The Great War was a horrible catastrophe which led many men and women to sacrifice their lives. It was described as “the war to end all wars”, which was a global disaster and many troops were excited to join the war and fight for their country. The Great War originated in Europe and lasted from July 28, 1914 to November 11, 1918. In this time Canadian women contributed enormously. They donated their own time to the production of munitions, as nurses on the front lines, fundraised for the war effort, and maintained their homes and farms. Women showed courage and honour in sacrificing their lives towards the winning of the war, making sure that Canadian soldiers were safe and secure. Women worked towards maintaining their families and homes in and out, also through their creation of organizations and institutes. An examination of Canadian women working outside their homes, their dedication to maintaining their families and through the creation of organizations and institutes will prove that Canadian women helped facilitate the Triple Entente defeating the Triple Alliance. …show more content…
These jobs were normally meant for the men who had left to fight in the war. While Canadian men were serving overseas, many women had to fill the gap. Some of the jobs that Canadian women took on were in munitions and clothing factories, in many different fundraising efforts, and as nurses on the front lines. Nurses did not expect all of the masquers and deaths that occurred in this horrific war. According to the Imperial Munitions Board, during the Great
This essay is about how Women’s role has changed during World War II. Women were encouraged by the government to enlist in the Army as nurses or as workers since most men were overseas and this created new opportunities for women. In this essay we’ll discuss about three events, women’s participation in military services, salary increase and why nurses were permitted overseas. Australian women had many responsibilities during World War 2.
It was not uncommon for women at this time to work in factories with many working in ammunition factories. The women who worked in the ammunition factories played an important role in the war effort by doing some of the most important work (Kim). These women worked extremely hard and it was argued that they put their lives in danger almost as much as the men enlisted in the war. They worked long shifts, typically 10-12 hours a day, working with highly-explosive materials (Munitions Factories). Most, if not all, factory jobs required women to operate machinery which was heavy and dangerous, causing many injuries.
Labour and war dominated 1940s Canada as the national conversation and is explored in Wendy Cuthbertson’s book Labour Goes to War: The CIO and the Construction of a New Social Order 1939-45. As North American society entered into a second World War, less than thirty years after the end of the first; and a decade of depression caused by a fluctuating economy Canada was now ready to explore the evolving relationship between labour and politics. Cuthbertsons work captures the growth of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) from 1939-45 by exploring the social, political and economic aspects of labour. Labour Goes to War presents readers with a comprehensive look at the interwar years, touching upon aspects of gender, ethnicity, and equality.
Canada proved that they were worth having as an Allie during World War 1. They showed how powerful and tough they could be even with the small world status they had at the time. During World War 2, they had something to prove. During this war Canada became more involved than before, and really showed how effective they could be. As one of the Allied forces, Canada from the beginning of the war in 1939 to the conclusion in 1945 contributed immensely towards the winning efforts of the war.
From 1914-1918, Canada was in a state of Total War. Women and minorities contributed to the war effort on the homefront by making clubs for themselves, custom making quilts, bandages, and clothes for overseas, worked traditional male jobs, donated land, working in the red cross, and organizing festivals. Every citizen of Canada was committed to giving back to the war effort. Even at home and overseas, the military added to the country being in Total War in the air and the sea; they gave it their all no matter where they were fighting. The government’s power in Canada created even a larger condition of Total War by the restrictions introduced and the amount of money spent/donated in WWI.
Women’s achievements during World War One is not the only reason why it was beneficial for Canada, the second reason was Canadians in the war at the sea. At the start of World War One, Canada had a major problem, its navy, the Royal Canadian Navy, was established only three years before World War One in 1911, so they only had 3 warships and 350 sailors, this weakness meant a weak country, meaning Canadians could not take pride in their country and its strength. The Canadian Navy was so pitiful that at the start of World War One, Canadians were donating their own personal boats to help with the war effort. By the end of World War One, this had changed, Canada’s navy had expanded considerably to over 112 warships and 5500 sailors, making it the fourth largest navy in the world, this meant Canadians could now take pride in their country and its strength, leading to a growing sense of nationalism and the idea that we should be fully independent from Britain, as we did not need them to protect us any more. Germany’s strategy during World War One was to starve Britain by using its new strategy, Unrestricted Submarine Warfare, where they used a large number of submarines to sink merchant ships coming from Canada to Britain, Canada was able to reduce the amount of
Canada has been involved in various wars from the beginning of its colonial history. Just as the nature of these wars has changed over time, so too has their effect on Canadian women. Women have actively participated in war, from nursing and munitions manufacturing during the First and Second World Wars to the increasing involvement of Canadian women in the military. While some women have been traumatized profoundly by Canada’s wars, others have benefitted from them. Women have often assumed traditionally male work during wartime.
In 1939, no one thought that women, who weren 't even considered people decades before, would have such a massive impact in the Second World War. Canadian women 's contribution to the war effort, and their role at the home front and overseas had greatly increased since the previous, devastating First World War. The Second World War brought change to Canadian women on an unpredictable scale, though their volunteer work, paid labour force, and their contributions in the armed forces. Surely without the contributions made by the Canadian women, Canada and her allies would not have been as successful as they were. By far, the prime contribution made by Canadian women to the war effort came through their unpaid labour as volunteer work.
Women have shaped Canadian History The proliferation of Canadian women’s movements, notably their redefining role in society, has had a profound propitious impact on Canada’s identity in the twentieth century. The contribution of Canadian women in the cultural life (sports, the arts and dance), the political impact from the leadership role of a female perspective (Nellie McClung) and women’s economic empowerment all contribute to the shape of Canadian history. Canadian culture had become invisible and nearly indistinguishable from the neighboring United States.
World War 1 was a historic event which began in 1914 and ended in 1918. This bloody conflict took the lives of more than 17 million people who were fighting for their countries. Being a British colony at the time, Canada was dragged into the war that did not impact the country in any way, yet thousands of Canadians volunteered to devote their lives for their nation. The first World War had the greatest impact on Canadian history during the 20th century, as this event helped Canada gain more independence from Britain, it helped introduce women in the workforce, and also introduced non-white Canadians in the army. For the longest time, Canada had been under British control, however, this changed a bit after World War 1 took place.
In the address, “The Role of American Women in Wartime”, Clare Boothe Luce, an American congresswoman, advocates for the American women’s contribution to the war efforts at the women's banking committee. Although Luce’s speech opens with a controversial and condemning topic, Luce further explicates it, recognizing the struggles and difficulties that must be dealt with. Luce employs contrasting and critical tone, repetition, and imagery to highlight women’s needed sacrifices for the sake of America’s victory. Luce introduces with a contrasting and critical tone in order to emphasize that an adjustment must occur for the female system in America.
During World War II, Woman’s were assembled for duty in the Canadian Armed Forces, for the first time. The armed force was shy of men in war services and administration, which lead the Canadian government to choose and declare on August 13, 1941 to give woman’s the privilege to take an interest in war utility. 50,000 women were enlisted and more than half provided service in the Canadian Army. Most were doled out occupations including customary female work, for example, cooking, clothing and administrative obligations, also woman had pioneer roles in the mechanized and specialized fields. The Canadian Women 's Army Corps (CWAC) performed fundamental administrations, both at home and abroad, that achieved Allied victory.
In the article it says that women entered jobs like engineering, other professions, and manufacturing jobs that many people believed that those jobs were too dangerous for women and women were too weak. In their jobs, women made airplanes, warships, munitions, and tanks working in technical and scientific fields. Also, after the war, women were still employed as secretaries, waitresses, or in other clerical jobs. This was often called the “pink collar” force. This article shows how sometimes women are given clerical jobs that show people underestimate the abilities of women.
In the book written by (Gavin, 1997) it was cited that “As women took over from their absent men in hundreds of new and challenging occupations, many of which had previously been considered inappropriate”. From the beginning of the World War 1, the German women were participating a great deal. They contributed to half a million-people working on the munitions manufacturing alone (Gavin, 1997). It also mentioned in the book that over in the U.S, the men in charge refused to let the women participate up until April 1917 (Gavin, 1997). The U.S government never formally authorize the enrolment of women, despite Army officials repeatedly asking for such personnel’s.
Women played an important role in the war effort, taking on jobs traditionally held by men who had gone to fight in the war. This helped to break down traditional gender roles and paved the way for greater gender equality. However, many women faced discrimination and were not paid equally for their work. Minority groups, including African Americans and Hispanic Americans in the US, faced discrimination and segregation during the war. In Canada, Indigenous peoples also faced discrimination and were subject to forced relocation as part of the government's war efforts.