Urbanization
Urbanization – The trend to move from the farm into cities and towns
Why?
• Employment
• Get off the farm
• Immigrants moved to where relatives were
• Excitement
• Something to do
• Friends had moved
Urbanization
• Especially in the West – the Prairies
• Opportunities for growth
• business to support farmers
• Eastern cities well settled
• Few opportunities
• no ‘excitement’
Where?
UrbanizationProblems in fast-growing cities
• Lack of Facilities
• Roads, sewers, water, etc
• Creation of Slums
• Poor or inadequate housing
• Poor health care
• Unsanitary conditions
• But - affordable
• Much poverty
UrbanizationProblems
• Try to ‘escape reality’ – bad working conditions
• Alcohol cheap and easy to get
• Usually men
• Paid in cash – drink the pay on the way home
• No food, no rent
• Family neglect, physical and mental abuse
Alcoholism
UrbanizationProblems
• Prohibition
• To stop the manufacture, sale and consumption of alcohol
• Movement by women and ministers
• Women were not taken seriously
• They could not vote
• Women demanded Suffrage – the right to vote
Alcoholism
Urbanization
Roman Catholic Church in Quebec
• Feared that movement of farmers to cities would damage the French traditions
• “Paid” farmers to remain on the land
• To cultivate crops and maintain culture and tradition
• Feared that ‘citification’ would cause people to turn away from the Church
UrbanizationTechnological Advances
• Electricity
• Offices and factories
• Streetcars
• High rise buildings – elevators
• Wireless telegraph – radio transmission
• Telephone
• Automobiles – mass production
• Air travel
Urbanization
Working Conditions
• Poor working conditions
• Dirty, dangerous factories
• Low wages
• Few safety precautions
• Long hours
• Low pay
• Weak or no unions or worker organizations
Urbanization
Working Conditions (Children)
• Farm children must help with all farm work
• City children often had to work to help support the family
• Few and weak child labour laws
• Long hours with very low pay (much lower than adults)
• Very strict discipline – whippings
Urbanization
Entertainment
• Still mostly local and Church oriented
• Family picnics and outings
• Little travel for entertainment
• City people (Toronto) could go to movies by streetcar
• Spectator sports becoming important
• Especially baseball and hockey
• Brantford Red Sox would have 5000 spectators
UrbanizationEducation
• Mandatory to age 14 by 1914
• Became more academic
• Mostly British literature (for a ‘British’ nation)
• Some Canadian writers
• Pauline Johnson (poet)
• Lucy Maud Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables)
• Stephen Leacock (Humour)
• Canadian artists
• Group of Seven – unique Canadian style
Canada in the British Empire
• Canada was the senior member of the British Empire
• Britain imported natural resources from the colonies and sold manufactured goods back to the colonies
• British Navy was world’s largest (to protect the colonies)
• British Empire like a large family
• Each member has responsibilities
• Senior member – more is expected
• Loyalty is owed because Britain created the country
Canada in the British EmpireThe South African War – The Boer War
• Settled by the Dutch
- Their descendants were the Boers
• Britain had some territories, especially Cape Town
• Discovery of gold and diamonds
• Boers wanted their homeland territory
• British wanted more ‘British territory’, - greed for riches
• War began in 1899
Canada in the British EmpireThe South African War – The Boer War
• English Canada
• Wide support
• Loyalty to Britain “thanks for all Britain has done”
• War went badly for Britain
- Boers used guerilla tactics (small groups attack and run)
- Britain asked for help from the Empire
• French Canada
• Felt “why fight Britain’s Imperialistic war”
• Boers are fighting for language and culture, same as us
Canada in the British EmpireThe South African War – The Boer War
• Laurier had to act – but not annoy either English or French
• Compromise – 1000 volunteers, under British command
• English Canada felt Laurier had not done enough to help Britain
• Should have sent more troops, and under Canadian control
• French Canada felt Britain had no right to try to defeat a small army trying to protect its way of life
Canada in the British EmpireAlaska Boundary Dispute
• Gold discovered in 1890’s - Boundary in dispute
• Britain responsible for Canadian foreign affairs
• Britain voted with U.S. – Colonial concerns of little importance to Britain
• Why?
• Britain’s bad loss in Boer War – decrease in world prestige
• Britain needed to trade with U.S. – world’s largest trading nation
• U.S. policy of Manifest Destiny AND the US Civil War
• US would go to war to get what they want
• Britain upset with Canada since not enough help in Boer War
Canada in the British Empire
The Naval Problem
• All members of the British Empire protected by Britain in the event of war
• British Navy largest and strongest in the world
• British built largest, fastest battleship – The Dreadnought
• To maintain superiority
• Germany started to build same type of ships
• Britain wanted colonies to help pay for the ships – loyalty and protection
Canada in the British Empire
The Naval Problem
• Britain wanted funding from all colonies
• English Canada demanded immediate donation of funds
• loyalty to Britain, thanks for everything ever done
• French Canada refused
• why pay to attack Germany and not defend Canada
• Created a problem between French and English
•Laurier proposed small Canadian Navy to protect Canada – but could be used by Britain if necessary
• Canada bought 2 used British ships
ReciprocityEconomic Prosperity
• Immigration increased population on the Prairies
• improved economics because of good wheat crops
• World market for grain increased
• Much farm equipment bought from Eastern Canada
• Prosperity in Central Canada
• High preferential tariffs
• Tax on foreign goods
• Raised prices in the West (forced to buy from Central Canada)
•g
ReciprocityTariffs
• Tax on imported goods
• Protects the local economy as foreign goods now more expensive
• Advantages
• Creates booming economy for manufacturers
• Disadvantages
• Raises price of manufactured goods to farmers
• Farmers MUST buy from Canadian firms
• Prairie farmers learn to dislike the East
Reciprocity
• the term used to describe the concept of Free Trade with the United States
• Free Trade - trade of goods and services between countries with no tariff or tax barriers
• Prairie farmers could buy cheaper, better quality US products
• Eastern manufacturers must improve quality and lower prices
• Canadians could have a wider choice of products
• U.S. firms could gain access to the growing Canadian market
The 1911 Election• Many people thought Reciprocity would win election for Laurier (Liberal)
• Greater prosperity for the country
• Conservative (Borden) policies
• Huge U.S. companies would undersell Canadian firms
• U.S. branch plants in Canada would close
• Bankruptcy for Canadian firms
• Reciprocity would be disloyal to Britain
• Talk of free trade within the British Empire
• U.S. policy of Manifest Destiny
The 1911 ElectionLaurier Loses the Election
• Central Canadian manufacturers promoted ‘pro-Empire’
• Warned that Reciprocity would mean job losses
• Quebec (had always voted Liberal)
• French Nationalists joined with manufacturers
• warned voters that the U.S. would take over Canada economically and then
politically and then assimilate Quebec
• Possible loss of French culture cost Laurier many votes