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History Canada

The Bitter Harvest of War

New Brunswick and the Conscription Crisis of 1917

by (author) Andrew Theobald

Publisher
Goose Lane Editions
Initial publish date
May 2008
Category
Canada, World War I
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9780864925114
    Publish Date
    May 2008
    List Price
    $16.95
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9780864925909
    Publish Date
    Sep 2011
    List Price
    $11.99

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Description

In 1917, the Canadian Corps captured Vimy Ridge in northern France, and a myth grew that Canada — as a nation — was born on its slopes. But the cost was tremendous: 10,000 Canadians were killed, wounded, or went missing in the three-day battle. Shortly thereafter, Prime Minister Robert Borden assembled a "Union Government" to support conscription and called an election on the issue. Canada split along ethnic lines: English Canadians supported conscription; French Canadians rejected it. By year end, Canada teetered on the brink of civil war.

As Andrew Theobald reveals, New Brunswickers were not spared the bitter divisiveness of the larger national debate. Determined to win the election, federal politicians fanned the flames of ethnic tension, pitting English against French and Irish Catholics against Protestants. In the end, the Conscription Crisis of 1917 fractured the ethnic harmony of New Brunswick, leaving a lasting and tragic legacy.

The Bitter Harvest of War is Volume 11 in the New Brunswick Military Heritage Series.

About the author

Andrew Theobald hails from Saint John, New Brunswick. He holds a BA from Mount Allison University and an MA from the University of New Brunswick, and has served in the Canadian Forces Reserve. He is presently completing a PhD at Queen's University. His work has appeared in Acadiensis, the University of Toronto Quarterly, and the Cambridge Review of International Affairs.

Andrew Theobald's profile page

Editorial Reviews

"A significant contribution to our understanding of what went on in 1917 ... Essential reading for anyone interested in the history of Canada during the First World War."

<i>Chronicle Herald</i>