In the 1920 's just after World War 1, Canada experienced economic prosperity but a decade later it would all come crashing down. This decade was known as the Great Depression. During the period of the Great Depression, Canada underwent two political regimes which still didn 't help the country get out of the Depression. What makes this more interestingly is that the two regimes were at the opposite ends of the Canadian political spectrum yet neither parties had a clear framework for lifting Canada out of the Depression. The decade preceding the Great Depression was a time of economic prosperity for Canada. It was also known as "The Roaring Twenties." Due to a boom of Canadian exports and by the growth of major industries, of which the most …show more content…
Bennett and Mackenzie King who offered their solutions in solving this situation. Many others had their own ideas. In the West side of Canada, two parties emerged as major political force. It was the Social Credit Party in Alberta and the socialist Co-operative Commonwealth Federation in Saskatchewan. William Aberhart, leader of the Social Credit Party, believed the cause of the Great Depression was because people did not have enough money to buy goods and services. His solution was to give twenty-five dollars per month to every citizens. In addition, J.S. Woodsworth, leader of the socialist Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, believed in capitalism failed the people during the Great Depression and that government should take more actions than that. His solution was to implement policies such as free medical care, unemployment insurance, and old age pensions. In Quebec, the Great Depression also added another nationalist view, as business were dominated by English-speakers, wage earners were French. This problem of unemployment in Quebec also became a cultural problem, and in 1936, the Depression would eventually led the Union Nationale and its leader Maurice Duplessis to power. He blamed the Great Depression on the fact as Quebec 's industries were owned by Americans and English-speaking Canadians. And so, when he was elected as the 16th Premier of Quebec, he took more control over their
Hollingsworth and Tyyska discuss the employment of women in their article, both wage work and work performed outside of the “paid labour force.” (14). They also look at work discrimination of women based on gender and marital status. They argue that disapproval of married women working for wages during the Depression was expressed not only by those in position of power, such as politicians, but also by the general public and labour unions. They suggest that the number of women in the workforce increased as more young wives stayed working until the birth of their first child and older women entered the workforce in response to depression based deprivation. Hollingsworth and Tyyska also give examples of work that married women did that was an extension of their domestic duties such as babysitting for working mothers or taking in laundry. They also state that some women took in boarders, sold extra produce from gardens, or ran make-shift restaurant operations out of their homes.
During the Great Depression of the 1930's, Canada's Prairie provinces suffered more than any other area in Canada. This time frame brought for the farmers many years of droughts and grasshopper plagues, as each year got worse without any rainfall whatsoever. The impact of the Great Depression on the Prairie provinces was devastating and it's impact on the region was social, political and economical. During this period unemployment reached high levels, prices of products were falling and purchasing power was getting very weak. To try to help out unemployed people, mostly men, the government introduced relief camps.
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.
Even though Aberhart’s plan was not put into action, there were many others like him whose voiced opinions and ideas encouraged the end of the depression. William Lyon MacKenzie King was a main contributor towards leading Canada out of the depression. When the depression started, King was still in the position of Prime Minister;
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 Great Depression of the 1930's is a benchmark for all depressions and recessions in the past and in the future. In the booklet "The Great Depression of the 1930s in Canada" , Michiel Horn gives an intellectual dissection of the events that occurred during the Great Depression. Michiel Horn's approach leaves the reader with a foul taste for the Dirty Thirties. This essay will summarize Michiel Horns key points as well as discuss the ability of Michiel Horn to report his findings.
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 ...
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...
In the hype after World War 1, I doubt anyone would have foreseen an immense depression coming. As it turns out, that's what happened. Canadians all over Canada had to endure the catastrophes, and I believe Canadians responded ineffectively to the challenges of the Great Depression. The government responded ineffectively by increasing the chaos. As the Canadian government aggravated trek leaders by arresting them, trekkers began violently rioting. Furthermore, Individual Canadians during the Great Depression were inept. Many civilians violently protested. They fought the police and RCMP, broke windows, and turned over cars, creating further problems. Still, political parties did influence many Canadians. Like the Social Credit Party, they tried
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 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”.
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...
The 1920’s is proved as a regressive movement contrary to progressive through the adverse propulsion Canada experienced, which only roared in chaos. Slowly but surely, Canada experienced a sudden backlash firstly through the through the oppression of minorities that was encouraged greatly by the general public. This injustice was on a large scale and led to several issues of stereotypes still dealt upon with today. Secondly, the government made many foolish decisions causing strikes to disrupt the general society. The foolishness of the government is deemed as quite evident as a result of the racism they allowed to happen and the laws they occurred which were reflected in an abrupt rebellion. Thirdly, the economy hit a downfall during the 1920’s,
The baby boom generation’s first memorable contribution to Canada was to raise the Canadian economy to a higher stage with the emergence of greater number of people with varying abilities. With the sudden increase in the population, more demands for more products and services were undoubtedly created, helping the economy to strive forward and advance Canada to be competitive in the global market. Before the baby boom period, Canada was suffering from the aftermath of the Great Depression. There was a lack of jobs and people did not have the sufficient funds to spend on any extra luxuries and this created a vicious cycle of economic crisis. However, due to thou...