Dufferin Historical Museum

Carman, Manitoba

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WW1 Commemorative Tea

WW1 Commemorative Tea - Dufferin Historical Museum

WWI: A Century of Scrutiny

By: Emily Wiebe

World War I officially began on July 28th, 1914, when Austria-Hungry declared war on Serbia. It was a war waged between the great powers of Europe, drawing in many more countries. The two opposing forces were the Allied (or Entente) Forces, comprising largely of the French Republic, the British Empire, the Russian Empire, and Italy, and the Central Powers, comprising of Germany, Austria-Hungry, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria. It was thought to be a ‘war to end all wars’ and to be a short one – even ‘over by Christmas’. Obviously these forecasts were wrong, for not only did the war last until November 11th, 1918, total casualties mounting to a staggering thirty seven million for both civilian and military personnel, but the Second World War followed swiftly in its wake a short nineteen years later, bringing even more devastation than its predecessor.

The cause of World War I has been hotly debated since 1914. To many, it seemed a pointless war, especially to those in this post-WWII era, in light of the very obvious causes of and reasons for the Second World War. What many do not realize is that though the immediate trigger for the war may have been the assassination of Austro-Hungarian heir to the throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, by Serbian nationalist, Gavrilo Princip, there were many other tensions present in Europe at the time that contributed and lead to the First World War. These factors include nationalism, militarism, imperialism, and the system of alliances.

Nationalism, or the love of one’s country, contributed to tensions in Europe because some governments ruled over many different nationalities. This caused conflict and discord within countries by those wishing to form their own national groupings separate from the country as a whole.

Militarism “controlled the thinking of many European leaders”, says an August 17, 1915 issue of The Clock. They believed that the only way to solve problems between nations was through the use of military force. This eventually led to an arms race and a prevailing unhealthy attitude toward war in Europe.

Imperialism created tensions between the great powers as each competed with other imperialist countries to establish more colonies, especially those in Africa and Asia. Disputes often broke out, conflict only averted through compromise that nearly always left one country dissatisfied.

Lastly, the system of alliances present in Europe – the Triple Alliance composed of Germany, Austria-Hungry, and Italy and the Triple Entente composed of Britain, France, and Russia – ensured that World War I would indeed be a ‘world war’; it launched all the great powers of Europe into a global war.

All of these factors can be said to have had a hand in causing World War I, some scholars even claiming they made the war inevitable. This may or may not be the case; but one thing is clear: at the time of World War I, Europe was made ripe for war by nationalism, militarism, imperialism, and the system of alliances.

Today in 2014, a century after the start of this world-changing war, the causes hardly seem relevant. Whatever the reason, the truth is it happened. But we do not need to be haunted by the ghost of a terrible war; we can look forward to a brighter tomorrow, knowing that the future is in our hands and the past is there to guide us so that we may not make the same mistakes twice. The Dufferin Historical Museum has many artifacts on display from World War I including various shrapnel helmets, a cavalry uniform, a German breastplate with bullet hole, and several pins, medallions, and war medals.

Commemorative Tea The Dufferin Historical Museum will be hosting a World War I commemorative tea on Friday, July 25th between 2:00 and 4:00 pm as a memorial of the hundred year anniversary of the start of WWI.

Dufferin Historical Museum

Guest’s Comments

“It was so nice to meet you guys and get a chance to see all of your displays. I want to again say how much we appreciated you opening the museum and taking time out of your days for us. We went over to the cemetery and they helped us find the grave sites which was a thrill as well. Thank you again for your hospitality and the gift bag.”
Howard Thomson
Hemenway Family

"Nice to meet you and have a personalized tour of the Museum .... your organization has done a wonderful job of displaying the artifacts and honoring the families in the area. Glad that you were able to use some of the articles that I had available.
The cookbook is really well done. I enjoyed reading and reminiscing - lots of great recipes and 'tidbits'. 
"Big Bouquet" to all involved.

Linda, Morden, MB"

"A Great Museum I visited the Dufferin Historical Museum on Saturday, June 2 for the celebration of Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee.
I have not visited the museum for some time and I was greatly impressed by the changes that have taken place. The people who have been giving their time and expertise to the arrangement and displaying of the many artifacts, as well as the people who have worked with the flowers and plants around the grounds, are to be greatly commended. There is more work and time spent on these jobs than most people realize. The tea was probably a first and in my opinion a good idea. It was overall a great way to celebrate the event. A visit to our museum is certainly a great way to spend an hour or two and well worth it."

Keith Barker, Carman Past Board Member

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Contact

Dufferin Historical Museum
44 Kings Park Road
Carman Manitoba R0G 0J0

Phone:
Museum - 204-745-3597

Trish Aubin – 204-745-7353
Caroll McGill – 204-745-6674
The GPS coordinates:
49° 30.178 N 098° 00.621 W

Admisions

Adult: $5.00
Student: $3.00
Under 5: Free

Memberships:

Single: $10.00
Family: $25.00 (2 adults/2 students)

Hours of Operation

July and August
Tues - Sat 10:00 - 5:00 pm
Sunday: 1:00 to 5:00 pm

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