The Home Front

WWI in Canada

Total War• World War I is considered a total war. This means

that it required not only the efforts of soldiers on the front line, but the effort of everyday civilians back home.

• Countries gathered up all their resources and geared industry towards the war.

Essentially, the war affected the lives of everyone.

Support for the War Effort

Patriotic community groups, government campaigns, and posters suggested that no sacrifice should be spared to ensure victory in Europe.

Cutting Back• People reduced the amount of food they ate

and tried to waste as little as possible.

• The voluntary reduction of how much food people ate was called “honour rationing”.

• Although it was voluntary, people caught hoarding food could be fined or put in jail.

• Reduced intake of meat, butter, sugar, and bread so that more of it could be sent overseas.

Lend a Buck!

Victory Bonds• The government urged people to buy Victory

Bonds.• People who bought the bonds were lending

money to the government.• When the war was over, bonds could be

cashed in at a profit.

The war was costing Canada $1 million a day!

Lend a Buck!• Children bought thrift

stamps.• Each stamp cost 25¢ and

was stuck on a card.• When $4.00 worth of

stamps were bought, the child received a War Savings Stamp.

• This stamp could be cashed in for $5.00 in 1924.

Income Tax• Income tax was introduced in WWI. • The first tax in the country on money

people made.• It was supposed to be temporary.

Soldiers of the Soil

• The government urged farmers to produce as much as they could.

• By 1917, Canadian farmers supplied most of the bread consumed by Allied soldiers.

• When men went off to war, boys 15-19 were encouraged by the government to become “soldiers of the soil”.

They were given an official uniform and a medal in recognition for their service.

Factories• When war was declared, factories were

quickly reorganized to produce war supplies• Plants producing airplanes, shells, and ships

sprang up across the country.

By 1918, 300 000 Canadians were employed in these factories and 1/3 of the shells fired by the armies of the British Empire were made in Canada.

Women’s Contributions

• Women worked in industries to replace them men off fighting.

• 30000 women worked in munitions factories.

• Women also drove buses and streetcars, worked in banks, and on police forces.

• Women worked on the farms to bring in the harvest

• Groups of women met regularly to organize community fundraisers, knit socks and roll bandages for the troops.

The most popular organizations was the Canadian Red Cross.

Propaganda

• Propaganda: the systematic spreading of ideas influencing people to support a particular cause or point of view.

• Since television had not yet been invented and not everyone owned a radio, posters were the most effective means of getting a message across.

• The posters were part of a major propaganda campaign to back the war effort and promote the allied cause.

One way for government to encourage support during the war was through a massive poster campaign.

Propaganda

1) What major issue is used in this poster?

2) Summarize the message of the poster in a sentence.

3) a. what reasons does the poster suggest for supporting the war effort?b. does the poster show a bias?

4) How successful do you think this poster would be? Why?