World War Wednesdays: The Darker Side of Canada's War

World War Wednesdays: The Darker Side of Canada's War

Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King in Berlin, with Swastikas in the distance

 

 

     When we left off last week, Canada had just entered the turbulent storm of the Second World War despite seemingly all efforts do avoid doing so. For all Canadians, this time meant widespread uncertainty and fear. The people knew very well what being at war meant for the country, having just experienced what they had thought was "The Great War", and were certainly not eager to relive such terrible memories. Before we get into the events of the war itself, it is important to also consider some of the situations which were also occurring during the outset of the war, both inside and outside of Canada.

 

(Apologies in advance if this post ends up being lengthier than usual, I just completed a massive research paper on the topic and I'm trying to make it sound as interesting as I find it!)

 

 

     When we returned two weeks ago, we focussed on the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany. This event ties into this week's post, and I will soon explain how. In the meantime, consider this image of William Lyon Mackenzie King in Berlin, watching the Olympic Opening Ceremonies (second from the left, in the light suit):



 



     William Lyon Mackenzie King was and still remains Canada's longest-serving Prime Minister, and was in office during some of the country's most difficult times including the Great Depression and the Second World War. He is most often remembered as being highly spiritual, having held séances to channel his dear departed mother, and owned a succession of small dogs all named 'Pat'. While all of this may be true to some degree, history allows us to know so much more about King. He kept a diary for the duration of his entire adult life, ranging from his time as a university undergraduate to his death in 1950. As a result, we know a great deal about him as a person, and for historians this is a fascinating concept (made even better by the fact that the entire diary collection is digitized on the National Library and Archives website). Thus, there is a large amount of insight into his own personal feelings about the major historical events which he experienced, and this is highly useful for understanding his major decisions and policies.
    
   A bit of background on King is important for explaining his actions later on. He was born in the Canadian city of Berlin, Ontario (which was later changed to Kitchener), which is a significant fact and reoccurring theme. After attending the University of Toronto in the 1890s, he became the Minister of Labour. From there he established a strong political presence which led to his becoming Prime Minister; a surprising feat considering his lack of charm and typical physical characteristics for popularity. However, he compensated for this by forming a strong belief system and consistently reinforcing it, ultimately proving people wrong on their judgement of his appearance.

King in 1899



     This quality would be put to the test during the late 1930s when the political climate in Europe became increasingly tumultuous. In June of 1937, King embarked on a "diplomatic mission" to meet with Adolf Hitler himself in Berlin, bringing with him a number of personal qualities which he shared with the Fascist leader, including musical preferences, a love of dogs, a strong bond with his mother, and an affection for solitude. Having spent time in the German city in his younger days, he was very fond of it, and reflected in his diary:
     "Seeing where I lived 37 years ago, the association with Berlin, etc., is all most remarkable. My thoughts went back to the earliest days in Berlin, Ont."


    When he met with Hitler, King presented him with a book depicting his childhood home in Berlin, Ontario, and told him all about the connections which he had with Germany. Hitler's feelings about the encounter are unknown, but King felt that it went very well:
     "My sizing up of the man as I sat and talked with him was that he is really one who truly loves his fellow-men, and his country, and would make any sacrifice for their good." (Diary, June 29, 1937) Hitler appeared to be "a man of deep sincerity and a genuine patriot." (Diary, June 29, 1937) King saw similarities between himself and Hitler, writing, "As I talked with him, I could not but think of Joan of Arc. He is distinctly a mystic .... He is a teetotaller and also a vegetarian; is unmarried, abstemist in all his habits and ways." (Diary, June 29, 1937)

     The important thing to take away from this event is that King ultimately praised Hitler's policies at the time (1937) and greatly admired him as a leader.

     Through an examination of Canadian immigration policy during the time , it can be said that King employed some of these shared beliefs in his own country's policies. When Jews began fleeing Europe to escape persecution, Canada's immigration policy regarding those of Jewish origin was that they belonged to a "Special Permit" group, which consisted of those people with the least desirable racial characteristics, making them least likely to fit into Canadian society and therefore a threat to Canadian culture. This policy was not changed due to the circumstances in Europe, and King even advocated for and defended it.

 

The SS St. Louis in Havana harbour

     This fact is exemplified in the case of the 1939 St. Louis Incident. On the morning of 13th May, the SS St. Louis departed for Havana, Cuba, from Hamburg, Germany with 937 Jewish refugees on board. It was the last chance for many of them to escape the concentration camps, and the plan was for them to live in Cuba until their names reached the quota list to enter the U.S. Previously, on 5th May, the Cuban president had closed the loophole allowing them to enter Cuba based on anti-Semitic sentiment, refusing to allow the passengers to disembark, and when the ship arrived anyway it was forced to remain in Havana's harbour as many groups tried to change the president's mind. At that time, the Germans used the case as leverage to prove that no nation wanted the Jews, therefore making it hypocritical for Germany to be criticized for the same thing.

     On 7th June, King was in Washington, and his response to the plight of the refugees was similar to that of America when he said that he was "emphatically opposed to the admission of the St. Louis passengers". Ultimately, the ship was denied from all ports and was forced to return to Hamburg. France, the UK, Belgium and Holland stepped in just before its return to admit shares of the refugees, but in the end only 240 of the 937 passengers survived the Holocaust. This tragic event put King's race-based immigration policy to the test and failed considerably on a moral level.

    As Canadians, it is difficult to imagine that something like this could be attributed to our famously kind and accepting nation, and we do not like to reflect upon this darker time in our history. Personally, I feel that events like this are crucial for showing us how far we have come as a nation since that time. I think that the best possible outcome of the St. Louis Crisis is that we can reflect on it today in 2015 and feel disbelief that it could ever have happened in the Canada we know. The best that we can do as people living in the legacy of these events is read about them, discuss them, never forget them, and continue to use them as lessons for the future.

     If you're still with me, I'd like to thank you so much! This is such an amazing outlet for me to share the things that I find interesting and/or am currently working on. I'm so lucky to be able to study what I love every day and be to able to share it with people who are also interested.
             Until next week,
            Delany Leitch



The Return of World War Wednesdays!

World War Wednesdays: Canada's Participation in the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games

The Canadian ski team offers the Olympic salute

     World War Wednesdays has returned! For the new segment of posts, I wanted to take a look at Canada and the Second World War from a chronological perspective through the exploration of different themes. This week, we'll start in 1936 at the summer Olympics hosted in Berlin, Germany-- commonly referred to as the 'Nazi Olympics'.

     Before we focus on Canada's participation in the games, we'll first discuss the nature of the event itself. It's important to note that Berlin had been decided as the host city two years before the Nazis came into power, but the Olympics ended up being the perfect platform for Hitler to show the world just how powerful Germany was. Forty-nine countries and their associated media would be represented at the Olympics, which provided a perfect scenario for the German Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels to showcase his country with an impressive technological system for coverage.

Statues created by Karl Albicker depicting the Aryan 'Master Race' Supermen of Germany

 The German athletes themselves trained full-time, which challenged the concept of an amateur competition. The vast Olympic stadium which held 100,000 spectators was completed on time for the event, as were the 150 other buildings. The anti-Semitic posters which had plastered Germany just before the games quickly disappeared in order to ensure that the games were a success and that no upsets were caused. On August 1st, 1936, the opening ceremonies were held, as seen below (Canada enters around 1:30):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GePNydI9gX4

 

 

     As the announcer mentions, the Olympic salute appears very similar to the Nazi salute. This fact did not go unnoticed by the participating countries, as can be seen by the entrances of Great Britain and the United States. Canada, however, decided to continue with the gesture, which created some controversy. It can be seen in the footage the way the crowd reacted to seeing Canada do this: the people erupt in cheers. The seemingly innocent gesture was perceived exactly the way it appears to us today- as a sign of Nazi sympathy- and the German onlookers misunderstand it to be just that. It is a haunting and eerie moment captured on film which is a symbol of things to come regarding the Canadian attitude towards Germany, which will be explored in subsequent posts.

     When the Nazis proclaimed the Nuremberg Laws in 1935 which stripped German Jews of their citizenship, there became a great deal of uncertainty as to whether or not countries who did not support the laws should boycott participation in the Olympics. When Great Britain decided against boycotting, Canada did the same. Ultimately, not one country boycotted the games, and the participation of 49 countries was the largest in Olympic history.

     It is fascinating to think about the Canadian athletes who travelled to Berlin that summer, saw Hitler in the stadium, and performed in front of thousands of Nazis and Nazi sympathizers. An interesting story is that of Irving "Toots" Meretsky, the only Jewish member of Canada's basketball team at a time when Canada was a leader in the game. A native of Windsor, Ontario, he visited a small Jewish community in Berlin while he was there, commenting that "it was obvious that they were all scared." But unlike some of his fellow Jewish athletes, he had decided to compete in the games as a sign that nothing was going to keep him from the Olympics. His bravery is just one of many examples of defiance displayed in the face of Germany during this remarkable event.

Irving "Toots" Meretsky, 1936

     If you are interested in seeing some more footage of the games, the Nazis ensured that much of it was captured on film through a state-of-the-art system of wired stadiums. Leni Riefenstahl, a favored film director, was given the contract to document the games in a way that glorified Germany and its athletes. The two-part documentary pioneered the way that sporting events are filmed to this day, and can be found on Youtube with English subtitles. Hearing O Canada played while Hitler is in view is an incredibly haunting thing to witness, and this film effectively captures the immense juxtaposition and tension that was the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics.

 

 

As part of the return of World War Wednesdays, I would like to do a Q&A post for anything that readers would like to know! Ask me anything via a comment on this post, on the Backus-Page House Facebook page, or via my personal Facebook Delany Leitch. I'd love to hear what you'd like to see in these posts or to clear up any questions!

   As always thanks for reading,

   Delany