Manliness and Militarism

Résumé du livre

Almost half the men who volunteered to serve in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War came from the Province of Ontario. This dissertation attempts to analyze the forces that were at work in Ontario in the years preceding 1914 that combined to generate such a response. The forces of nationalism and patriotism contributed to this enthusiasm, but two other ideas had an overwhelming and undeniable effect on the male youth of Ontario. These were manliness and militarism. Becoming a rugged, proud and successful man was, for many young boys, the ultimate achievement. The constant inculcation of the core ideas behind manliness served to instill, within young boys, the proper direction for their coming of age. Manly role models--from Theodore Roosevelt to Ned Hanlan to Robert Baden-Powell--were well-known to all boys from a very young age. Canada was not alone in being "swept up into the vortex of militarism". Many western nations were also impacted by the translation of military values into everyday concerns. From specific ways of teaching, to an emphasis on "being prepared", to drill in the schools, overt and subliminal aspects of military culture spread to all levels of society. Sports as a surrogate for war an idea that was particularly pronounced in Ontario--was utilized to the fullest degree possible. The introduction of this work attempts to lay the foundation for the ideas behind the study. In the first chapter, the various social, political and cultural ideas that were most prominent and influential to the generations growing up before the Great War are examined. The focus here is to suggest that the forces bombarding the youth of Ontario left very few untouched. Perhaps no other source of manliness and militarism had such a potent effect as the stories that boys read while growing up. Chapter two takes an in-depth look at the reading habits of boys during the period. In the third chapter, the political posture of the school is dissected. The final chapter looks at the culture of boyhood, which includes youth groups, play and sport.