The end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century brought an increasing struggle between Canadian nationalists and imperialists. While the imperialists thought Canada should keep strong ties with Britain, the nationalists thought Canadians should work to build their own country. When the First World War began, Canadians joined the war automatically as a member of the British Empire-but their contribution was to bring about the very independence from Britain the nationalists wanted. In this book you will read about Canada's participation in World War I, and how Canadian soldiers, fighting together at Vimy Ridge, changed the world's perception of Canada. You will learn about the horrors of war and discover how a stronger Canadian identity grew out of the battlefields of Europe. You will see how the war affected the growing Canadian labor movement and how women finally gained the right to vote.how a greater independence was gained on several fronts. Book jacket.