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Immediate causes of the Winnipeg general strike
Immediate causes of the Winnipeg general strike
Essay paper on the winnipeg general strike 1919
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The conflict over living conditions in Canada has been ongoing. Perhaps Canada’s most forceful movement towards change was the Winnipeg General Strike, during the summer of 1919. The strike was caused by the working class’ desire to rise out of poverty. The government hastily tried to suppress the strike by deporting the strike leaders, using gunfire to disperse crowds, and eventually ‘punishing’ the people by dismissing them from their jobs. The Winnipeg General Strike was ultimately detrimental to the wellbeing of working class Winnipeggers due to the government’s infringement of democratic ideals. On June 6, 1919, after over a month of striking in Winnipeg, the federal government amended the Immigration Act “[allowing] officials to deport any alien or Canadian citizen not born in Canada for advocating the overthrow of the government by force.”1 Canada, as a democratic country, was/is based upon the idea of allowing the people to influence the decisions that impact their own lives2. However, the government’s eventual decision to deport strikers and strike leaders displayed a lack of adherence and respect for the democratic system. The government contradicted itself as a democracy by ignoring the people instead of intervening to reach a peaceful and fair solution. The government overturned the political freedom3 it was meant to promote and foster by threatening to deport anyone who opposed the status quo. Looking at the amendment carefully will reveal that the changes to the Immigration Act only allowed the deportation of ‘aliens’ and immigrant citizens, but not ‘true Canadians’. This particular change in the Immigration Act displayed bias towards foreigners. Although not on the government’s mind, this was extremely... ... middle of paper ... ...sary of the Winnipeg General Strike." In Defence of Marxism. 28 May 2009. Web. 21 May 2011. 23 Grant, Alex. "Canada: 90th Anniversary of the Winnipeg General Strike." In Defence of Marxism. 28 May 2009. Web. 21 May 2011. 24 Grant, Alex. "Canada: 90th Anniversary of the Winnipeg General Strike." In Defence of Marxism. 28 May 2009. Web. 21 May 2011. 25 Grant, Alex. "Canada: 90th Anniversary of the Winnipeg General Strike." In Defence of Marxism. 28 May 2009. Web. 21 May 2011. 26 "Winnipeg General Strike." The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica-Dominion. Web. 11 May 2011. 27 Powell, John. "Winnipeg General Strike." Encyclopedia of North American Immigration. Facts On File, 2005. American History Online. Web. 7 May 2011. 28 Grant, Alex. "Canada: 90th Anniversary of the Winnipeg General Strike." In Defence of Marxism. 28 May 2009. Web. 21 May 2011.
Before the General Strike, the Canadian government was fully invested in WWI, whereas most Canadian citizens were not; the dissonance urged industrial workers to unionize. From the beginning of Canada’s involvement in the Great War, their industrial complex mass-produced supplies and armaments for the Allied Powers. Most Canadian citizens had no qualms with the shift in the job market until there were not enough workers to produce the basic material goods necessary within Canada’s borders. The citizens began to form groups, seemingly in opposition of the government and its advocacy for war. To the Canadian government, this was incredibly concerning, presenting the possi...
In 1919 there were no regulations against the protesters. They made a Criminal code that the government had the permission to arrest and deport anyone who was the threat to the country. As a result, protesters were beaten, arrested and deported by the country. After the “Bloody Saturday” where 30 people were injured and 2 were killed, the laws were starting to change such as “police cannot arrest a peaceful protester,” There were more rights given to the protesters and even the for individuals who are not related to protest. Also from this event, Collective Bargaining method was discussed and finally used 20 years later of the incident. It took over a long time to reach the modern protest and a labour law, but without the strike, people living in modern Canada would be
In the year 1957, Canada elected its first Prime minister without English or French root, John Diefenbaker. While growing up in the city of Toronto, because of his German name, he was often teased. [1] He grew up as an outcast, and so he was able to relate to the discrimination and inequality many of the minorities in Canada felt. This essay will attempt to answer the question: To what extent did Prime Minister John Diefenbaker help promote equality to the minority communities. . The minorities in this time period were the women, aboriginals, and immigrants. During his time as the Prime Minister, he was able to help protect the rights of this group because many of their rights were being abused by the society. Diefenbaker also helped the minorities to stand up for themselves and other groups. Diefenbaker was able to bring positive change to the minority communities by making an official Bill of Rights and appointing people of discriminated groups to the parliament while other members did not.
The Winnipeg General Strike was one of the largest strikes in Canadian history. Over thirty thousand workers and World War 1 veterans joined in solidarity to obtain the right for collective bargaining. This massive strike paralyzed the city of Winnipeg, even as capitalists insisted everything was normal. Business owners and government officials scrambled to find volunteers and “scabs” to fill in the countless empty positions. Despite all that, the strike failed. Their leaders were imprisoned or deported. How did a strike that was supported by the majority of the working class and World War 1 Veterans fail? To begin to contextualize this historical event, the general environment of fear and paranoia later labeled as the Red Scare must be explored.
A strike is a refusal to work organized by a body of employees as a form of protest, typically in an attempt to gain a concession or concessions from their employer. (www.dictionary.com) Although many Canadian companies had enjoyed enormous profits on World War I contracts, wages and working conditions were dismal and labour regulations were mostly non-existent. There were a lot of changes before and after the strike which effected Canada globally, socially, and economically. The following essay will demonstrate how in all of Canadian history, with Labour Union Movements and protest against the employers, the Winnipeg General Strike was one of the most explosive and meaningful of all previously recorded general strikes throughout Canadian history.
Within the analyzation of immediate social reform in Canada, it is important to highlight the perspectives of Canadians during the Depression, hence the value of “The Dirty Thirties”, a collection of primary documents. It is noteworthy to acknowledge The League for Social Reconstruction’s statement as their priority was to establish
Marxism, or Scientific Socialism, is the name given to the assemblage of thoughts initially worked out by Karl Marx (1818-1883) and Friedrich Engels (1820-1895). In their totality, these thoughts give a completely worked-out hypothetical reason for the battle of the regular workers to accomplish a higher type of human culture - communism. While the originations of Marxism have been in this way created and enhanced by the verifiable experience of the common laborers itself, the crucial thoughts stay unshaken, giving a firm establishment to the Labor Movement today. Neither some time recently, nor since the lifetime of Marx and Engels have any unrivaled, more honest or logical hypotheses been progressed to clarify the development of society
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.
Boyer, George R. "The Historical Background of the Communist Manifesto." Journal of Economic Perspectives. N.p., 1998. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.
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.
Marx states that the bourgeoisie not only took advantage of the proletariat through a horrible ratio of wages to labor, but also through other atrocities; he claims that it was common pract...
Kelley, Ninette, and Michael J. Trebilcock. The Making of the Mosaic: a History of Canadian Immigration Policy. University of Toronto Press, 2010.
Canadian soldiers who came back from war found that jobs are scarce and prices hikes left wages far behind. Inspired by the success of Russian Revolution and the rising in industrial unionism fueled labour unrest in the country. The Winnipeg General Strike in 1919, is the most famous and influential strikes in Canadian labour movement history. The aggressive and militarized response of the Canadian government was justified by the fear of a start of Bolshevik revolution in Winnipeg.
Taylor, Christopher L. "The Balancing Act: Economic Determinism and Humanism in Marxism." Thesis. University of Waterloo, 2007. Print.
Rinehart, James W. "Alienation and the Development of Industrial Capitalism in Canada." Solutions to Alienated Labour." The Tyranny of Work. Toronto: Harcourt Brace, 1996 pp.23-60, 153-156