Unit 3 Study Notes

The Roaring 20s

1. The 1920s were called the roaring twenties.

2. Chinese immigrants: The asiatic exclusion act made in the 1920s in hopes of
keeping Canada a white man's country. Chinese head tax- 1900: $100, 1905: $500.
The Asiatic Exclusion League (AEL) formed in early 20th C. as immigration
increased in B.C. The AEL argued that Canadians should be a White Man’s
country. On July 1, 1923 the federal government enacted the Chinese
Immigration Act, known in Chinese communities as the Exclusion Act.

3. Movies and entertainment: In 1927 the first talkie was made (film with sound).
About 80 million people went to movies on the weekend in North America. Silent
films tickets cost - 10-25 cents. Movie palaces are big urban theatres. 1000-2000
could be seated. Walt Disney created the movie genre animation by making
Mickey mouse. Most popular movie genres at the time were Swashbuckler,
Horror and Romantic Comedies.
- Movie facts (1920s slide) refer back to

4. Workers rights: After WW1 the situation for workers was difficult. Cost of living
rose over 50% but wages only rose by 18%. There was less demand for factory
workers so many were laid off. Soldiers didn’t have jobs. They were angry at big
business for making so much money while they risked their lives. They formed the
One Big Union that had 4 options
A. Collective bargaining: Negotiate a contract between employer and
employee.
B. Strike: Refusal to work until proper compensation
C. Lockout: Employers shut factory doors.
D. Arbitrator: Independent third party helps negotiate

Business owners form the Citizens Committee of 1000 in opposition to the One
Big Union. They feared something like the Russian revolution, a communist revolution
What did the workers want:
A. Money: raise 85c/hour
B. Time: decrease 60 to 44 hours
C. Rights: They can negotiate for everyone
5. Winnipeg General strike: Winnipeg shut down because everyone was striking.
Sympathy strikes started all over the country causing chaos and the death of two.
BLOODY SATURDAY, June 26, broke the strike, 6 weeks after it started. The
strike did not help.
- Note more on 1920s

6. Coal Mine vs. Factory Workers: It was especially bad for coal miners because
the price of coal dropped. They had many strikes, shutdowns and wage reductions.
William Davis was shot during the new Waterford miners strike in 1925.
Factories, specifically clothing factories were prosperous.

7. What we have now thanks to the workers union:

- Minimum Wage
- Unemployment Insurance
- Health and Safety
- Two weeks paid Vacation
- Overtime Pay
- Maternity Leave
- No Child Labour
- No Sweatshops

8. Women’s movement: Women's lives in Canada changed mainly because of the

women's contribution to the war. Women were anxious about returning to social
roles and young women started breaking away from this. The behaviour of these
women pushed the boundaries of what was lady-like. Women were now expected
to work until marriage.
House chores were significantly easier due the new appliances invented in
the 20s, for example radios, washing machines, vacuum and [Link]
these new appliances also increased the work for housewives because the
expectations were higher. Immigrant housewives experienced a different fate
because they all mostly came from low income families and could not afford the
luxuries of new appliances.
During the 1920s a new trend for women emerged and it was called
flappers. A flapper is an emancipated young woman who embraced new fashion
and an urban lifestyle. They wore short skirts and tops that revealed their arms.
9. First Nations Children: For over 300 years, European settlers and aboriginal
peoples regarded one another as distinct nations. During the war both groups
formed alliances and enjoyed the economic benefits of cooperation. However,
Europeans back in the days being the evil spawns of the devil they decided they
wanted more land and began to view Aboriginal people as a problem even though
everyone knows they are the problem and will forever continue to be the problem.
The Indian Act stated it was mandatory for “status Indians” to attend
residential school. Agents were authorised to forcibly remove children ages 6-15
from their homes. The residential schools were created to strip indigenous people
away from their country and westernise them. Things they faced;
A. Disease (Tuberculosis): 200 out of every 100,000 in Toronto and Montreal
died while upwards of 4000 out of every 100,000 children in residential
schools died.

B. Fire: Schools were described as death traps, with locked doors making it
difficult to escape. In 1927, nineteen boys died in a fire in the Beauval
school in northern Saskatchewan.

C. Experiments: Students at various residential schools were also used as

involuntary guinea pigs in a variety of experiments, notably a number of
studies on nutrition. In many instances denied access to important services,
nutrition, and supplements. All done without parental consent.

D. Abuse: Corporal punishment was common practice. Many students report

being strapped or beaten. 1 in 5 children were sexually abused at the hands
of staff and teachers. Schools were located in isolated areas. Staff and
teachers received little to no screening. Those staff or teachers who were
reported would often times be simply transferred to a different location
without discipline for their actions

10. Sports: In the early 1900s, sports were mostly done for recreational purposes.
The 1920s is when buying tickets for sporting events became a popular act. The
professionalism of Canadian sports improved, which meant the construction of
stadiums, artificial ice and large payrolls. The national hockey league began in
1917 and expanded to the USA in 1924.

Hockey became Canada's favourite pastime, the average player earned

around $900 per year. The first hockey radio broadcaster was known as Foster
Hewit, he started the first broadcast in February 1923.
 One of the most significant developments of the 20th century was the
growth of women’s sports. As part of the women’s movement, women challenged
gender restrictions in sport, just as in other areas of life. Since then, the number of
female athletes has increased dramatically and many Canadian women have
excelled in sports.

11. Automobiles: Henry Ford (American) popularised the car in North America.
The first car, the “Ford Model T” could be purchased for $365 in 1924. Cars
became part of a status symbol. Canada & USA became a car culture with paved
roads, filling stations, parking lots and motels . It completely changed people's
behaviour and city planning. Cars meant that people could;
- Travel long distances
- Helped the expansion of cities into suburban areas
- Assisted in the spin of industries such as oil, gas & rubber production.
Vastly contributing to the economy.

Henry Ford chose to create his famous Model T car in Windsor, Ontario and
employed thousands of people, including people with physical disabilities. Robert Grey
oversaw the building of about 26,000 cars in the Chatham [Link] company was
important to the community as it provided employment for many. The cost of the Grey-
Dort automobile started at $1,465 in 1921. The average annual salary for Canadians in
the 1920s was approx. $1,200.

12. The Famous Five: By 1927, many women had the vote and could be elected to
the House of Commons, but no women had yet been appointed to the Senate.
Emily Murphy, an Alberta judge, was challenged on the basis of a law that
stated that “women were not persons in the matters of rights and privileges” and
therefore she could not hold the appointed office of judge, nor be appointed to any
other position in government, including senate. Murphy researched the law and
moved to challenge it by organising a group of like-minded women who would
become known as the Famous Five.
In 1929, the British Privy Council reversed the decision of the supreme
court that women were not persons according to the BNA act. Women were now
able to become senators. The first female senator was Caroline Wilson,
appointed in 1930.

13. Frederick Batlin: Frederick Banting was not a particularly strong student. His
high school marks were mediocre and he failed his first year of University. He
graduated from medical school during WWI. He tried to enlist, but was denied
twice due to his eyesight. After being accepted into the Army Medical Corps, he
served three years at the front. He won the Military Cross because he continued to
treat wounded soldiers for 16 hours despite being wounded himself. Diabetes is
when people have pancreas that does not produce enough insulin.
 The Dirty 30s - The Great Depression
1929 - 1939

14. The end of the roaring 20s: It was the time of social and economic change in
Canada. Allowed Canadians to afford new comfort in life. The economy was
strong and the Investors continued to take out loans from the bank and money
lenders in order to afford more stocks in multiple companies . The stock was
traded amongst people and sold at a higher price than they were bought. People
had the “get rich quick” mindset during the 1920s and so they took risks when
investing their money - many even “buying on margin” using borrowed money
from lenders.

15. Long term Economic Bad habits of the 1920s

A. Canada changed how they produced things
B. Changed who they traded with
C. Changed how they invested their money
D. Started buying on credit

16. Long Term Causes of The Great Depression:

A. Over producing goods: Canada was producing too much because stock
prices were high. The invention of the assembly line made work easy and
the expected demand for wheat and paper was much higher. Unsold items
were stored in warehouses and many factories had to close down until they
sold all their extra goods. They could not continue production with low
sales. Farmers had produced more wheat they could sell, less demand
means less money.

B. Resource based economy: Dependance on few natural resources because

Canada mostly sold wheat, fish, wood, beef e.t.c. After WWI, many global
economies were still recovering after the war and demand decreased.
Resulting in price decrease by 1927. To add to this, Canada experienced a
severe drought in the 1930s and the Western region of the country became
known as a dustbowl Goodbye wheat and beef. Countries were no longer
buying Canada’s resources.

C. Dependance on the United states: Before WWI, Canada’s largest trading

partner was Britain. After WWI, Canada’s trade with the USA grew and
grew until the USA became our biggest trading partner. When the stock
market crashed in the USA it was only a short amount of time before it hit
Canada’s stock market too. The US also introduced Tariffs (taxes) to
protect their own market from losing too much money. Other countries
followed their lead - slowed down global trade
 D. Buying Items on credit: Became popularised during the 20s because many
people believed in the mindset of “buy now” and “pay later”. People didn’t
actually own much of their stuff because they didn’t purchase them in full
and because of this many people were in debt. When the economy slowed
down and people began to lose their jobs, they couldn’t pay back their
loans. Banks and money lenders would cease their assets and many
Canadians were left with basically nothing.

17. The Multiplier Effect or Chain Reaction: 1920s prosperity was based to a large
extent on the sale of durable goods. Goods that are relatively expensive and don’t
wear out quickly, for example houses, cars, washing machines etc. Many of these
purchases were made on instalment plans for the first time. These purchases
created jobs for workers who built homes, cars, and the furniture and appliances
for these new homes and the steel and other materials used to make cars. More and
more jobs were created as businesses opened new plants and bought new
machinery to produce what consumers wanted. Governments build paved roads
for new cars and electric plants and water and sewage facilities for new
households.

There were lots of jobs and the profits workers made in all industries
allowed them to spend a lot of money, thus providing income to other workers -
income which they in turn spent to buy other goods and services. When one
person’s spending becomes another person’s spending, who in turn can spend
more and add to the income of others. The multiplier effect can happen in reverse.
Many economists agree that the great depression began with a recession caused by
a fall in spending.

18. Reverse Multiplier Effect: By the late 1920s. U.S business activity began to slow
down as the economy entered what began as a mild recession. Sales of homes and
new automobiles began to [Link] firms slowed their expansion of new
plants, causing workers who made a living building plants or producing machines
to lose their job.

19. Economic Cycle Recession: In the late 1920s, specifically around 1929 there was
a slow down in business activity. A slow down in business activity starts with a
fall in demand for durable goods. As durable goods wear out, prices fall due to
lower demand and some people begin to buy again and the economy is renewed.
That did not happen in the 1930s, instead it turned into a severe and long lasting
recession.
20. The Stock Market Crash: In 1929 the American stock market was at a peak, but
there were too many stocks in the market that were not being bought in time.
Banks and money lenders wanted the money they gave and investors did not have
the money. On Thursday October 24, 1929 thousands of stocks crashed because
there were no buyers and prices went down drastically. It only got worse on black
Tuesday October 29, 1929, when people realised that the stocks were not getting
better and they could not gain the money they lost. Many people panicked so they
started selling their stocks. The stock market that was once valuable became worth
less. It is the spark of the great depression

21. Essential vs Nonessential Questions:

Essential Questions
1. It is open ended
2. Thought provoking and intellectually engaging often sparking discussion
and debate
3. Calls for higher order thinking, such as analysis and inference
4. Points towards transferable ideas
5. Raises additional questions and sparks further inquiry
6. Requires support and justification
7. Recurs over time

22. Political Parties:

A. Liberal: The liberal party is one of the old parties, led by Mackenzie King.
The liberal party holds strong christian and family values. The liberal party
also promises a quick and effective response to the ongoing crisis in
Canada. The party leader, Mackenzie King, had faced some controversy
regarding a quote he said about not giving even 5 cents to provinces led by
conservatives. In response to this, he claims that the mess his opponent
(R.B Bennet) has made in Canada during his time as prime minister is
much worse than anything he has said.

Mackenzie calls out the relief camps that R.B Bennet enforced and
says it was made to distract from the unemployment crisis. He also says
that Bennet’s Tariffs have harmed Canada’s economy, according to him
they’ve destroyed businesses and corporations. The liberal party claims to
have a safety net to help people during tough [Link] the Liberal’s
party argument seems to be based on renewing the economy and putting a
stop to the damage made by conservatives.
B. Conservative: The conservative party is led by R.B Bennet and is one of
the old parties. The conservatives are highly against government handouts
and the dole because it destroys the economy. He claims to want to abolish
the system that enforces the dole and to do this he has enacted temporary
measures in the Unemployment Relief Act. This act is Bennet’s way of
trying to solve the problem of Depression. The conservative party claims to
be working on building work camps for single homeless men. Even so,
they believe that unemployment shouldn’t be a federal government problem
but a provincial and municipal government issue. The Conservative party
defends the tariffs they enforced by saying it will help renew industries
and jobs. They recognize that other countries ended up also using tariffs
that backfired on Canada and dried up their markets.

Media outlets have been mocking Bennet by calling cars that have
horses attached to them (to move because fuel is expensive) Bennett
Buggies and Bennett Blanket. They blame Bennett for the expensive gas
prices and the desperate situation they’ve had to put themselves in. Bennet
rebuttals this by saying he gives people cash when they write to him.
The conservative party mostly promises to add a new deal project
like that of President’s Roosevelts (president of THE USA). The new deal
has more government control and regulation. His party hopes to correct
faults in the system to prevent exploitation.

C. Union Nationale: The unione nationale is a new party led by Maurice

Duplessis. The union nationale party hopes to empower the French
Canadians and farmers. This party believes that agriculture is the backbone
of the country and supporting farmers will greatly benefit the country.
The Union nationale party plans on enacting laws to stop the spread
of communism in the country, because they believe that a threat to their
traditions is the trade union movement.

D. NDP: The NDP is a new party led by J.S Woodworth. He formed the
Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) to address the failures of
capitalism that led to the Great Depression. It advocates for socialism, with
public ownership of essential industries and financial institutions like
utilities, transportation, and communication systems, ensuring they operate
for the common good rather than profit. The 1933 Regina Manifesto
outlines a vision for a planned, socialized economy, reducing the power of
an elite minority of financiers and industrialists. The CCF aims to create a
welfare state with universal protections like pensions, health insurance,
unemployment benefits, and workers' compensation to benefit all members
of society.
 The CCF’s manifesto was basically an election platform. It called for
the nationalization of essential services and extensive government
intervention in the economy. Capitalism was presented as the cause of the
Great Depression, and all of life’s ills, in this political cartoon.

E. Social Credit Party: The social credit party is a new party led by Willaim
Albhert. The "Voice of the Prairie" radio show launched a career in
politics advocating for Social Credit principles. It argues that the
Depression was caused by banks hoarding money instead of circulating it.
The proposed Social Credit Party plans to give every Albertan $25 monthly
to boost spending and revitalize the economy. The idea is that economic
hardship stems from under-consumption, not overproduction. Social
dividends would help stimulate the economy and support struggling farmers
reliant on borrowed funds.

The Social Credit Party aimed to combat economic stagnation during

the Depression by addressing under-consumption. It proposed giving every
Albertan $25 per month to increase spending and stimulate the economy.
The party sought to challenge banks for hoarding money, ensuring it was
distributed to the people, and focused on supporting farmers burdened by
debt, helping them sustain their businesses.

F. Communist Party: The Communist Party was a new party led by Tim
Buck. The party blamed capitalism for the hardships of the Great
Depression, including unemployment, poverty, and inequality. The party
advocated for a workers' revolution to overthrow democratic governments
tied to capitalism and replace them with a communist system. This system
would abolish private ownership of businesses and property, ensuring
equality and a government run by and for workers. The party accused big
businesses and banks of exploiting the poor and being responsible for the
economic collapse, while condemning Prime Minister Bennett for
suppressing their movement through arrests. They called for global worker
solidarity to achieve revolution.

23. Bennet’s new deal: In January 1935, Bennet made a last ditch effort to save his
campaign by starting a series of live radio speeches outlining a New deal for
Canada. Bennet promised:
A. Progressive taxation system
B. A maximum work week, down to 48 from 60 hrs
C. A minimum wage
D. Closer regulation of working conditions
E. Unemployment insurance
F. Health and accident insurance
 G. A revised old age pension
H. Agricultural support program and regulate wheat prices.

But Bennet’s last ditch effort was known as an 11th hour (meaning too late)
proposal. The Liberals slogan was “vote king or vote for chaos”. Bennet lost the 1935
election to Willaim Lyon Mackenzie King and the Liberals.

24. The main reasons Bennet lost:

A. Bennet’s Background: RB Bennet was born to a New Brunswick family.
He was a millionaire lawyer, who spent most of his time living in the
Palliser Hotel in Calgary and the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa. Many
Canadians saw that he couldn’t relate to the less fortunate and that’s why
his response to the depression was weak.

B. Bennet’s Leadership style: Bennet Leadership style meant that he did not
listen to anyone but himself. There were cartoons made for Bennet that
showed him talking to multiple versions of himself, showing how he didn’t
pay attention to anyone's ideas but himself.

C. Relief Camp falls: In October 1932, at the end of the third year of the
depression Bennet created relief camps to house and provide work for
single, unemployed and homeless men. Men would work long excruciating
hours and get little pay at the camps with poor living conditions.
In 1935, the relief camp workers created a union to confront Bennet
called the “On-to Ottawa Trek”. He ordered the strike to be stopped in
Regina, agreeing to meet only the trek leaders. After the meeting, nothing
changed and the RCMP clashed with the trekkers, resulting in violence and
the death of one police officer and hundreds of injuries.

Test Highlights & Priority Info

1. 1920s & 1930s overall
2. Political Parties
3. The group of seven
4. Exclude case studies (e.g the inuit trapper stuff)
5. 15 matching questions, true & false + define & state the significance (5 things to
choos & 10 options)
- Example of last written part, e. stock market crash, Fredrick Banton,
socialism, head tax.
6. Four causes of the great depression