Paper Example on Canada's Role in WWI: 10M Deaths, $100B Losses

Introduction

The world war struggle was full of deaths, destruction and misery. In terms of death, an approximation of at least ten million men died. More than twenty nine million men were captured, injured and suffered life-changing injuries. In terms of financial proportion, it is estimated that hundreds of billions were lost. Canada contributed a lot to the First World War. In terms of both machinery and men, Canada provided a lot. It is essential to realize that Canada did not join the great fight directly but as an extension of the British colony. The Great War is believed to have contributed a lot to Canadian national development. Canada’s immense contribution to the conflict is believed to have affected the economy significantly. Economists have argued that the Great War caused an unpredictable drain on Canada’s finances. It is the drain that led to the immediate demand that Canada had to end the services it was giving to Britain during the war. In 1914 Canada’s national debt escalated a lot quickly. The economist explained that the escalation of Canada’s debt was because of the war. Apart from just the debt, there are a lot of economic issues that the war caused Canada. In this research proposal, the focus is to analyze the Great War and the effects that it caused Canada’s economy. The project focused on identifying how the war benefited Canada’s economy, just as it drained the same. The proposal also seeks to determine if, after the war, Canada’s economy jumped back to shape, and the effort that the Canadian government has to put into getting the economy into shape.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Research question

General Basic question

Why is the Great War seen as a transformative period for Canada?

The proposal would want to determine and approve the assumption that the First World War was a period in Canada where a lot of crucial economic re-organization occurred. Some of the veteran’s affairs who participated in the Great War have referred to it as “the national coming of age.” It is an objective for the proposal to define the mythology mentioned above and how it impacted Canada economically.

What are the relation of the First World War and the first industrialization period of Canada?

A few scholars in the past believe that the end of the world war was characterized by the birth of Canadian industrialized society. The research should provide proof that the conflict contributed to economic factors that did not exist before 1914 when the war began.

More Specific Question

Flavelle’s supervision Board is considered to oversee the expansion and scope of Canada’s production. What are some of the changes and decision that Flavelle’s Board implemented to ensure Canada’s economic come back output after the wartime?

An economist Flavell has been appreciated for his effective policies that led to the expansion of the scope of the country’s production rates. After the Great War had led to the closure of producing companies, the Board laid down policies that are applauded for lifting the Canadian economy. The proposal is to find out the strategies that Flavelle put out, which help boost the economy even after the drastic effect of war.

How Canada’s economic autonomy survived without the influence of foreign policy?

Canada is a British colony. The British influenced the Canadian economy that was struggling because of the Great War. The proposal suggests research that establishes ways in which, the Canadian leadership was able to maintain autonomy and reduce the effect of foreign policy in creating further harm to their economy.

Annotated Bibliography

Safarian, Albert Edward. The Canadian Economy. Vol. 217. McGill-Queen's Press-MQUP, 2009.

Safarian, in his article, "The Canadian Economy," justifies world war as the revolutionary period of the Canadian economy. He argues that the outbreak of war threatened Canada with an economic crisis. Canada was just a young nation trying to build and industrialize after a long time under the influence of the British colonialist. The factories in Canada and on-going construction were on halt due to the number of men involved in the war. Most women were forced to join the management of most factories. A lot of economies had predicted economic collapse. However, Safarian considers the period an evolution because, for many stakeholders, it was a wake-up call. In a bid to save the already fragile economy, the period was full of economic stimulus and employment. The fears of the stakeholders were vital since they replaced challenges with rapid industrial expansion. Safarian continues to establish that the rapid development during the same year ensured that industrialization, employment and agriculture were at their full employable ability by 1916 when the world war was at the peak. Other economic analysts have supported this perspective of manufacturing.

Lew, Byron, and Marvin McInnis. "Guns and butter: World War I and the Canadian economy." Unpublished manuscript, (2006).

Byron and Marvin addressed the issue of industrialization during World War II and what it meant for Canada's economy. The two scholars argue that most men existed in the trenches. IMB, the Board set up by the British to manufacture shells and artilleries, was running out of workers. In the previous years, the railway debt had accumulated that most labourers at the railway had been laid off. The industrial revolution, according to Byron and Marvin, was terminated. The termination was done by women who were in control of the economy after men left for the trenches. The women came up with the modern-day income tax that enabled Canada to pay back their debt. When the men came from war and were out of a job, they joined the railway. Joining the railway station for work was one way in which Canada was industrialized. Chemical and the steel plant shut down and took around ten years to recover. Byron and Marvin argue that although the economy drastically changed over the four years of war, it shaped the country. The money, lives and time that Canada invested in the war shaped the economy till today.

Kilbourn, William M. "A Canadian Millionaire: The Life and Business Times of Sir Joseph Flavelle, Bart., 1858–1939. By Michael Bliss. Toronto, Macmillan of Canada, 1978. Pp. xii+ 562. $19.95 Canadian." Business History Review 53, no. 3 (1979): 400-402.

Kilbourne, in his article, mainly focused on analyzing the efforts of Toronto businessman Joseph Flavelle in expanding the scope of production that led to the economic boost of Canada. Kilbourne recognizes that Flavelle took over IMB from the British and began overseeing operations that would later contribute to financial increase. First, he hired women. Over 30,000 women were hired to work in factories in the absence of men. Offices, too, were occupied by men. It is under Flavelle's supervision that Canada realized an expansion of wartime production. Collectively Canada production rates raised by $2million worth per day. Kilbourne recognizes Joseph Flavelle as the primary contributor to economic boost during the wartime that boosted Canada's economy. The article by Kilbourne is among many that establish the journey Canada had to put through to get their economy back to track.

Rhomberg, Rudolf R. "A model of the Canadian economy under fixed and fluctuating exchange rates." Journal of Political Economy 72, no. 1 (1964): 1-31.

In this article, Rhomberg is focused on explaining the impact that foreign policy contributed to Canada's economy. According to Rhomberg, the was accelerated and transformed the British Empire and infiltrated the Common Wealth nations. Most of the Common Wealth nations were free to establish economic reliance and self-governing dominions since the British were overwhelmed. Rhomberg argued that the British overwhelm of the war helped achieve autonomy. Autonomy contributed a lot to economic dominance than the reliance on foreign policy.

Conclusion

As identified in the proposal, further research is essential in determining the effects of the Great War on the Canadian economy. A group of scholars argue that the war had nothing to do with the economy. While a significant number of scholars consider the period as the birth of industrial society, both arguments can only be supported or dismissed through further research.

Bibliography

Cook, Tim. At the Sharp End Volume One: Canadians Fighting the Great War 1914-1916. Vol. 1. Penguin, 2016.

Kilbourn, William M. "A Canadian Millionaire: The Life and Business Times of Sir Joseph Flavelle, Bart., 1858–1939. By Michael Bliss. Toronto, Macmillan of Canada, 1978. Pp. xii+ 562. $19.95 Canadian." Business History Review 53, no. 3 (1979): 400-402.

Lew, Byron, and Marvin McInnis. "Guns and butter: World War I and the Canadian economy." Unpublished manuscript, (2006).

Rhomberg, Rudolf R. "A model of the Canadian economy under fixed and fluctuating exchange rates." Journal of Political Economy 72, no. 1 (1964): 1-31.

Safarian, Albert Edward. The Canadian Economy. Vol. 217. McGill-Queen's Press-MQUP, 2009