Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 4-7-2016 12:00 AM And the Men Returned: Canadian Veterans and the Aftermath of the Great War Jonathan Scotland The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Dr. Robert Wardhaugh The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in History A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Doctor of Philosophy © Jonathan Scotland 2016 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Canadian History Commons, Cultural History Commons, Military History Commons, and the Social History Commons Recommended Citation Scotland, Jonathan, "And the Men Returned: Canadian Veterans and the Aftermath of the Great War" (2016). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 3662. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/3662 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Abstract The Great War was a formative event for men who came of age between 1914 and 1918. They believed the experience forged them into a distinct generation. This collective identification more than shaped a sense of self; it influenced understanding of the conflict’s meaning. Canadian historians, however, have overlooked the war’s generational impact, partly because they reject notions of a disillusioned Lost Generation. Unlike European or American youths, it is argued that Canadian veterans did not suffer postwar disillusionment. Rather, they embraced the war alongside a renewed Canadian nationalism.