Post on 28-Mar-2015
Canada Between the Wars
1919- 1939
Post War CanadaClosing of War Industries major effects such as high inflation, women returning to home, rising unemployment, increasing labour unrest
Winnipeg General Strike 1919 30 000 workers went on strike (demanded .85 cents per hour, 8 hour day, right to collective bargaining)Bloody Saturday; riots and violence led to 1 death and 30 injuriesLeaders arrested and sent to jail but more attention drawn to social and economic problems of workers
Prohibition & Bootleggingban of production, import and distribution of alcoholLed to bootleg booze- smuggled alcohol and speakeasies
Spanish FluMassive epidemic after veterans returned homeDeadly strain killing up to 100 million people; 50 000 Canadians
Social IssuesAboriginal Issues Policy of assimilation seen in the Indian Act
1867, creation of residential schools, and policy of enfranchisement (right to vote if give up Aboriginal status)
League of Indians- created in 1919 by Frederick Loft (Aboriginal war veteran) to make a united voice for Aboriginals
Immigration Xenophobia- intense dislike of foreigners 1919 Immigration Act- made all immigrants
pass an English literacy test (emphasis on assimilation)
1923- Chinese Exclusion Act: banned all Chinese immigrants except students, merchants and diplomats (from 1923- 1947- only 8 Chinese immigrants admitted to Canada)
Roaring Twenties
New Technologies & Movements
New technologies: radio, automobile, passenger planes
Ford Model T or “Tin Lizzie” was most affordable car ($395 in 1924) and was mass produced by assembly line
Ted Rogers: Canadian who invented the world’s first battery-less radio
Joseph Bombardier: Canadian who invented first snowmobile called “B-7” for medical transport in winter
Person’s Case: Famous Five campaigned that women should be considered “Persons” under Canadian Law; finally granted by Britain’s Privy Council and Cairine Wilson was first women appointed to the Senate
Entertainment & SportsAmericanization Huge influence of culture & influence from United States
Fads mahjong, crosswords, contests, dancing marathons
Fashions flappers, rising hemlines, bob haircut, knickers, bow ties
Entertainment: Jazz Age, Charleston dance “talkies” (talking movies) with stars Charlie Chaplin and
Canadian Mary Pickford “America’s Sweetheart”
Golden Age of Sports Famous amateur athletes such as Lionel Conacher, Bobbie
Rosenfeld played multiple sports Women in Sports: Edmonton Grads dominated basketball
for over 20 years but by 1930s competitive sports were considered “unfeminine”
Professional Sports: hockey (NHL) & Foster Hewitt’s call of Hockey Night and Canada; baseball
1920s EconomyECONOMIC PROSPERITY End of post war economic problems New inventions and mass production of
products fueled economy and employment High sales, high wages, high prices, high
production, high profits, high demand, low unemployment
Emergence of ‘branch plants’ in Canada
PLAYING THE STOCKMARKET Get rich quick scheme (buy low, sell high) Stock / share: a unit of ownership in a
company Price of share dependent on supply and
demand
CREDIT BUYING ‘credit buying’ of products (appliances)- buy
now, pay later ‘buying on margin’ of stocks
The Balloon Bursts: The Great Crash of 1929
HOW DID IT CRASH? Stocks were highly inflated or overpriced AND company assets were not
the same worth Investors became nervous as stock prices were becoming “too high” for
what it actually worth ‘Black Tuesday’: October 29, 1929: massive selling of stocks > panic sets
in > everyone selling As investors sold, prices of stocks plunged
EFFECTS Thousands of investors wiped out Banks demanded payment for loans but borrowers could not repay Many companies had borrowed money to finance expansion of companies
and had to shut down > rise in unemployment People had bought many stocks and items on credit- had nothing to pay
back; then banks would repossess items (ie. homes) People could not afford to buy clothes, food and other merchandise >
forcing more companies to go bankrupt and put more people out of work Trigger to the Great Depression- worst economic downturn in history
Background Causes of Great Depression
Similar to WWI, there were BACKGROUND CAUSES to the Depression:
1) Overexpansion & overproduction2) Canada’s Dependence on Staples
(wheat)3) Canada’s Dependence on United
States4) High Taxes decreased International
Trade5) Credit Buying6) Buying on Margin
The Dirty Thirties 1933- 1/3 of
people were out of work
Riding the rods Relief vouchers
or Pogey Relief Camps Dust Bowl Soup Kitchens Bennett
Buggies On to Ottawa
Trek & Regina Riot
Political ResponsesP.M. Mackenzie King Five Cent Speech 1930 re-elected 1935
P.M. R.B. Bennett elected 1930 proposed the New Deal
New Political Parties emerged to solve the
problems of the 1930s Social Credit- leader William
Aberhart Union Nationale- leader
Maurice Duplessis Co-operative Commonwealth
Federation (CCF)- leader J.S. Woodsworth
Promoting Canadian Identity Group of Seven Canadian Author’s
Association (1921) RCAF: Royal Canadian Air
Force (1924) Statute of Westminster
(1931) CRBC: Canadian Radio
Broadcasting Company (1933)
CBC: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (1936)
NFB: National Film Board (1939)
What brought the world out of the Great Depression?
World War II breaks out September 3, 1939
Canada declares war on Germany September 10, 1939
HOW?• war industries re-open• rise in employment• as more people get jobs,
people have $ to spend• businesses revived