The Political, Economic and Social Impacts of the First World War on Canada

Authors Avatar

In 1918, at the end of World War One, sixty thousand Canadians respectfully lost their lives in order for the safekeeping of millions of women, children and men all around the world. Many people at that time questioned the loss of all these lives and whether or not it had been a beneficial outcome for Canada. At that time Canadians were more worried about the nation being divided by conscription, unemployment and thousands of deaths in families. However in the present time, where we have a very different perspective on World War One, we consider the impacts on Canada very positive, taking into account social, economic and political standpoints. World War One was able the way women were thought of at that time, it caused technology and the economy to grow and Canada became and independent nation from Britain and a continued partner with the United States. Canada’s contribution to World War One have been widely credited or and the country has received much praise for it. It is nearly impossible to believe that before the war Canada was only a colony of Britain however soon after emerged it as a respected nation. World War One is the cause of Canada succeeding and the impact it caused on Canada forever changed the way people view this outstanding nation.

A women’s role in the 1900’s was unfortunately at the kitchen sink, where she would cook, clean, take care of the children and ensure the wellbeing of her home. Her husband would return from work, receiving his wages, which would in turn go to his household and he would spend a comfortable evening with his family. However this was dramatically changed when Canada had declared war on Germany and women had to replace the men’s position as well as successfully keeping theirs. It was a huge load on women and they complied with it very well. They stepped into a man’s shoes, so to say, as work in industries, business and farms still needed to be done. They worked a saleswomen, accountants, marketers, publishers, insurance agents and in stores, newspapers, sawmills, paper mills, munitions factories etc1. This changed the way women were viewed, as now the world could see they were capable of working just as diligently as men. Many of these jobs were to provide for the war effort, such as fabricating munitions and working as nurses for the war, both of which were very dangerous. Not only were women working very hard in urban cities, they were also working just as hard in rural parts of Canada.2 Many men had left their farms for war, which reduced much of the labour work. Food still needed to be produced and not only for families on the farm, but also for the war effort, which relied on food from farms to provide for soldiers at the front. Women took at these roles as farmers and were greatly appreciated from all over Canada.

In 1917, Robert Borden, the Prime-Minster during World War One, passed the Wartime Elections Act.3 This act gave the right to vote for all females who had husbands, brothers or sons enlisted in the war. Even though this was a front for Borden to receive votes in his favour, it was a huge stepping stone in the equality of women.  By the end of the war nearly all the women over 21 were given the right to vote as long as they met the racial and property ownership requirement. However, this was not enough for equality, thus Robert Borden’s conservative government passed the 1920 Dominions Elections Act, which gave women the right to be elected for parliament.4 The first ever to be elected for a seat in the Canadian Parliament was Agnes Campbell Macphail, who fought for the rights of women.

Join now!

The roles of women were also changed because it was the beginning of a new era of feminist movements. Great women such as Nellie McClung, who was an active female suffragist, had a lot of impact on the modern world today and this great movement was created by the impact of World War One on Canada. These feminist promoted equality between men and women, they believed that women should have the rights to job as much as men have; they should be admitted into government jobs and they should be able to vote. Many of these acts were completed through ...

This is a preview of the whole essay