Photo journal The Shantaia Broeckx. Post-War Problems Workers were laid off and women were under pressure to return to house-hold duties so that men could.

Photo journal

The

Shantaia Broeckx

Post-War Problems

Workers were laid off and women were under pressure to return to house-hold duties so that men could have jobs, even though it was difficult

for them to find work.

War-time industries had shut down, and war veterans were bitter about the lack of jobs and support from the

country they had defended.

Post-War Problems

Rapid inflation became a problem around 1919. The prices of basic items like clothing had increased

greatly, while wages had not.

The immediate post-war years saw a short, but severe,

recession as the economy readjusted to the end of

wartime production.

Post-War Problems

Workers from all over Canada started strikes.

Many men joined unions to fight

for better working

conditions and living standard.

Winnipeg General Strike of 1919

Trade workers had voted to strike, and near thirty thousand others walked off the job in support.

Almost all key industries and services were shut

down.

Ottawa sent Mounties and soldiers to shut down the strike.

Winnipeg General Strike of 1919

Violence erupted in

Winnipeg on June 21st. The

day came to be known as

Bloody Saturday.

Shots were fried by mounted police, and

one striker was killed.

Winnipeg General Strike of 1919

H.A. Robson, head of Commission, concluded that the strike was cause by the

high cost of living, poor working conditions, and poor

wages.

Foreign Investment in Canada

At the beginning of the 20th century, the biggest investors in

Canada were Birtish.

Because of the uncertainty of profit, less was invested into industrial enterprises

and more into Canadian government bonds and railroads.

Foreign Investment in Canada

After WW1 the British investment declined, and Americans moved in as

Canada’s number one foreign investor.

American investors put money into expanding the Canadian

economy into areas like mining, pulp and paper, and hydro-

electric power.

Foreign Investment in Canada

Americans introduced the Branch Plant System, where American companies were set up in Canada. This allowed American companies to put Made in Canada on their products, and avoid the high tariffs charged for shipping over the border.

Many saw this as Manifest Destiny, the

belief that America should take control of all of North America.

Many Canadians feared that Americans would completely take over

Canada’s economic system.

Effects of the Boom Years

Financial success stories inspired ordinary

citizens to believe that they too could get rich by two dollar bets on horses, investing in

stocks and bonds and hockey pools.

Some people even borrowed money to invest in stocks. This was called buying on margin, which was very risky, and could result in a double loss for

the investors.

Toronto Stock Exchange

Bay Street, Toronto

Politics of the 1920s

After Robert Borden had resigned, Arthur

Meighen, a conservative, was sworn in as Prime

Minister of Canada.

Politics of the 1920s

Meighen had a short term as

prime minister, after William Lyon Mackenzie King accused him of seizing power

“unconstitutionally”. This

accusation won King a majority vote, and was

prime minister for most of the 20s.

King’s political genius lay in

making liberal policies

acceptable to various group and nations

across the nation. He often put off

making a decision until he worked

put compromises among the

diverse interests.

Politics of the 1920s

King was extremely cautious and careful. He was pudgy, and what some would say as “dumpy” in

appearance.

King also had a strong interest in spiritualism and sometimes

tried to contact the dead through mediums and séances.

Prohibition and Rumrunners

Prohibition started in Canada in 1916 and 1917 during

World War 1. This made the

production and sale of alcohol

illegal.

The Women’s Christian Temperance Union worked to ban the use of intoxicating liquor. They

argued that the grain should be used to feed soldiers and civilians. Also, money was needed to feed

families instead of being spent on alcohol.

Prohibition and Rumrunners

Even when prohibition was introduced you could still find “bootleg booze”, which was

illegal liquor made and sold by organized bootleggers, like

Rocco Perri. There were even private clubs called

“speakeasies”.

Prohibition and Rumrunners

Prohibition had positive social effects such as the decrease in

crime and arrests for drunkenness. More workers took their pay

cheques home to their families rather that to the taverns, and industrial efficiency improved because fewer work days were

missed.

Provincial governments realized though that they were losing money in potential taxes on

liquor sales and people argued that legalizing liquor under

strict government conditions would be easier to enforce than

total prohibition Gradually, individual provinces dropped

Prohibition throughout the 20s. P.E.I. was the last to eliminate

this law in 1948.

Women and the Persons Case

By 1918 women in Canada had won the right to vote in federal elections, but still did not have the same privileges that men had. Women’s groups asked the Prime Minister to

appoint a woman to the Senate. The BNA Act stated that qualified persons could receive appointments but the

question was raised, was a women a “person” in the eyes of the law?

The famous Persons Case underlined the inequality

women still faced.

Women and the Persons Case

The Famous Five (Emily Murphy, Nellie

McClung, Louise McKinney, Henrietta Edwards, and Irene

Parlby) put up a huge fight to gain

acceptance for women in the Senate and by

Canadian Law.

After a long battle, the Supreme Court of Canada declared that the word persons did

not refer to women. Therefore, a woman was not a person and thus not able to sit on the

Senate.

Women and the Persons Case

Though discouraged, the Famous Five appealed to the only court higher than the Canada Supreme Court – The Privy

Council in Britain.After three months, the Privy

Council announced its decision… The word persons did indeed refer to women as well as men. The Famous Five

had won!

Cairine Wilson, from Montreal, was the first woman elected to Senate.

Struggles of Native Peoples

Throughout the 1920s and 30s, Natives struggled to

keep their own culture and heritage. The government wanted them to give up their traditions and be

absorbed into the Canadian culture (assimilation).

•Traditional Native ceremonies were

banned

•Natives that tried to live off the reserves faced discrimination

and prejudice

•Given few good job opportunities

Struggles of the Native Peoples

1920 – League of Indians formed by Fred Loft. This draws attention to the

economic and social problems of the Native peoples. This league demanded

that Natives should have the right to vote without giving up their status.

1921 – Some west coast Natives were thrown in jail for taking part in a potlatch ceremony. Masks and other sacred items

were seized by the police.

1931 – Native Brotherhood of British Columbia was created to defend Native

land and fishing rights.

From the 1920s to 80s children were sent to special boarding schools hundreds of kilometers away from their homes. Their own traditions were not taught and they were not allowed to speak in their own

native language. This caused many Native children to lose touch with their

traditions and families as well.

The Automobile

One of the most obvious

signs of prosperity in

the 1920s was the growth of

the automobile.

It was one of the biggest

changes to the way of living in

the 1920s.

The Automobile

Henry Ford wanted to make cheap, affordable vehicles for

everyone. He applied car manufacturing mass production,

and set up an assembly line. Each worker on the assembly

line had a different job. Each car had all the same parts, so all

were the same.

The Automobile

The automobile also brought on many problems. It polluted the air, caused traffic jams, and caused death to

thousands each year.

In addition, criminals also took advantage of the automobile.. They

could now make faster getaways after a robbery.

Entertainment

Jazz moved north from New Orleans and was made popular by such musicians as Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong.

Charleston was the dance of decade that emerged out of African American culture.

Entertainment

“Talkies” arrived in Canada in 1927. The stars of these films were idolized (Charlie Chaplin, Rudolph Valentino, and Greta Garbo). Mary Pickford was called “America’s Sweetheart”, and

she came to represent the wealth the film industry brought to it’s stars.

By the end of the decade, there were more than 900 movie houses across

Canada. Going to the movies was the most popular form of entertainment

at the time.

Radio

Radio was the number one form of

entertainment still. Families would sit

around the radio after dinner and listen to

music or radio plays. The radio brought the

outside would to Canadians.

Many towns only had American stations to listen to, which contributed to the

‘Americanization’ of Canada in the 1920s.

Fads and Fashions

One fad was the Chinese game, Mahjong. To accentuate the

experience, many people ordered Chinese furniture, robes, and other

Chinese items. This fad wore off around 1927.

Another craze was crossword puzzles.

Dictionary sales soared, and some railways had

them to entertain passengers.

Dance marathons were also quite

popular.

Fads and Fashions

Women of the 20s wore “flapper” dresses. In the winter, they wore galoshes with buckles unfastened. They wore

dresses above the knees (oh my!) and their stocking were rolled down. They also wore their hair in a “bob”.

Fads and Fashions

Men wore baggy pants, bright, snappy hats, and bow ties. Their hair was greased

down, and parted in the middle.

Canada’s Growing Independence

In 1926, all the countries of the British Empire met at an

Imperial Conference. At this conference, Canada and the

other dominions were declared self-governed, while at the same

time remaining a part of a Commonwealth of Nations.

By the statute of Westminster, Canada became fully

independent in all but two legal details. Canada still had to ask the British Parliament

to amend the Canadian constitution.

After the fun times of the 20s, the stock market crash of 1929 led Canada, and the rest of the world, into the

Great Depression.