Closing of War Industries major effects such as high inflation,
women returning to home, rising unemployment, increasing labour unrest
Winnipeg General Strike 1919
30 000 workers went on strike (demanded .85 cents per hour, 8 hour day,
right to collective bargaining)Bloody Saturday; riots and violence led
to 1 death and 30 injuriesLeaders arrested and sent to jail but
more attention drawn to social and economic problems of workers
Prohibition & Bootleggingban of production, import and
distribution of alcoholLed to bootleg booze- smuggled alcohol
and speakeasies
Spanish FluMassive epidemic after veterans
returned homeDeadly strain killing up to 100 million
people; 50 000 Canadians
Aboriginal Issues
Policy of assimilation seen in the Indian Act 1867, creation of residential schools, and policy of enfranchisement (right to vote if give up Aboriginal status)
League of Indians- created in 1919 by Frederick Loft (Aboriginal war veteran) to make a united voice for Aboriginals
Immigration
Xenophobia- intense dislike of foreigners
1919 Immigration Act- made all immigrants pass an English literacy test (emphasis on assimilation)
1923- Chinese Exclusion Act: banned all Chinese immigrants except students, merchants and diplomats (from 1923- 1947- only 8 Chinese immigrants admitted to Canada)
New technologies: radio, vacuum cleaners, automobile, passenger planes
Ford Model T or “Tin Lizzie” was most affordable car ($395 in 1924) and was mass produced by assembly line
Joseph Bombardier: Canadian who invented first snowmobile called “B-7” for medical transport in winter
Person’s Case: Famous Five campaigned that women should be considered “Persons” under Canadian Law; finally granted by Britain’s Privy Council and Cairine Wilson was first women appointed to the Senate
Americanization
Huge influence of culture & influence from United States
Fads
mahjong, crosswords, contests, dancing marathons
Fashions
flappers, rising hemlines, bob haircut, knickers, bow ties
Entertainment:
Jazz Age, Charleston dance
“talkies” (talking movies) with stars Charlie Chaplin and Canadian Mary Pickford “America’s Sweetheart”
Golden Age of Sports
Famous amateur athletes such as Lionel Conacher, Bobbie Rosenfeld played multiple sports
Women in Sports: Edmonton Grads dominated basketball for over 20 years but by 1930s competitive sports were considered “unfeminine”
Professional Sports: hockey (NHL) & Foster Hewitt’s call of Hockey Night and Canada; baseball
ECONOMIC PROSPERITY
End of post war economic problems
New inventions and mass production of products fueled economy and employment
High sales, high wages, high prices, high production, high profits, high demand, low unemployment
Emergence of ‘branch plants’ in Canada
PLAYING THE STOCKMARKET
Get rich quick scheme (buy low, sell high)
Stock / share: a unit of ownership in a company
Price of share dependent on supply and demand
CREDIT BUYING
‘credit buying’ of products (appliances)- buy now, pay later
‘buying on margin’ of stocks
STOCK MARKET CRASH!
Stocks were highly inflated or overpriced AND company assets were not the same worth
Investors became nervous as stock prices were becoming “too high” for what it actually worth
‘Black Tuesday’: October 29, 1929: massive selling of stocks > panic sets in > everyone selling
As investors sold, prices of stocks plunged
EFFECTS
Thousands of investors wiped out
Banks demanded payment for loans but borrowers could not repay
Many companies had borrowed money to finance expansion of companies and had to shut down > rise in unemployment
People had bought many stocks and items on credit- had nothing to pay back; then banks would repossess items (ie. homes)
People could not afford to buy clothes, food and other merchandise > forcing more companies to go bankrupt and put more people out of work
Trigger to the Great Depression- worst economic downturn in history
Similar to WWI, there were BACKGROUND CAUSES to the Depression:
1) Overexpansion & overproduction2) Canada’s Dependence on Staples (wheat)3) Canada’s Dependence on United States4) High Taxes decreased International
Trade5) Credit Buying6) Buying stocks on Margin
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