Second World War Education Guide
This guide is intended to assist teachers and students as they study Canada’s involvement in the Second World War. It highlights some of the significant historical themes and events of that period but is not meant to be a comprehensive history of Canada and the war; in fact, some teachers may choose to highlight different aspects of this period in their classes, such as the naval war on Canada’s doorstep or Canada’s participation in the bombing offensive against Germany. Nonetheless, the content presented here constitutes a meaningful entry point into examining the country’s involvement in one of the 20th century’s pivotal armed conflicts. Additionally, the skills students will develop in the activities will apply to any existing units being used in class by teachers.
The Second World War was a global conflict that lasted from 1939 to 1945. Angered by the 1919 Treaty of Versailles, which ended the First World War, Germany rejected the tenets of the treaty and began a military buildup, seizing lost territory in Europe. Attempting to contain Germany’s aggression, the leaders of Great Britain and France followed a policy of appeasement, tolerating Germany’s occupation of the Rhineland, Austria and Czechoslovakia in an aim to preserve peace. Appeasement failed when Germany’s armed forces, under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi government, invaded Poland in September 1939 and Europe was once again entangled in armed conflict, just as it had been in the years 1914 to 1918.
Fighting alongside its allies, Canada made large military contributions to the war effort. Canadians on the home front contributed to the war by taking up employment in war industries, producing munitions, food and other goods for use in the Pacific and European theatres of war. Over 16,000 aircraft, 4,000 ships, and 800,000 military vehicles were built in Canadian factories, many by women.
Of the over one million men who enlisted to fight for Canada abroad (including those from Newfoundland, which was not yet a Canadian province), more than 44,000 were killed and some 55,000 were wounded. For those who survived, the military aided in transitioning soldiers to civilian life by providing educational opportunities, grants and loans for the purchase of land and homes, and additional funds for time served. Learning about the brave individuals along with the atrocities of the Second World War reveals the complexity of Canada’s role in the international conflict, which would lead the country to a new economic and military status in the postwar world.