History 355H
Discussion Questions
January 22, 2014

Note:  You are expected to be able to cite specifics from the readings to support your answers.  Prepare your answers accordingly.

1. What is "total war"?  What are its defining features?
2. In 1914, empire was as much a concept as it was a geographical entity.  What was "empire" at the beginning of the war?  What was Canada's place in the empire and what was Canada's relationship to Britain?
3. How does the course of the war in Europe shape the nature of the domestic experience in Canada?  (note:  this is a question that we will continually return to throughout the course.)
4. What are the messages and tactics used by Herridge to recruit soldiers?
5. How does the sermon by Herridge compare to the editorial by the Express?  What do these two items tell us about the experience of war in Canada?
6. According to Borden, why is Canada involved in the conflict?  At this point in 1914 how would you describe the relationship of Canada to Britain specifically, and to the empire generally?
7. What do the fictional accounts tell us about Canada and the war  experience?  Is there a "Canadian" stereotype that is evident?  How can fiction such as this be used examine the Canadian war experience?