CANADA BETWEEN THE WARS1919- 1939

Closing 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

Aboriginal 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: radio, vacuum cleaners, automobile, passenger planes

Ford Model T or “Tin Lizzie” was most affordable car ($395 in 1924) and was mass produced by assembly line

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

Americanization

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

ECONOMIC 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

STOCK MARKET 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

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 stocks on Margin

THE DIRTY THIRTIES

1933- 1/3 of people were out of work

Riding the rods

Relief vouchers

Relief Camps

Dust Bowl

Soup Kitchens

Bennett Buggies

On to Ottawa Trek