2018 №4 (61) Article 4

E.S. Simonenko

SAMUEL HUGHES AND HIS CONCEPT OF THE IMPERIAL DEFENSE IN CANADA ON THE BRINK OF WORLD WAR I. P.P. 40-46.

UDC 971«1914»

The article focuses on Canadian contribution to the establishment of collective defense organized by the British Empire on the brink of World War I. The article traces the main stages of the Canadian Minister of Militia and Defense Samuel Hughes’ life and his military and political career, as well as the formation of his political worldview based on the concept of imperial defense. The article analyzes the key postulates of the concept of imperial defense, which rests on S. Hughes’ belief that citizen soldiers are better soldiers than professional soldiers (Canadian citizen soldiers participated in military conflicts defending the Empire) and his insistence on the necessity to increase Canadian military budget. The article centers on the idea of creating a low-budget citizen army based on the principle of compulsory military training for all military-age males. The article singles out the main stages of imperial defense during S. Hughes’ reign (the pre-ministerial one (the 1880s–1911) and the ministerial one (1911–1914) and provides a detailed description of each stage. Special attention is given to the methods used to implement the idea of imperial defense both during the pre-ministerial period (the popularization of the idea in the mass media, in the Parliament, discussion of the issue with military authorities) and after S. Hughes was assigned to the post of the Minister of Militia (the reformation of the Canadian Militia through the prism of imperial defense).

Dominion; citizen soldiers; Canada; Minister of Militia; Imperial Defense; Samuel Hughes

REFERENCES

 

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