and gradually build up the volume and tension of his voice. By the middle of the speech, he would practically scream his lectures.

I believe that Hitler’s second beneficial factor was timing, as it fit his situation perfectly. During the of The Great Depression, Germany was in a horrible economic state. The people were poor desperate homeless, as they pleaded for the government to take some sort of action. Hitler took this as his chance, as he stepped up to power and promised to help the people. At the time, he sounded very promising, as his arguments were valid and convincing. After being elected to power and voted as Fuhrer, Hitler successfully managed to pull Germany out of The Great Depression. He saved many Germans from a terrible fate, which is why his citizens were so loyal and respectful towards him. Although, after helping the nation and gaining support and respect from the citizens, Hitler started to reveal his war plans, which was where everything went bad for the rest of the continent.

The Appeasement Policy

In the 1930s, the Appeasement Policy was originated by France and Britain and their strategy to allow Germany to do whatever they pleased until they were appeased.

As Hitler and the rest of Germany rose to power, he began to want to expand the land and invade other nations’ territories. He started to command Germany to fulfill one task after another, all breaking the Treaty of Versailles’ regulations. First, Hitler built up his German military, breaking one of the rules of the treaty. As the German army grew stronger, Britain and France kept their distance and supported it, as Hitler declared it was merely for defensive purposes. Next, Hitler commanded his troops to re-enter the Rhineland, violating the treaty. Again, Britain and France did not take action because they understood Germany’s perspective, as they believed they were doing nothing wrong by entering their own ‘backyard’. From this point on, Hitler believed he was invincible, as he could do whatever he wanted to. At the time, it did not seem like Britain or France or any other countries were planning on stopping him. Therefore, Hitler took advantage of this appeasement, as he saw this as his chance to command Germany to fulfill his personal desires.

Due to Hitler’s large amount of confidence, he commanded Germany to annex Austria. He did this because he wanted and was determined to create a larger nation filled with German-speaking people, as he considered this unification a personal mission. Once again, Britain and France did nothing. With the limited restrictions, Hitler realized that he could start to invade countries, as no one dared to stop him. Germany invaded Czechoslovakia, who had a treaty with France and Britain, claiming that they would defend Czechoslovakia in the case of an attack. Failing to do so, once again, France and Britain did nothing. The reason why  these two countries did not act upon Germany’s violations to the Treaty an Versailles and invasions among other countries was because of the policy of appeasement. They believed that Hitler would stop commanding Germany to do what he wanted when he got it, leaving the other nations in peace. Unfortunately, Germany’s acts of violating and invading did not fail to cease, as Hitler only wanted more. Eventually, France and Britain realized that Hitler would never stop, because he always wanted more. The more he got, the more he wanted to get. Germany’s invasion of Poland was the last straw.

When Hitler commanded Germany to invade Poland to expand the land, he believed he could do so with no restrictions, as France and Britain had not acted among his violations before. Although, Britain and France had had enough. Once Germany invaded Poland, they realized they had to put Hitler to a stop, before he invaded all of Europe. Finally, starting World War 2, the two countries declared war on Germany.

I believe that appeasement was the reason for the breakout of World War 2, as Hitler had violated so many rules of the Treaty of Versailles and invaded so many countries without having anyone stop him. The Policy of Appeasement failed to work, as the more land and power Hitler received, the more he wanted to get. Britain and France should have taken matter in their own hands and stopped Hitler before it was too late, rather than simply allowing him to do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted.

The Treaty of Versailles; Planting the Seeds of WW2

The Treaty of Versailles was a peace treaty officially signed in the year of 1919, as an end to the first world war. With different countries in the League of Nations constructing new rules and regulations, the treaty came to action on June 28th. The Treaty of Versailles imposed extremely harsh rules on Germany, as they were blamed entirely for the breakout of war. Not only was Germany forced to accept the blame for the breakout of war, but they had to limit their nation’s borders to satisfy France’s commands and wishes to expand their country’s borders, pay the war reparations of all the countries impacted and restrict their own military from power.

I believe that the restrictions the League of Nations had imposed on Germany were too harsh, as it completely broke down the German nation and stripped them of their sense of pride, dignity, power and economic values. Different countries such as France, Britain and the United States collaborated and worked together to punish Germany for the breakout of war to an extreme, These restrictions angered Germany, as they had no choice but to accept the consequences for the breakout of war. I believe that the harsh rules of the treaty planted the seeds of World War 2, as the German citizens were angry and wanted to seek revenge upon the other nations for what they had done to their country. They believed that they were being punished for nothing, as they were not responsible for World War 1.

After Germany’s dramatic fall to power, the citizens were desperate to regain control and get their old lives back. They were willing to do anything or listen to anyone who had promised to take control and fix their situation, and that was when Adolf Hitler stepped in. When Hitler was in control of Germany, he led the country to a powerful state; more powerful than its original. As a powerful nation, Germany began invading other nations. I believe that Germany invaded other nations to prove how powerful they have become since the creation of the Treaty of Versailles, to expand their borders since France decided to cut them short, and gain revenge on the countries who put restrictions on them.

In conclusion, I believe that the Treaty of Versailles was not effective, as it was designed to maintain peace throughout the nations. The League of Nations had imposed far too many harsh restrictions on Germany, which was what angered them to expand and invade other nations. Therefore, rather than having the Treaty of Versailles maintain peace throughout Europe, it planted the seeds for World War 2, which occurred approximately 20 years later.

The Spanish Influenza

Striking the world in 1918 and killing 5% of its population, the Spanish Influenza was a deadly flu that dispersed and affected millions of people across the globe. It was extremely contagious, as it spread rapidly from nation to nation. The flu killed approximately 50-100 million people internationally.

It is believed that the influenza originated in Fort Riley, Kansas, United States, where stinking dust storms spread and affected the land. A couple days after, a single soldier noticed symptoms of a sore throat, headache and fever. It only took a couple hours for the symptoms to spread across the entire city, affecting hundreds of young people, killing many. Although the influenza may have seemed to disappear after the deaths, it remained silent, as many Kansans unknowingly carried it along. The flu didn’t spread internationally until the Americans set off to war.

When the United States joined the Great War, many contributing American troops were sent to Europe from Kansas, who were unknowingly carrying the influenza along. x, on the battlefields of Europe, the flu started to spread. The American, English, French, German, Canadian, Russian and other participating soldiers were instantly infected and eventually became sick. The flu was at such a severe level that it led to pneumonia, turned people blue or black and eventually killed them.  Everyday, the flu got deadlier and deadlier, as more troops became infected and died. Just by simply breathing, they carried the flu from one military base to the next. People of different nations were unknowingly infected and carried the sickness with them, wherever they went.

After the end of the Great War, the surviving troops all settled on returning home. Upon their return, they unknowingly dragged along a deadly influenza that spread quickly among the nations and sickened or killed many citizens. The flu was spreading at such a fast rate that doctors could not directly confront their patients with treatment on time, as the death ratio increasingly grew. After studying and identifying the disease, the flu was found to affect the lungs and easily spread through the simple act of breathing.

Avoiding the respiratory disease was not an option, as it spread through the simple act of breathing. No matter how hard people tried to isolate themselves and escape those who were affected with the sickness, it was simply not possible. Many who were affected appeared to be healthy for a time period, until they spread the disease and it had become too late. People’s lungs collapsed and fevers reached extreme temperatures. It was deadly due to fluids filling up in people’s lungs, causing them to drown in their own bodies.

As a result, this influenza ended up killing millions of people in different nations around the globe. After the war, Canadians, just like other nations, were terribly affected. Many soldiers came home sick, spreading the flu around to their friends and families. Many eventually died, while others returned home to the death of family members or close friends. I believe that, especially after the war, this was a devastating time for all,as so many people died or witnessed deaths from the terrible disease.

The Soldiers’ Return to Canada

After long years at war on the European battlefields, the surviving Canadian soldiers finally returned home to their families and friends. To welcome and acknowledge the soldiers for their bravery and strength for representing their country, the citizens celebrated with parades and ceremonies all across the nation. It was a joyous time, as everyone was happy and glad to be home. However, the celebrations didn’t last for too long, as the returning soldiers were faced with many different problems upon their arrival.

After the war, the soldiers returned to Canada to find very few opportunities available. The men thought they would be able to continue with their jobs prior to war, although, they were mistaken. During this period, Canada provided a very little amount of money, limited employment and support to the returning veterans. Rather than being rewarded for their hard work and sacrifices throughout long years of war, they returned to poor post-war conditions. The veterans suffered through a tough time, as many lined up and waited for any available employment opportunities. There were so many demilitarized soldiers that the government was unable to support thousands of them, as the country was coming out of a war-time economy.

Not only were thousands of veterans stripped of their jobs and searching for employment, but were wounded, as they had suffered from injuries throughout the war. Many soldiers were in desperate need of physical treatment and medical support, but were not taken care of. As previously stated, the government did not support all demilitarized soldiers, as many were on their own. Those who suffered from diseases or weakening illnesses faced a great deal of rejection, as they continuously fought and pleaded for treatment. The lack of the government’s support towards returning Canadian soldiers upset and harmed many citizens, as they returned to pitiful post-war conditions.

The poor post-war conditions that thousands of veterans dealt with was unbearable, as many decided to act upon the situation. Many joined labour acts, as they were desperate to accept any form of employment. Thousands of men joined various different organizations, such as the Winnipeg General Strike or the Great War Veterans Association. Veterans were desperate to contribute to improving their living conditions, as they strived to receive support and employment. The demilitarized soldiers just wanted their old lives back with Canada’s booming economy, that was prior to the Great War. Thousands of families across the nation had suffered through this period, as times were tough and veterans’ wages were low or simply nonexistent.

In addition to the employment unavailability and limited governmental support, veterans were gone from their homes for an incredibly long period of time. Families had to cope with the absence of men, as many women lived without husbands and children lived without fathers. Thousands of families were devastated to discover the post-war death of their husbands/fathers, while others were fortunately blessed upon their arrival. The surviving men had to re-familiarize themselves with and get to know their families again, as their absence was lengthy and difficult to cope with, for everyone.

In conclusion, the veterans who had risked and sacrificed so much to fight for their country had come home to depressing and poor post-war conditions, as they were treated unfairly, lacking of governmental support and opportunities. The veterans should have been acknowledged and rewarded for their bravery of contributing to long years of war, rather than returning to such poor and devastating conditions.

                                         

5 Contributing Factors to WW1

                    

I believe that the factors that led the world to World War 1 were Imperialism, Nationalism, Militarism, Alliances and Assassination, as each played its own role in contributing to the beginning of the Great War.

Through the use of military, political and economic power, Imperialism is the extension of a nation’s ability to control other colonies. Throughout the 1910s, Western Europe (particularly Britain) had held the world’s largest imperial empire. I believe that due to jealousy, suspicion and a lack of trust, several other countries such as Russia, Germany, France and the United States tried to keep up. Each nation wanted to build a more powerful and strong empire than Britain had, which created a dangerous race to power. At this point in time, the beginning of a world war was foreseeable, as Imperialism was only one out of the several factors that led to the beginning of war. Another strong factor that led to war was nationalism, which ensured pride and competition among the European countries.

Nationalism is the ability to have a strong and powerful sense of pride towards one’s home country and its identification, allowing oneself to think highly of their nation. Throughout the entire European continent, every country felt that their nation was better than others. They believed that their country was stronger and more powerful than any other, seeking national greatness. Nationalism enforced a strong and powerful competition among the major European nations, as each country emphasized their power and accomplishments in comparison with others. Due to an intense level of competition between the countries, the nations created strong and powerful militaries for defensive and offensive purposes.

Militarism spread across the European continent, as major nations strongly felt the need to create their own armies. At the time, not only was having a strong military a sign of power, but it gave nations a strong source of pride. This encouraged each country to strive to become the biggest and best, most powerful nation in all of Europe. Although militarism was effective, it did not specifically guarantee safety to a nation. Therefore, countries across Europe decided to make Alliances with each other to guarantee support.

The Alliance System began when nations felt the need to protect themselves when it came to other powerful nations, as armies alone were not effective enough to ensure security. I believe that Alliances were not only created for particular nations to protect themselves against others, but to certify peace throughout Europe. Although the idea was thought through, peace among the nations was not ensured. They fought to ensure that when a problem between 2 countries originated, other countries would join in, eventually causing the entire continent to go to war. Despite the large amount of contribution to war, the Alliance System did not officially activate the start of World War 1, as Assassination did.

The Assassination of Francis Ferdinand (the archduke of Serbia) and his wife was the final, official contributor to the start of World War 1. In June of 1914, a Serbian gang member of The Black Hand shot Francis and his wife to death. This caused Austria-Hungary to blame Serbia for the death of their archduke, as they declared war on Serbia.

As stated above, the 5 contributors to the beginning of World War 1 were Imperialism, Nationalism, Militarism, Alliances and Assassination. Although each factor played its own role effectively, I believe that the official start to the war occurred when Serbian gang member Gavrilo Princip had assassinated Austrian archduke Franz Ferdinand, causing Austria-Hungary to declare war on Serbia. After declaring war on Serbia, the Alliance System came into effect, as different nations throughout the continent began to declare war on each other, protecting their allies. The Powder Keg was taken into effect and World War 1 had officially begun.