Canada's Reaction to the Outbreak of War: 1914 and 2001

Why were Canadians so willing to fight in 1914 in a foreign war that had so little to do with Canada's self-interest? Why in 2001 with Afghanistan War and 2003 with Iraq was there so much opposition to Canadian participation? This lesson uses primary documents, both visual and text based, to explore Canada's reaction to the outbreak of war in 1914 in contrast to 2001 and 2003. Based on evidence from these sources and the historical context, students explain the perspectives behind Canada's support for the war in one case and opposition in the second and further their understanding of different perspectives when examining historical events.