1. The Workers’ Revolution & The Winnipeg General Strike

2. 1917: a group of communists in Russia (called the Bolsheviks) overthrew the government in a violent revolution

3. The Bolsheviks encouraged workers around the world to join in this revolution

4. The Bolsheviks
Believed that everyone in a community (including the workers) should own and control the production and distribution of goods (instead of just the factory owners)

5. The Red Scare
Canadians feared the spread of communism, and did not want the Bolsheviks to win in Russia
When Canadian workers joined to form Trade Unions many people thought it might be the beginning of a communist revolution

6. The Red Scare
Officials looked for communist books/articles at the borders, and if someone had any of these materials they were sent to prison!

7. The Labour Wars 1918-1919 Veterans Return Few Jobs, few benefits
Not given compensation for the war
No pensions, medical care
Business owners have profited from the war – they’re rich
The veterans form the Royal Canadian Legion (1925) to fight for veteran’s rights.

8. Unions are formed to fight for workers rights.
Price of goods soar due to a limited supply.
Large increase in inflation, workers are slowly going broke
Workers had taken lower wages to support the war, but after the war, the wages stay low.
Long hours, terrible working conditions.
Unions are formed to fight for workers rights.

9. Why do you think that workers would form trade unions?
Why form a trade union?
Why do you think that workers would form trade unions?
What did they want?
To gain:
Improved housing
Job training programs
Higher pay
Compensation for injuries

10. Philosophy
Unions have left-wing ideologies.
Due to what had happened in Russia, employers feared a new “Bolshevik Invasion” of North America.

11. So what do you think that the workers and trade unions did?
Trade unions were forming in Canada…
BUT
Labour law in Canada did not say that employers had to bargain with unions
So what do you think that the workers and trade unions did?

12. STRIKES They organized… “Walking off the job”
Workers believed that by standing together, they could force employers to pay higher wages and establish shorter working hours

13. Winnipeg in 1919 Winnipeg was a hotbed of radical politics & unionism
Why Winnipeg?
Immigration
Location
Manufacturing
Division

14. Winnipeg in 1919 Massive support for One Big Union
Metal & Building industries
Employers refuse to negotiate with unions.
Take a vote on idea of general strike.
11,000 YES / 600 NO

15. The Winnipeg General Strike, June 1919
Numerous Strikes
The One Big Union forms in 1919
Western Union Leaders
Goal is to represent all workers
More control over gov’t, industry
New weapon: the General Strike
General strike is a Large-scale strike involving workers from many different trades. The objective is to shut down a city or community until the employers cave in.
The Winnipeg General Strike, June 1919

16. What Happened? 30,000 worker walked off the job
Strike spread from industry to industry and quickly became a general strike
Sympathy strikes around the country (Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal)
Stores & factories closed: no public transportation, garbage collection, postal service, fire-fighters, etc.
Many feared that this was the beginning of a communist revolution!

19. The Winnipeg General Strike, June 1919
Supported by:
trades/building
railway/factory workers
police
firefighters
postal workers
cooks/waiters
tailors
30,000 walk out
Opposed by:
Citizens Committee of One Thousand
Business leaders
Politicians
Industrialists
They saw the strikers as Bolsheviks trying to overthrow the government. The federal government intervened.

20. Response
Winnipeg’s most powerful industrialists, bankers, and politicians refused to meet with the strike leaders
Said it was the work of communist “enemy aliens”
PM Borden sent Arthur Meighen & other representatives to Winnipeg
Meighen refused to meet with the strikers

21. Federal Government Response
Immigration Act Amended:
Deported all foreign workers & union leaders- anyone who was suspected of “trying to cause a revolution” could be arrested and deported with no hearing or trial.
Sent troops with machine guns to Winnipeg
NWMP raided homes of union leaders and arrested 10 strike leaders

22. “Bloody Saturday”
June 21st, 1919: violence erupted: a crowd gathered to watch a parade protesting against the arrest of the strike leaders. Crowd overturned a streetcar and set it on fire.

23. “Bloody Saturday”
Mounted Police charged the crowd: armed with pistols and clubs, they beat the protestors. 1 man killed, 30 injured, 100s arrested.

24. Outcomes of the Strike Strike lasts 6 weeks until:
Winnipeg Mayor hires new police & arrests union leaders
Workers gather downtown to protest
Mounted Police & special police sent out
Armed with pistols and clubs, they beat the protesters. One dies.
Finally, strikers return to work.
RESULT: THE STRIKERS LOST! Unions suffer a setback. Many workers only rehired after promising not to join a union.
It was another 30 years until the government recognized trade unions!

25. Outcomes of the Strike Some positive outcomes
Drew attention to the social and economic problems that many people faced
Labour leaders became more interested in politics, and pro-worker political parties became more popular
Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), which became the New Democratic Party (NDP) in 1961.

26. Winnipeg General Strike:
Video
Winnipeg General Strike video (43:49)