End of WWII

Eric McGeer

Eric McGeer is a teacher and writer living in Toronto. Originally a specialist in Byzantine history, he was so moved by a visit to the Canadian battlefields of the First and Second World Wars that he shifted his focus to Canada’s military past. He has published guidebooks to the Canadian battlefields in Italy, and several books and articles on the commemoration of Canada’s fallen. His most recent book, a history of the University of Toronto Contingent of the Canadian Officers Training Corps, is due for publication in the fall of 2018.

End of WWII

The centenary of the Armistice prompts reflections on the significance of the First World War and its effect on Canada. While deeply proud of the contribution of Canada’s soldiers to the final victory, Canadians had paid a high price and in the years afterwards were left to find meaning and purpose in the war’s terrible cost. This lecture will explore Canadian reactions to the Armistice and the ways in which people of a very different day and age reconciled themselves to a tragedy of unprecedented scale. The passage of time since the Armistice gives us a longer perspective on the war, but it can also distort our understanding of it — how can we enter the minds of contemporaries and measure the effects of the war on those who felt its impact most directly and lastingly.

 This event is part of the Fall 2018 Speaker series.