More handpicked essays just for you.
Essay on the great depression in canada
Essay on the great depression in canada
Crisis leadership literature review
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
William Lyon Mackenzie King was one of the greatest prime ministers in Canada, although he did not give a fascinating speech or had an exciting image and supported few radical policies . King’s opinions were very strong and would not be changed no matter what. No one could influence King and this was shown through his leadership during the Great Depression and the election in 1930.
When the Great Depression occurred right around 1930, William Lyon Mackenzie King and his government did not respond strongly . Although the depression was evidently obvious, King believed that the economic crisis was temporarily and only patience was needed to overcome it . It took a while for King to realize how the depression was affecting the politics . King believed that welfare was a provincial responsibility and no one else’s . During the depression, all provinces wanted to increase the tax in Ottawa, but he did not understand the concept of it since other provinces were going to use the tax for themselves. King thought that it was necessary for the provinces to take initiative and increase their taxes . As the depression hit rock bottom many Canadians were unemployed. As Canada was changing right in front of his eyes, King’s perspectives did not show change. In one of his speeches he declared, “I submit that there is not evidence in Canada today of an emergency situation which demands anything of that kind” . King did not face with depression in the most orderly matter but he was a great Liberal leader, he kept the Liberals together when the Conservatives were falling apart and new political parties were developed to compete for the votes . During the depression, King held an election that was one of the most important events that occurred in...
... middle of paper ...
..., he led Canada during the depression. King was an opinionated man, which led him to lose one of the most important elections where he held a speech, the “five-cent speech”. People could never impact King; this was both a strength and weakness for him, which had a huge effect during the 1930 election.
Works Cited
Duffy, John. Fights of Our Lives. Toronto: Harper Collins, 2002.
Horn, Michiel. Years of Despair 1929-1939. Century of Canada Series. Toronto: Grolier Limited, 1986.
Levine, Allan. King. Vancouver/Toronto: D&M Publishers, 2011.
Neatby, H. Blair. "King, William Lyon Mackenzie." Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Last modified 2005. Accessed September 25, 2013. http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/king_william_lyon_mackenzie_17E.html.
Quinlan, Don, Doug Baldwin, Rick Mahoney, and Kevin Reed. The Canadian Challenge. N.p.: Oxford University Press, 2008.
Steckley, J., & Cummins, B. D. (2008). Full circle: Canada's First Nations (2nd ed.). Toronto:
Louis St. Laurent managed to prevent the government and cabinet from collapsing, during one of Canada’s largest crises. He also helped assert Canada’s independence, by separating the influence of American culture, and providing more Canadian tradition. As well as succeeded in convincing Newfoundland to join confederation, after it failed to do so many times before. Overall there were many challenges to face during Louis St. Laurent’s years as a politician, however in the end he managed to maintain himself, succeeded in achieving many great accomplishments, and even created many historical moments for Canada along the way.
“Just watch me.”Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau said in 1970. He meant it as he fought to keep Quebec a part of Canada. Not only did he do that, he managed to be prime minister for 16 years, as well as being Canada’s youngest leader at the time. He brought greater civil rights to Canadians, Quebec citizens mainly. His charismatic personality matched his innovative ideas, that enhanced Canada for the better. For his entire political career, not only did Canada watch him, the whole world watched him change the country for the better. He made a radical change to Canada by championing the idea of officially implementing bilingualism. Trudeau was a trailblazer from the moment he was elected.
Pierre Elliot Trudeau was arguably one of the most vivacious and charismatic Prime Ministers Canada has ever seen. He wore capes, dated celebrities and always wore a red rose boutonniere. He looked like a superhero, and often acted like one too. Some of the landmark occurrences in Canadian history all happened during the Trudeau era, such as patriating the constitution, creating the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the 1980 Quebec Referendum. However, it is Trudeau’s 1969 “white paper” and the Calder legal challenge which many consider to be one of his most influential contributions to Canadian history.
Wilson, J. Bradely Cruxton and W. Douglas. Spotlight Canada Fourth Edition. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 2000.
On the day of October 29, 1929 the Great Depression had begun. This was due to the worth of the New York stock market falling intensely. The Great Depression was a time when Canadians suffered extraordinary levels of poverty due to unemployment. It shaped Canadian’s political views, and also their views about their country and role of the government. Canadians joined together in various new political parties, labor groups and other organizations that represented detailed regional, economic or political interest. Canadians scrambled through the crisis with a makeshift blend of private and public charity. Private Citizens in wealthier provinces recognized the dilemma of Saskatchewan and sent hundreds of carloads of fruit, vegetables and clothing westward. This showed that Canada is a crew of kind and supportive individuals.
The prime minister at that time, Mackenzie King, was unprepared to deal with the crisis at hand. His thoughts were that the depression was only a fluke, and that given time, the economy would prosper once more. King never answered the pleas for aid by his citizens, and told ...
Notable role models were born out of this war for Canadians. Sir Isaac Brock was a prominent figure. He was “Commander of Forces in Upper Canada” and later added Administrator to his title. Being engulfed by politics proved too much for Brock, who left to join forces in the march upon Detroit (August 1812). He led troops to victory here, but lost his life in the Battle of Queenston Heights in October 1812. To this day, Brock is well renowned throughout Canada as a fearless leader and important to the history of the country. Another...
Between 1900 and 1929, Canada had the world’s fastest growing economy with only a sharp but brief recession during world war one. The 1920’s had been a successful period of growth. The living standards were improving remarkably. Before the First World War, the American stock market was small and a relatively unimportant part of Canada’s economy. This suddenly changed bringing the onset of the great depression in the late 1920’s when the economy took a severe and devastating turn; affecting the lives of Canadians for nearly a decade.
Canada has had many different primeministers, some of which were leaders and were able to guide our country through hard and tough times. One man who comes to mind when you say that he has gone through some of Canada's toughest times is William Lyon Mackenzie King, Canada's 10th primeminister. From 1921 to 1948, King guided Canada thorugh some of the greatest challenges the world and our country has ever faced. King was always concerned about the world around him and would always listen to his nations views and opinions they might have and help the best way he could. William Lyon Mackenzie King's contributions helped shape Canada to what it is today.
Newman, Garfield et al. Canada A Nation Unfolding. Toronto: Mc Graw – Hill Ryerson Limited, 2000.
Thompson, John Herd, and Mark Paul Richard. "Canadian History in North American Context." In Canadian studies in the new millennium. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008. 37-64.
Canadians were frustrating, wonderful, and hard. Soldiers returning from the war expected jobs, but were faced with unemployment, inflation and strikes. Inflation had doubled the cost of living where wages had not and those fortunate to be employed still faced immense financial difficulty. Many people joined unions for better pay and working conditions, 1919 saw the most strikes at a staggering three hundred and six, people were angry and discontented. The 1920s were a time of crime corruption and extreme poverty, yet by mid era difficult conditions began to improve. Foreign investors gained confidence in Canada and as a result new industries were developed, The twenties really did 'roar' and with this boom of change Canada underwent the transformation that was the gateway to the future.
As a prime minister, Jean Chretien possessed superior political instincts, which helped him stay a member of parliament for forty years. Chretien also often appeared at Liberal fundraising events. He showed outrageous political experiences in terms of pursuing popular policies for the public, and running campaigns. One of his constants was his ability to speak to the public, sometimes blending English and French to connect with his audience. Although Chretien failed in his first bid for the leadership of the liberal party against John Turner in 1984, this did not cause him to give up. Chretien ran for leadership once again in 1990, and this time he won.
... Ed. W. Gordon West and Ruth Morris. Toronto, Canada: A Canadian Scholar? Press, 2000.