Booze, Temperance and Soldiers on the Home Front: The Unravelling of the Image of the Ideal Soldier: 1915-1916
Abstract
During the Great War, Canadians were swept up in the rhetoric of a Holy War. Leading theologians presented the First World War as the purifying agent that would cleanse Canada and the world from evil influences. All hope was put upon the citizen soldier, who became the embodiment of Christ in the ultimate fight between good and evil. In the collective psyche of Canadians, the soldier was cast as the mirror reflecting the moral character and aspirations of purity. The lived experiences of soldiers stationed in Calgary and Winnipeg are examined under the pressure of being publicly scrutinized with respect to their patterns of alcohol use. Alcohol became the central issue that galvanized various groups in solidarity to move towards Prohibition as the ultimate war measure. However, these efforts directly affected military recruitment. This dichotomy served to alienate the soldier and the reality of his experiences from the home front.
Description
Keywords
History--Modern, History--Canadian, History--Military, Military Studies
Citation
Wilson, F. (2016). Booze, Temperance and Soldiers on the Home Front: The Unravelling of the Image of the Ideal Soldier: 1915-1916 (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/25154