1950s & 1960s Changes for Canada Mr. Parr’s and Ms. Simmons Summary

The Baby Boom

Birth rate rapidly increased after WWII By the mid-1960s half of the population was below the age of 25 Massive growth in schools occurred during this period – requiring governments to spend more tax dollars in this area – Education was seen as a “right” Students stayed in school longer, more graduated high school, and more colleges & universities were built to accommodate the growth

Urban Life

The development of better cars in the 1950s led to the birth of the “commuter age” These new cars became a new focus of society (house with a garage, more roads, parking, etc.) The first suburbs began to emerge to the north and east of Toronto (York, North York &Scarborough) A new set of values emerged. (pg 216) This began to change cities into the urban/suburban layout we have today

Household Life After WWII women were again expected to return to work in the household. Many did, but as with WWI, many did not. The single-income family was considered typical There was pressure to “maintain appearances” within your town, so more families attended church, community social functions, etc. Mothers, on average, did 99 hours of housework each week.

Entertainment

Television was emerging in the 1950s – show like Hockey Night in Canada and Front Page Challenge were popular TV dramas and comedies, like Father Knows Best and Leave It To Beaver re-enforced the idea of a nuclear family and gender stereotypes. Drive-in movie theatres became widely popular in the 1950s through to the 1970s Drive-thru restaurants became very popular

Rock and Roll

Music The early 1950s saw a period of conservative, traditional music By the mid-1950s Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly and Paul Anka had introduced “Rock and Roll” This began the “generation gap” phenomenon By the 1960s the impact of Rock Music had become far more widespread with Neal Young, Joni Mitchell and Gordon Lightfoot. (The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, etc.) Rock counter-culture became a source of social protest and social unrest (hippies, psychedelic movement, peace protesters rejecting nuclear weapons & Vietnam War)

Questions How will we cope with aging baby boomers (health care, pensions, their sense of entitlement) What urban planning problems arise from the boom and post-boom period? What about the “Boom Echo” – that’s you people?

Bigger and Better! With the increase in population and the emergence of suburban culture consumerism runs rampant. Shopping Malls become places to socialize and the opening of a new one was a major event. The mall replaces the front porch or the corner store of previous times.

Significant Events that brought Canadians together Red River Flood – 1950 Hurricane Hazel 1954 Springhill coal mine explosion in Nova Scotia in 1958 (74 deaths) Polio epidemics struck each summer during the early 1950’s

Interesting Tidbits… Women couldn’t wear shorts in public Movies and books were censored Between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens each won 9 Stanley Cups. The Grey cup came to represent East-West rivalry Barbara Ann Scott won the World Figure Skating Championships in 1947 and a Gold Medal at the 1948 Olympics Marilyn Bell first person to swim Lake Ontario and the youngest to cross the English Channel.

Culture and Government The Massey Commission recommended that Canada needed to be protected from American cultural influences Canada Council was established in 1957 to award tax-funded grants to writers, artists and theatres. Stratford Festival opened in 1957 First Canadian Television established by the CBC in 1952

Questions 1.Is viewing American television programs harmful to the Canadian identity? Make a two column chart to examine the question. Rank the pros and cons you have identified and then state your own opinion. Be prepared to share this with the class.