Recap of the 1920s and intro to the 1930s

  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 20 th 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 Decided on a province by province basis  1915 all provinces ban the sale of liquor for recreational consumption  Repealed in 1918/1919  All province but Prince Edward Island – repealed June 1948 Prohibition

  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 American Influence

  Many of Canada’s wealthy families got their start smuggling alcohol  One of the most famous gangsters of the 20 th century with multiple links to Canada is Al Capone Crime, Lawlessness and the Canadian Border

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

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

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

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

  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 Social Movements

  Did the 1920s Roar for all ? So…

  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 Canada

The Business Cycle Step 1: Recovery -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

 1.Economic Growth  inflation of prices to keep up with the demand for products 2.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 4 stages Cont.

 3.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 4.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 Cont.

  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 So What Does This Have to do With the End of the Roar?

  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 Black Tuesday

  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. Why is this important?

  As we discussed heavily during the 1920s, not all regions were affected the same  So when the stock market crashed, the regions that were already suffering, suffered more  The effects of the depression were aggravated by its uneven impact. The country was hit hard by the collapse of world trade  The standard of living decreased drastically Regional differences after 1929

 Western Canada  The four Western provinces were the most seriously affected  By 1932 the western provinces were technically bankrupt  What was their primary resource?

 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

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

  Unemployed men, collected into work camps in British Columbia, launched the On to Ottawa Trek in 1935 to confront Bennett and inform the nation of their need for better conditions.  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. What did people do?

 Central Canada  Ontario and Quebec faces heavy unemployment rates, but they were less affected  Why?  Diverse industrial economies  High population  Centrality to Canadian government

  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  Population loss due to the War halted many aspects of manufacturing and export Eastern Canada

  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 Government Responses

  Wealthy Lawyer from Alberta  He promised to deal harshly with social protest. He sought to create jobs by tariffs from Britain, which gave some help to the agriculture and timber industry but not to the manufacturing sector.  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. Prime Minister Bennett

 Bennett Buggy

 Bennett Blankets

  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 Bennett’s New Deal

  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  “Going on the pogey” brought a sense of shame and humiliation to people as it was now publically shared that they were living in poverty. Social Assistance

 Out With the Old  In 1935 Canadians had enough of Bennett who they blamed for prolonging the depression  “King or Chaos”  King won the election

 Changing Political Sphere The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) Lead by JS Woodsworth Supported farmers, socialists, intellectuals Focused on the public ownership of key industry and social programs for the needy Social Credit Lead by “Bible Bill” Aberhart He pushed for the Alberta citizens to receive $25/ month to buy goods The additional money was to stimulate the economy Union Nationale Lead by Maurice Duplessis Supported by people in rural areas and nationalists Its polices were based off the belief that the English minority controlled Quebec’s economy and were to blame for the depression