A Changing Society

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 20th 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recreational consumption Repealed in 1918/1919 All province but Prince Edward Island – repealed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 20th

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 - 1929

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 1939-40

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

SphereThe 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