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A Military History of Canada
Updated to 2007, including Canada’s war on terrorism.
Is Canada really “a peaceable kingdom” with “an unmilitary people”? Nonsense, says Desmond Morton. This is a country that has been shaped, divided, and transformed by war — there is no greater influence in Canadian history, recent or remote.
From the shrewd tactics of Canada’s First Nations to our troubled involvement in Somalia, from the Plains of Abraham to the deserts of Afghanistan, Morton examines our centuries-old relationship to war and its consequences. This updated edition also includes a new chapter on Canada’s place in the war on terrorism.
A Military History of Canada is an engaging and informative chronicle of Canada at war, from one of the country’s finest historians.
Is Canada really “a peaceable kingdom” with “an unmilitary people”? Nonsense, says Desmond Morton. This is a country that has been shaped, divided, and transformed by war — there is no greater influence in Canadian history, recent or remote.
From the shrewd tactics of Canada’s First Nations to our troubled involvement in Somalia, from the Plains of Abraham to the deserts of Afghanistan, Morton examines our centuries-old relationship to war and its consequences. This updated edition also includes a new chapter on Canada’s place in the war on terrorism.
A Military History of Canada is an engaging and informative chronicle of Canada at war, from one of the country’s finest historians.
369 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1985
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 14, 2020
A good review of Canada’s military history. As expected the World war sections are valuable details on Canada’s major involvement. (Vimy ridge, battle of Normandy etc) Interesting to understand also the Boer war as the new dominion of Canada 1st became involved in world events. Other tid bits that filled in my knowledge were the North West campaign of 1885 / Lois Riel affair , 1950 2nd Princess Patricia battalion in Kapyong Valley in the Korean War.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 22, 2025
This book, at only 350 pages, attempts to cover 4 centuries of Canadian military history; detail is necessarily sacrificed as a result. This is not necessarily a problem, if you're looking for an overview or introduction to the highlights of the topic. This book is very good at supplying this overview.
Having said that, the average armchair historian may find the lack of detail frustrating, especially in areas where lots has already been written, e.g., the War of 1812 and both World Wars. This is balanced by an overarching view of the whole of Canadian history, linking themes and observing the evolution over the course of several hundred years. For me, the interwar years were the most interesting because I've focused on detailed histories of particular events in my past readings. The post-WWII chapters are especially interesting and informative, and contain the most insightful analyses in the book. There are several pages of good pictures. It's always nice to put a face to the people involved. However, the maps are generally not detailed enough to be useful, mostly overviews of the general lines of advance of the army, for instance.
But ultimately, I can only award three stars. The title of the book is a bit misleading - perhaps it should be "A History of the Military of Canada" instead. Much more coverage is given to military organisation, conscription debates, etc. than are given to actual operations. I feel there should have been a better balance between these two broad areas. Even as an overview book, it could have stood to be 50-100 pages longer to flesh out the operational side.
In summary, this is a very good book if you are looking for an overview of the subject. It lacks detail, as expected for its length, but this is compensated for by drawing together themes from widely separated events. The major drawback is its emphasis on the organisational side to the expense of the operational.
Having said that, the average armchair historian may find the lack of detail frustrating, especially in areas where lots has already been written, e.g., the War of 1812 and both World Wars. This is balanced by an overarching view of the whole of Canadian history, linking themes and observing the evolution over the course of several hundred years. For me, the interwar years were the most interesting because I've focused on detailed histories of particular events in my past readings. The post-WWII chapters are especially interesting and informative, and contain the most insightful analyses in the book. There are several pages of good pictures. It's always nice to put a face to the people involved. However, the maps are generally not detailed enough to be useful, mostly overviews of the general lines of advance of the army, for instance.
But ultimately, I can only award three stars. The title of the book is a bit misleading - perhaps it should be "A History of the Military of Canada" instead. Much more coverage is given to military organisation, conscription debates, etc. than are given to actual operations. I feel there should have been a better balance between these two broad areas. Even as an overview book, it could have stood to be 50-100 pages longer to flesh out the operational side.
In summary, this is a very good book if you are looking for an overview of the subject. It lacks detail, as expected for its length, but this is compensated for by drawing together themes from widely separated events. The major drawback is its emphasis on the organisational side to the expense of the operational.
September 29, 2016
Yes, Canada does have a military history. They repelled US invasions in 1812-1814, and for a long time faced the problem, with their British imperial friends, of defending a near-indefensible border against a rapaciously expanding United States.
They were also invaluable in the Allied cause in both World Wars. There also were various expeditions and Natives, Metis, and Quebec separatists. Amidst all of that, they had to sort out how to maintain a military force, mostly of militia, on limited resources.
It was an interesting look at a subject not much covered in the United States (which is weird, given the closeness of US-Canadian relations), and it makes me wish that books on Canadian subjects were better available south of the border.
They were also invaluable in the Allied cause in both World Wars. There also were various expeditions and Natives, Metis, and Quebec separatists. Amidst all of that, they had to sort out how to maintain a military force, mostly of militia, on limited resources.
It was an interesting look at a subject not much covered in the United States (which is weird, given the closeness of US-Canadian relations), and it makes me wish that books on Canadian subjects were better available south of the border.
December 12, 2011
This is a fact-filled, concise compilation of Canada's military history. It's easy to read, though the author clearly requires the reader to have some rudimentary history knowledge. For example, you must already know who certain prime ministers, public figures, generals etc. are because their backgrounds are not explained in this book. Rather, Morton hits the high notes and tells you why this person was important, what he contributed...
December 11, 2014
I've read several of Morton's books and respect him as a historian, but the font and formatting choices of this editing made it too difficult to digest.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews