Militia Myth Summary

The central concept of Militia Myths: Ideas of the Canadian Citizen Soldier, 1896-1921 is there was a mythic superiority of volunteer militias as opposed to standing armies of professional soldiers. From the late nineteenth century to the early twentieth century this was a popular belief in Canada. This belief is referred to in the book as the “militia myth” hence the title of the book.
According to Militia Myths this mentality has traditionally been historically traced to the War of 1812. However it is shown that Canadian support for citizen soldiers as opposed to standing armies with professional soldiers goes back much further than the War of 1812. Support for citizen soldiers in Canada resulted from prior established English military traditions …show more content…
The settlers that went to North America brought support of militias with them. In North America by the late nineteenth century the Seven Years War, The United States Revolution against Britain, the War of 1812, and the American Civil War had furthered the militia myth. These armed conflicts had proven the supposed sufficiency of temporary citizen soldiers as defense forces. There was some pushback against the militia myth mentality in Canada. Officers of the Canadian Permanent Force, officers of the British Army, and officers of the Canadian Militia opposed the idea that partially trained citizens would be adequate military forces to be relied upon in the event of armed conflict that necessitated the armed defense of Canada. Members of these groups proposed a third option for Canadian defense that would solve the problem of questions of adequacy of training and avoid the opposition to standing armies with professional soldiers. Major General Sir Edward Thomas Henry Hutton who was an imperial officer sent to command the Canadian Militia proposed an army model for Canada that would replicate the Swiss

Show More

Related Documents: Militia Myth Summary

Gun Control vs. Gun Rights Essay