Introduction to the 1930s Dustbowls and Desperation

Introduction The Depression had a profound impact on millions of Canadians. By the time it ended, Canadians had suffered massive unemployment, thousands of bankruptcies, climatic disasters in the West, and widespread poverty.

Toronto (University and Queen St.) 1930

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Dionne Quintuplets The five identical sisters were born in Corbeil, Ontario. The girls were medical marvels, as each day they lived they set new records for the survival of quintuplets. The girls became the world’s most famous babies.

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Fashion and Film Culture and the Arts became a way of escaping from the harsh reality of the depression. During the depression radio, movies, magazines, sports, and literature became more popular and widespread.

Film (Film Projector 1930)

Entertainment

Second Wave Immigration (Dutch Immigrants)

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The Stock Market Crash and an Economy in Trouble

The Day of the Crash

Evicted Families

Post-Crash Advertisements

Families in the West Saskatchewan was one of the most prosperous farming communities in the world during the 1920s (in the 1930s is was one of the poorest).

Farmers in the West and Canadian Businesses Between 1929 and 1933 prices for farm products dropped by one-half. As their incomes decreased farmers stopped buying goods such as tractors, cars, and appliances. With the drop in demand, manufacturers began cutting back production. Canadian businesses began to suffer.

Treatment of the First Peoples Conditions on many reserves worsened during the Depression. The Government assumed that the First Peoples could live off the land; however, many groups had long stopped this way of life.

Regina Riot: An Appeal for Help (1935) The riot began in work camps in British Columbia. Frustrated by the conditions of the camps and the federal governments inability to provide real work and decent wages, protesters gather in Vancouver to voice their concerns.

Trade Unionist Appealing for Relief

Relief Camps During the height of the depression, many unemployed men were sent to relief camps. They were paid 20 cents a day and treated terribly. The work they did was sometimes useful, but at other times it was simply busy work. Most were closed by 1936.

Major Issues in the 1930s Black Tuesday: The 1929 Stock Market Crash Resulted in… financial downturn in the Canadian economy; including declining wheat prices and an oversupply of most export products. high unemployment (peak year 1933, 26.6% of people were unemployed) Generally, young people, unskilled labourers, small business people, women and farmers were the hardest hit.

Other Major Issues: In motion pictures several significant technological developments occurred in the 1930s. Among these were more standard use of sound and the invention of Technicolour in 1932 (as seen in Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz). Most movies created in this era were escapist (were designed to help people escape from their financial troubles)—romance, comedies, westerns and horror movies.

Politics of the 1930s Canadians began to see the weaknesses in Canadian politics. They abandoned the traditional two party system (Liberals and Conservatives) in favour of regional parties that represented the beliefs and hopes not supported by the traditional parties. This resulted in the rise of new political parties in Canada including the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, Social Credit and the Union Nationale. This also resulted in the development of the social safety net (unemployment insurance, welfare) we have today.