Social Studies

Learn about the thousands of Canadian Indigenous peoples that served in the Canadian military forces in the World Wars, mostly voluntarily.

Current and recurring military operations, military exercises, and allies and government partners of the Canadian Armed Forces.

This War Museum link to the Afghanistan gallery has several sections that describe events in Afghanistan, accompanied by photos by journalists.

A site by the Council on Foreign Relations, a US non-partisan think tank, presenting information to better understand the world.

Learn About Nuclear Weapons is the English version of a Web-based educational material from the Swedish Physicians against Nuclear Weapons.

The Memory Project hosts the Digital Archive, an online database with stories about thousands of Canadians whose lives were touched by war. You can search the database by home town, province, war and branch of service, as well as by theme.

A site that presents closer look at Canada's military history from the South African War to the present. Developed by Veterans Affairs Canada.

Thousands of Indigenous Canadians fought in WWI, WWII and the Korean War. Read the stories and accomplishments of some who fought in these wars and how the veterans are being honoured.

In an ongoing effort to understand the connections between water resources, water systems, and international security and conflict, the Pacific Institute initiated a project in the late 1980s to track and categorize events related to water and conflict, which has been continuously updated since.

A site that explores the history of Vietnam, the disapora of people after the war, and the new citizenship of Vietnamese-Canadians

Learn about the Vietnam War and Canada's quiet involvement in this conflict.

This article describes the experiences of a Canadian man from Winnipeg who joined the American army and fought in the Vietnam War. There are also photos and a short video of the veteran sharing his memories of the trip across the Pacific.

This CBC article from April 2015 provides some background about Canada's involvement in the Vietnam War.

This CBC article from April 2015 describes the challenges of Vietnamese refugees, starting in 1975. The article also describes Canada's role in accepting refugees.

Perspectives of the British, Americans, Canadians, and Indigenous peoples of the War of 1812

The American perspective of the War of 1812 is presented by PBS

The War of 1812 from the perspective of Canada.

Here are 40 maps that explain the conflict — why it started, how the Allies won, and why the world has never been the same.

Created by Queens University, this archival project offers details related to the Canadian homefront, WWI warfare, technology of the war, Enemy Aliens, as well as women in the war.

Explore over 500 historical sources from across Europe, together with new insights by World War One experts

Learn about the thousands of Canadian Indigenous peoples that served in the Canadian military forces in the World Wars, mostly voluntarily.

This interactive map is a composite of many maps tiled together create a larger image. The original maps were produced by the British Ordnance Survey in the years just prior to the outbreak of the First World War (1912-1914).

This resource from the Canadian War Museum is filled with images and information about the First World War, particularly the role of Canada and its soldiers.

Explore the untold stories and official histories of World War I in 374,750 items from across Europe

The story of three young men from Canada who won the Victoria Cross in World War I and how their community chose to remember them

A resource from the National WWI Museum and Memorial (US)

An article that looks at how Canada used internment of it's own citizens in both world wars.

This exhibition illustrates the many roles that Canadian men and women played during the First World War. Read biographies and learn about the roles of Canadians in key battles as well as how some served at home.

This video reminds us of the contributions to WWI made by Black soldiers in Canada. A poem read during the video reveals the lack of recognition there was for their sacrifices.

Read excerpts from the wartime diaries and letters of some of the young Canadian men who served in the First World War.

Learn about the service of the elite unit of Cree Code Talkers who served in World War II

An article that describes the Canadian point of view of the events of World War II and that discusses the impact of the war in Canada.

Have you heard of Code talkers? These were Indigenous soldiers in World War II who spoke Cree. The code talkers would send sensitive or secret messages in Cree to each other and then translate it back into English.

This experimental augmented-reality narrative written by 83-year-old Joy Kogawa, one of Canada’s most acclaimed and celebrated literary figures. The story is told from the perspective of Yuki, a 17-year-old girl forced from her home and made to live in the Slocan internment camp during the Second World War. **Note: to enter the experience you must download the app to an Apple device

A young Canadian gunner, Andrew Mynarski, stays behind to save his friend in a flaming Lancaster bomber and dies in the attempt (1944)

Mona Parsons, a Canadian agent who in the Netherlands who helped save allied airmen, and bravely faced an order of execution.

Read about Francis Mitsuo, a Japanese-American who lived in Hiroshima during the 1945 bombing. His memories about the days before and after this terrible event are accompanied by images and links to supplementary information.

An article that looks at how Canada used internment of it's own citizens in both world wars.

This video from the McCord Museum explains how political cartoons help to define the World War II era in Canada.

This timeline includes WWII events in Europe as well as relevant events in Africa and the United States. Find pictures, text, video, and maps of events beginning with Hitler's first violation of the Treaty of Versailles through the end of the war in Europe.

This is a multimedia timeline of WWII in the Pacific Theatre. You will find images and videos along with information about key events from 1931-1945.

Documentary exploring the past of the Chinese-Canadian community in British Columbia during World War II. Carried by the voice of a grateful daughter, this multifaceted documentary reveals an important piece of Canadian history, but more so, it pays a moving tribute to the quiet heroism of a father.

Read excerpts from the wartime diaries and letters of some of the Canadian men and women who served in the Second World War.

Learn about the thousands of Canadian Indigenous peoples that served in the Canadian military forces in the World Wars, mostly voluntarily.

An article about Canada's role in World War II written from the perspectives of the Americans

A site by the Library of Congress (US) that looks at the female journalists who worked on the front lines during World War II.

This short multimedia presentation gives an overview of the key developments during the Second World War. Additional links include maps that illustrate German conquests, 1939 - 1942 and the Defeat of Nazi Germany, 1942 - 1945.