History Commons^™

Royal Army, Fascist Empire: The Regio Esercito On Occupation Duty, 1936–1943, Nicolas G. Virtue

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Italy’s invasion of Ethiopia in 1935 ushered in a new imperial phase that aimed to radicalize Italian Fascism at home and abroad. But the military commanders entrusted with conquering and pacifying Fascism’s imperial dominion, and moulding the Fascist “new man” through war, belonged to a conservative monarchist institution with ambiguous ties to Mussolini’s regime. This dissertation explores the relationship between the Royal Italian Army and Fascist empire-building in Africa and Europe, focusing on the Italian military occupation of Ethiopia from 1936 to 1941 and of Yugoslavia from 1941 to 1943. Drawing on ministerial, gubernatorial, division, corps, and army-level archival material, …

An Army Of Never-Ending Strength: The Reinforcement Of The Canadian Army 1944-1945, Arthur Willoughby Gullachsen

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Abstract: “An Army of Never Ending Strength: The Reinforcement and of the Canadian Army 1944-1945”

This dissertation is a study of the Canadian Army’s ability to reconstitute battalion sized combat arms regiments (armour, infantry and artillery) during the last year of the Second World War in North West Europe. The central thesis argues that in combination with tactical and strategic strengths, the Canadian Army Overseas was effective at rebuilding units that had suffered severe personnel and equipment losses in combat. This ability to sustain the strength of its combat units was vitally important in maintaining their offensive capability. Units that …

And The Men Returned: Canadian Veterans And The Aftermath Of The Great War, Jonathan Scotland

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The Great War was a formative event for men who came of age between 1914 and 1918. They believed the experience forged them into a distinct generation. This collective identification more than shaped a sense of self; it influenced understanding of the conflict’s meaning. Canadian historians, however, have overlooked the war’s generational impact, partly because they reject notions of a disillusioned Lost Generation. Unlike European or American youths, it is argued that Canadian veterans did not suffer postwar disillusionment. Rather, they embraced the war alongside a renewed Canadian nationalism. This generation was proud of their nation’s wartime achievements, notably those …

Peace Dividend: The War Assets Corporation And The Disposal Of Canada's Munitions And Supplies, 1943-1948, Alex Souchen

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation is the first full-length study to explore how the Canadian government and military disposed of surplus munitions and supplies after the Second World War. By investigating how the state planned and implemented its disposal program from 1943 to 1948, this thesis places objects at the centre of attention and demonstrates their profound political, social, and economic significance. By examining the extended social lives of munitions and supplies in relationship to their postwar impact on civilian life, this study offers a new and innovative perspective that links material culture with postwar reconstruction, rehabilitation, and demobilization. What follows is a …