Good Times in Canada as the Roaring Twenties
"The Roaring Twenties" is an accurate label to describe the mood of
most Canadians in the twenties. During a decade of growth and
prosperity, women were furthering their education and participating in
activities previously enjoyed only by men. Canada's economy
experienced a boom and many workers had more money for luxuries.
People all over Canada were exploring alternative lifestyles aimed
more towards independence and fun.
Women of the twenties were bold and assertive. They had proved to
themselves during World War I that they could do the same jobs as men,
and as the twenties progressed, their determination to be equal
members of society grew. In the early twenties organized sports,
athletic clubs and school teams became popular with women across the
country. Women in sports were applauded not only by women, but by men
too. It was not uncommon for the spectators at women's sports to
outnumber those at men's games. Women also started to consider
education after high school, and enrolment of women in universities
and colleges began to rise. They pursued more challenging career
opportunities and exhibited new behaviours like smoking and wearing
short skirts that were not always socially acceptable.
By the mid-twenties, the economy had recovered from the trough it had
fallen into during the war. Countries all over the world were
prospering and once again buying goods from Canada. Demand rose for
most of Canada's raw materials, including wheat, lumber, nickel, zinc,
and copper. Canada's automobile industry exploded to be the fourth
largest in the country because Canadians now had extra money to spend
on things like cars. Industrial areas expanded, and cities began to
specialize in specific industries: Windsor in automobiles and
automotive parts, Hamilton in steel, Kitchener in rubber materials and
furniture. All these new industries made thousands of jobs available
for unemployed Canadians.
Everyday life for citizens in Canada was changing. Their steady
paychecks allowed them to purchase new products. Radios, irons,
toasters and record players made household tasks easy and fun.
Canada became increasingly autonomous throughout the 1920's and 1930's. Being established officially as a nation apart from Britain certainly helped, but there were more than just official pieces of paper at play. The negotiation of the Halibut treaty was a large push towards become an autonomous nation from Britain. The final push were the seats Canada was given at various significant events.
Overall, the Great depression was a hard time for most Canadians, and the concept of unemployment insurance brought Canada to the world wide stage. Whether it is Prime Ministers opening relief programs, events which supported the upbringing of our country, the inventions which boosted our economy in giving us more trade, or the Depression in general, the whole period of time starting from the market crash to revival was the event which Canada showed the world that we are strong and not easily crushed. Therefore, the key event in this decade is the Great Depression and the acts towards it.
Before the war, Canada’s most important sector in its economy was agriculture. However, this was changing drastically after and during the war as industry began to take over as being more important. Canadian production of war material, food supplies, and raw materials had been crucial during the war. After the war, it was only natural that big investments were being made in mining, production, transportation, and services industries. Canadian cities were becoming very important contributors to the economy. This was also bringing in waves of post-war immigration, the backbone of Canada’s multicultural society we know today.
... the American economy for trade rather than their own country. The shift to a national highway in Canada supported trade and the economy in giving motorists the ability to travel through Canada without having to leave like which had to be done in previous years.
This aspect was something which Canadians should still be proud of to this day due to the growing number of inventions. New technologies greatly shaped the look of Canadian culture (Bain et al, 219). Canada was beginning to be recognized around the world for their identity as a country with new products (Bain et al, 219). A few of the products included radios, record players, cars, and many other forms of technology (Bain et al, 219). Especially in the 1950’s, Canadians fell in love with cars, buying 3.5 million of them during that year (Bain et al. 217). By the end of the 1950’s, 66% of families owned a car, with 10% owning more than one (Armstrong et al,137). This led to families being expected to take a yearly vacation (Bain et al. 216). This meant that local businesses like hotels, and stores were also benefitting from this cause as more people were visiting their businesses. All these new items made Canadians happy and they also massively contributed to the economy. Many Canadians bought new homes as well which came along with flooring, appliances, furnitures and televisions (Armstrong et al. 136). It was evident that Canada was beginning to become a modern, urbanized country with the addition of housing. Televisions also played a big role in the development of Canadians. The first television set appeared in 1952, and by the end of the 1950’s, 90% of Canadians owned a TV (Armstrong et al. 137).
The Great Depression was a terrible point in Canadian history, and for most of the world. It was a point in time where thousands of people lost their jobs, and even lost their homes because of the depressed economy. Business was booming in the early 1920s, but when companies tried to expand, and therefore issued stocks, the economy was thrown off. Some investors sold their stocks for high prices, and as a result, everyone else followed. With less of a demand, stock prices became fractions of what they used to be, and on October 29, 1929, the New York Stock Exchange collapsed, followed by the Toronto and Montreal Stock exchanges. This collapse of the stock markets caused a depression like which the world had never seen before. It was important for governments to find methods to deal with the depression, but the Canadian government wasn't very successful in its attempts to deal with the Great Depression.
The economic progress Canada made after the war lead to the growth of the country. New industries emerged from innovations of products like automobiles, radios, television, digital computers and electric typewriters (Aitken et al., 315). Canadians quickly adapted back to the “buy now, pay later” strategy rather than careful budgeting during the Great Depression (Liverant). Almost everything that Canadians did was influenced from new inventions; television was the most influential. Canadians conversations, humour, and lifestyle were influenced from television (Aitken et al., 315). Trade relations between the United States and Canada had become more efficient due to the St. Lawrence Seaway. The mass development of the St. Lawrence Seaway, in 1954, was to provide a large wate...
The 1920s was a time of conservatism and it was a time of great social change. From the world of fashion to the world of politics, forces clashed to produce the most explosive decade of the century. It was the age of prohibition, it was the age of prosperity, and it was the age of downfall.
The start of the war era came on the heels of a decade when women had seemingly taken a step backward in social and economic progress. The depression of the 1930's had devastated the American economy. Women, especially married women, had bore the largest share of the burden. To help male workers get back on the job, national leaders called for married women in two-income families to give up their jobs. Several states had passed laws barring women from holding state jobs.
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.
The Jazz Age which is also referred to as the Roaring Twenties began after World War I took place and lasted until 1929, when the Great Depression began. The 1920s opened up a world of change to Americans; some did not approve and others, especially those in the big cities, celebrated with music and dance every day. There were numerous inventions that were being created throughout the 1920s and because of nationwide advertisement; people all over America were able to buy all the same stuff as one another. But unfortunately, times were different for those that lived in Colorado.
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.
The 1920s in America, known as the "Roaring Twenties", was a time of celebration after a devastating war. It was a period of time in America characterised by prosperity and optimism. There was a general feeling of discontinuity associated with modernity and a break with traditions.
The Great Depression was not just a little event in history, hence the word “great”, but a major economical setback that would change Canada, and the world, forever. The word “great” may not mean the same thing it does now; an example of this is the ‘Great’ War. These events were not ‘good’ or ‘accomplishing’ in any way, quite the opposite, but in those times it most likely meant ‘big’. What made it big are many factors, both in the 20’s and 30’s, which can be categorized into three main points: economics, politics and society. With all these events, compressed into ten years, this period of economic hardship of the 1930’s truly deserves the title the “Great Depression”.
The entertainment individuals involve themselves in may not always be the best decision even if there is prize money involved. The roaring 20’s was a time of great prosperity for most people, but not so much for the farmers. This was due to agriculture not being a high demand job, since machinery was beginning to take their place. With all kinds of inventions arousing, everyone wanted to partake in each and every item or event to keep themselves entertained. One form of entertainment that came upon the 20’s was the dance marathons. Dance marathons had a great impact on society which includes its history, the desperation within people to win, and the opposition against these marathons.