Recap of the 1920s and intro to the 1930s A Changing Society Recap of the 1920s and intro to the 1930s

Prohibition The ban on alcohol lasted from 1915 to 1917 and was a War time enacted law Emergence of temperance movements and religious organizations discouraged the sale of alcohol Early 20th century: Decided on a province by province basis 1915 all provinces ban the sale of liquor for recreational consumption Repealed in 1918/1919 All province but Prince Edward Island – repealed June 1948

American Influence Prohibition in America lasted until 1933 Rum running or bootlegging became a major industry for both Americans and Canadians 1 case of 12 liquor bottles purchased in Canada during 1925 for $50 could be sold in the American ‘dry’ market for over $300 Most criminal activity occurring during this time revolved around the illegal sale of liquor

Crime, Lawlessness and the Canadian Border Many of Canada’s wealthy families got their start smuggling alcohol One of the most famous gangsters of the 20th century with multiple links to Canada is Al Capone Start Video at 36 plkay for 10 minutes

Recap of the 1920s What made the 1920s “Roar”? Changing society Consumerism Mass production Economic boom

Unsettled Beginnings The Winnipeg General Strike started the decade off on unstable grounds The plight for Canadian soldiers returning from war to secure jobs

Consumerism and Mass Production The growth of the economy gave way to a new way of life a consumer economy The Boom

Regionalism Not all regions of Canada had the same outcome Northern Eastern Western

Social Movements Women were changing social attitudes As well this was the age of social movements to instill change in the wider Canadian society Prohibition Golden Age of Sport

So… Did the 1920s Roar for all ?

Canada - 1929 People firmly believed that the good times of the twenties would never end Throughout the roar, many economists warned the Canadian government and the Canadian people that it would not last They ignored it and continued on with their credit society

The Business Cycle Step 1: Recovery Step 2: Prosperity The Canadian economy was on the rise after WW1 Step 2: Prosperity After the damaging effects of WW1, life started to go back to normal Step 3: Recession As more and more people are buying on credit national and personal debt is growing Step 4: Depression - The collapse of the stock market due to massive debt, public fear and the inability to recover economic losses

4 stages Cont. Economic Growth  inflation of prices to keep up with the demand for products Recession  when people stop buying, the businesses enter a recession, in this stage they are faced with large inventories and lower profits and are forced to lower production and lay off workers

Cont. Depression  sales no longer increase, they stabilize meaning that people cannot afford to pay for these items and companies are forced to lower their prices Recovery this is when people start buying again. Factories do not immediately start roaring again since there is still a huge amount of left over inventory

So What Does This Have to do With the End of the Roar? The business cycle must come full circle Usually the depression stage is brief and quickly moves into a recession However, this was not the case at the end of 1929

Black Tuesday On this day (Oct, 1929) 16 million shares were sold on the New York Stock Market (Wall Street) Soon those market shares dropped $30 BILLION Thousands of people lost their life’s savings

Why is this important? When the Stock Market Crashed on Black Tuesday, it is important to note that it did not by itself cause the Depression It was just an indicator that something was already wrong with the system The changes were dramatic. Between 1929 and 1933 the country’s public and private selling fell by 42% 1 in 5 Canadians became dependent on government relief. Second video start at 3:04

Regional differences after 1929 As we discussed heavily during the 1920s, not all regions were affected the same when the stock market crashed, the regions that were already suffering, suffered more The standard of living decreased drastically

Western Canada The four Western provinces were the most affected By 1932 the western provinces were technically bankrupt

The Dust Bowl Severe drought affected agricultural production across Canada during 1934, 1936 and 1939-40 These droughts resulted in poor to no crop yield Massive dust storms created economic and agricultural strife for prairie farmers

The Prairies The problems that were present in the Prairies were MUCH worse than the rest of Canada. Years of drought, plagues of grasshoppers and hail storms

Central Canada Ontario and Quebec faces heavy unemployment rates, but they were less affected Why? Diverse industrial economies High population Centrality to Canadian government Had a variety of exports and weren’t reliant on one particular product

Eastern Canada The Maritimes had already entered into a severe economic decline during the 1920s Never truly recovered from the war Loss of industry due to new technologies

Government Responses The 1930s experienced major changes to the political system For the people of Canada, King tried to enact systems of relief for the unemployed and homeless But his government was defeated and Conservative, Richard B. Bennett took over in 1930

Prime Minister Bennett Wealthy Lawyer from Alberta He promised to deal harshly with social protest. As a millionaire, he did not understand the needs of the people and did not believe in government “handouts” Bennett became deeply hated by many depression victims.

Bennett Buggy

Bennett Blankets

What did people do? Unemployed men, collected into work camps in British Columbia, launched the On to Ottawa Trek in 1935 to confront Bennett Bennett denounced them, and police broke up the march in Regina, Saskatchewan. This lead to the Regina Riot July 1, 1935 Bennett then ordered the arrest of the leaders, which precipitated a riot in which a constable was killed and several dozen persons injured.

Video Play

Bennett’s New Deal He borrowed heavily from Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal in the US In this deal he proposed platforms for: Big business control laws Reduce farm debts Introduce minimum wages and the 8 hour day Unemployment insurance and health insurance Better old age pensions Elected prime minister in 1930, Bennett benefitted from the most opportune moment to enter the Prime Minister’s Office: the Great Depression! Still, he led the creation of the Bank of Canada, the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission (precursor of the CBC), and the Canadian Wheat Board.

Social Assistance There was no social program in place to help out the struggling Canadian like social assistance (welfare) or unemployment insurance So they government created relief systems: Food stamps Public Charity (soup kitchens, shelters) Relief Work Work Camps 20:22 Video