Lesson 14 — Activity 3: The Effects of War

Warm Up

Canada's men, and this time women, participated fully in World War II.

In this activity, you will learn about the positive effects of Canada's participation in this war.

Canadians had important roles in several major battles. This meant a greater sense of nationalism, a pride in being Canadian. Different from the First World War, this war effort and pride went beyond the battlefield to the home front.

After the war, Canada's factories produced items that were needed to rebuild Europe and meet the post-war needs of Canada. This led to a tremendous growth in Canada as an industrial nation.

Countries such as Canada that had not been devastated by war increased their crop production to feed the European nations, including Great Britain.

World War II also led to many social changes in Canada. The role of women changed. Many women joined the military where they served not only in traditional roles such as nursing, but as mechanics, electricians, and other traditional male trades. With most of the working aged men at war, women entered the workforce at home in factories, building the materials needed for the war effort.

woman in factory

After the war, most of Canada's population lived in cities where jobs were plentiful. This meant Canada's population shifted from a mainly rural to a mainly urban one. For the first time in Canada's history, large numbers of people moved away from where they were born and left their extended families behind.

By the end of the war in 1945, Canada was a much stronger country. World War II changed the face of Canada and laid the basis of our future national identity.