The Decline and Fall of Imperialism in Canada: A Cultural Analysis of the Great War.

摘要

This thesis is an analysis of imperialism as a cultural phenomenon in Canada. It attempts to account for the development of an evolving Canadian nationalism that was independent of imperial sentiment, and argues that this development was a result of Canada's experiences during the Great War.;The thesis is arranged chronologically, and focuses on three distinct cultural themes that affected the Canadian national narrative. Specifically it looks at how Canadians' perception of geography, both at home and abroad, was influenced by the war: how modernism impacted Canadian literature and cultural thought as a result of the war: and how a newly created mythos distorted pre-war Canadian historiography. Canadians increasingly believed that their nation was ready to stand on its own, independent of the British connection. Although some remained imperial nationalists, after the Great War, this worldview was increasingly seen as outmoded and at odds with the Canadian experience.