Canadians could react in very different ways on the same situation, especially in war. Conscription for example. Many women at home felt that it was a good thing- forcing other women’s men to go fight in the war. Which, is understandable as they had lost men themselves and wanted others to feel their pain and sorrow. Others, felt that it was wrong to enforce conscription for the same reason- they had lost men and felt awful, they didn’t want others to feel that. War and Political officials typically felt that conscription was necessary, as the casualties and injuries were far exceeding the volunteers and actual soldiers. Like back home, the soldiers also held differing opinions on conscription. Many soldiers felt that other men should not be subjected to this- they all went in thinking it would be fun and thinking that they’ll get to see Europe, they were wrong and they didn’t want other men to fall into the same trap of be forced to go. Then there were other soldiers who shared the same opinions as the War officials and politicians- they wanted conscription. They were low on soldiers and as the number of casualties and wounded kept growing, they needed more and more reinforcements and didn’t care who they were. Seeing things from multiple perspectives shows how drastically different opinions can be, especially during wartime as it affects you in ways you wouldn’t think and sways your moral compass.
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