The Decline and Fall of Imperialism in Canada: a Cultural Analysis of the Great War
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UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY The Decline and Fall of Imperialism in Canada: A Cultural Analysis of the Great War By Ryan Flavelle A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF STRATEGIC STUDIES CENTRE FOR MILITARY AND STRATEGIC STUDIES CALGARY, ALBERTA SEPTEMBER, 2011 ©Ryan Flavelle 2011 Library and Archives Bibliotheque et 1*1 Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington OttawaONK1A0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-81413-0 Our file Notre ref6rence ISBN: 978-0-494-81413-0 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par I'lnternet, preter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la these ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation. without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne sur la Privacy Act some supporting forms protection de la vie privee, quelques may have been removed from this formulaires secondaires ont ete enleves de thesis. cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. 1+1 Canada Abstract This thesis is an analysis of imperialism as a cultural phenomenon in Canada. It attempts to account for the development of an evolving Canadian nationalism that was independent of imperial sentiment, and argues that this development was a result of Canada's experiences during the Great War. The thesis is arranged chronologically, and focuses on three distinct cultural themes that affected the Canadian national narrative. Specifically it looks at how Canadians' perception of geography, both at home and abroad, was influenced by the war: how modernism impacted Canadian literature and cultural thought as a result of the war: and how a newly created mythos distorted pre-war Canadian historiography. Canadians increasingly believed that their nation was ready to stand on its own, independent of the British connection. Although some remained imperial nationalists, after the Great War, this worldview was increasingly seen as outmoded and at odds with the Canadian experience. ii Acknowledgements This thesis would not have been possible without the support and academic expertise of my advisor, David Bercuson. He allowed me the freedom to go down a number of academic rabbit-holes and managed to keep my attention focused on the goal throughout. This was - at times - a challenge, but one that he undertook with the patience and tolerance of someone born to teach. My wife dealt extremely well with my retreat into my office for months at a time. She supported me in every way throughout the process. This thesis would not exist without her. I was also lucky to have an excellent academic support structure in my colleagues at the CMSS. Specifically Cindy Stromer, Hadleigh McAlister, Amara Hunt, Marshall Home, Katie Domansky and Jeff Rakebrand provided a sounding board for my seemingly zany and incomplete ideas. They also allowed me numerous opportunities to decompress amongst friends. As we have all discovered, writing a thesis is an incredibly challenging endeavour. The support structure and community of the CMSS is - in my opinion - second to none. Finally I would like to thank those who agreed to sit on my defence committee - Dr. Pat Brennan, Dr. David Marshall and Prof. Aritha van Herk. iii Dedication To Darcy, my best friend. TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ii Acknowledgements ii Dedication iv Table of Contents v CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER TWO: THE BREAKING OF THE STORM 22 The Men of the Frontier Respond to the News of War 28 "As swimmers into cleanness leaping. " - The Outbreak of War and Modernity in Canada 33 Conclusion 40 CHAPTER THREE: CULTURE AND IDENTITY IN THE CEF 42 An Emigrant Army? 43 "Within their hearts be writ... /He did his duty - and his bit!" 48 The Tangible Advantages to Joining the CEF 51 Life in Khaki: The Creation of Individual Identities 54 The War as a Game - The Development of Team Identities 63 Conclusion 68 CHAPTER FOUR: CANADIANS CONFRONT MODERN WAR 71 Modernism, Modernists and Modernity - The Definitional Challenge 72 "This is not war. It is the ending of the world. " 76 The War at Home: Canada Confronts Modern Warfare 82 "Kultur vs. Humanity:" The Canadian Response to German Cultural Thought 85 Conclusion: Some Effects of Modernism on Post-War Culture 94 CHAPTER FIVE: THE ART OF WAR AND THE SPIRIT OF CANADA 97 The CWRO and the Landscape of War 99 "The Spirit of Young Canada" 108 The Group of Seven "Making us feel at home in our own country. " 114 v CHAPTER SIX: CONCLUSION - THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NATIONAL NARRATIVE 119 "History be blowed... what you have got to make is geography. " 122 The Soldiers' Life and the Development of a Pacifist Worldview 127 The Return to the Land- Canada's Post-War Answer to Modernity 132 The King-Byng Affair, the Consecration of the Vimy Memorial, and a Very Different World War 136 The Continuing Relevance of the Great War to the Canadian Narrative 145 BIBLIOGRAPHY 147 vi CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION "In days of yore From Britain's shore Wolfe, the dauntless hero came, And planted firm Britannia 'sflag On Canada 'sfair domain. " - Alexander Muir, "The Maple Leaf Forever" Imperialism and the English Canadian National Narrative 1890 -1914 In the spring of 1911, a young author named Robert Ernest Vernede stepped off of the SS Empress of Britain in Quebec city. He was writing for the London Bystander, a newspaper that wanted "its Canadian news, like all its other news, up-to-date and not too solemn."1 It is from this viewpoint that he recorded his images of Canada in the later published The Fair Dominion. The Canada he discovered was a land of hope and promise - to the optimist, it was a fundamentally vast frontier with its future ahead of it, waiting to be conquered. Lake Louise was "[as] lovely as a scene of fairyland." "All around are the mountains which distil an air keen and exhilarating, so that before you know it you are set walking, or riding or climbing - or some way adventuring forth." The portrait of Canada that he paints resonates well with the way that Canada attempted to portray itself before the First World War - a vast, partially cultivated frontier waiting for industrious newcomers to tame it. This frontier seemed, to an outsider, to be relatively "uncivilized." As Vernede writes, "What a simple world it seems. No clothes question, no washing, the simplest cookery, one man one plate [and that plate never washed], one knife for eating with or for skinning a grizzly bear... That is the physical aspect of the world without women." He ' R.E. Vernede, The Fair Dominion-A Record of Canadian Impressions (London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Triibner and Co., Ltd, 1911), vi. 2 Ibid., 198-200. 3 Ibid., 189. 1 firmly believes that the frontier required women first and foremost, to civilize the men and force them to put down permanent roots. "True [the men of the frontier] have nothing to worry them so long as they are in health. They can make big money when they choose and take holidays when they choose... [but] those splendid workers have no real reward for their work... [and] enrich only the barkeepers and the rogues who live on the folly of honest men."4 Of course, such a characterization is not without fallacy. The majority of the country was "civilized" to British sensibilities. For the most part, both rural and urban Canada subscribed to a rigid set of social norms and etiquette that defined how individuals were to behave in "society," especially amongst the middle and upper classes. One fascinating source describing these norms is a treatise by an unknown author titled simply Manners which was "recommended by the Minister for use in School Libraries in Ontario." It is prefaced upon the idea that "The object of [a] social code is to subdue the natural rudeness that belongs to man as a mere animal and thus clothe the brutal with a garb of unselfish forms."5 The details of this account form an ideal that Canadians should attempt to achieve if they wanted to appear "well-bred" and "proper." The minutia is at times startling. "A lady, on taking her seat at a dinner table or a card table, removes her gloves, but not until then; at the theatre or opera gloves should be worn throughout the performance and during the evening." "A man wears gloves when calling, and removes them just before or just after entering the drawing room."6 Canadian culture at the beginning of the 20 century can be seen to be firmly rooted in the Victorian and Edwardian traditions.