Comparative Article Review: The Great Depression

Two articles written about the Great Depression, one by James Struthers and the other by John Manley, each article takes a different view on the depression. One is looking exclusively at the politics and the other looking a public organizations and party formations, each showing a fear of foreign ideals. All of this would shape the way in which the working and middle class would look at and provide input into future governments.

Let’s look at the differences first, James Struthers you can see by title alone that this article is on the unemployment policy and will look at the government and the Prime ministers of the 1930’s. John Manley article you can see by the title that you will be looking at reforms and different organizations that were formed in 1929-1939 and the fears of communism that came with all th3ese organizations. Just by looking here you can see that each article yes looks that the same time period but John Manley looks at the great depression a bit earlier than James Struthers.

Going into the article as you read the opening paragraphs you get a feel for the overall argument which is too restated within the closing paragraphs as well. So with in James Struthers article the reoccurring theme that seems to be the central argument is the fact that both the R.B. Bennett and Mackenzie King governments refusal to provide and help with unemployment insurance was due to both thinking it would make the people reliant on the government, and that people needed to tighten their belts. With John Manley the reoccurring theme is the Communist Party of Canada and the movements and followers that come with it and the focus on obtaining some sort of employment insurance and support for those who were or have become unemplo...

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...CPC and their affiliation along with the general population would the shape the way in which the working and middle class would look at and provide input into future governments. One article looks exclusively at the politics and the other article looks at CPC organizations, and each shows a fear and acceptance of foreign ideals. Two articles written about the Great Depression, one by James Struthers and the other by John Manley, each takes a different view on the depression, and each goes hand in hand.

Bibliography

Struthers James. Canadian Unemployment Policy in the 1930’s: Readings in Canadian History Post- Confederation. Toronto: Thomson Nelson, 2006.

Manley John. ‘Starve, Be Damned!’: Communists and Canada’s Urban Unemployed, 1929-39: Labouring Canada Class, Gender, and race in Canadian Working-Class History. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 2008.