politics Post WWIavailable online @ msbeenen.wikispaces.com

Political ChangeBorden resigned due to poor healthy after WWI

Arthur Meighen becomes the leader of the Conservatives and Canada’s 9th Prime Minister

MacKenzie King and Meighen dominate politics in the 1920’s

They were not fans of each other.

William Lyon Mackenzie King

Liberal

Reformer

Conciliatory

Always looking for the middle path that would offend the least number of people

Gets elected in 1921

Liberals won 118 seats

Conservatives 48 seats

Progressives won 59 seats

wins 1925 election with a slim minority government > coalition with Progressives

William Lyon

Mackenzie King

Arthur MeighenConservative

Principles > Compromise

Didn’t care about offending people over his stance on certain issues.

Helped draft Military Service Act > conscription

Authored War Measures Act which allowed Cabinet to govern by decree

1919, Meighen crushes the Winnipeg General Strike

1920> recession hit, pitted against wide range of groups (workers, immigrants etc)

Arthur Meighen

King-Byng Affair

1926: Conservatives accuse Mackenzie King of taking bribes from rumrunners who were smuggling alcohol into the U.S

Liberal Party loses a lot of support and coalition government fails.

King asks Governor General Byng to dissolve parliament and call an election.

King-Byng (Cont.)

Byng refuses and makes Meighen’s conservatives government.

Within days his government is defeated and an election is called

King resigns

1926> King wins the election and promises to loosen ties with Britain

British appointed governor generals will never again over ride a Canadian Prime Minister

Balfour Report

1926> meeting of Imperial leaders create a document called the Balfour report that declares that dominions are equal status to the UK

British Commonwealth of Nations

Report made official by the Statue of Westminster

British Commonwealth of Nations

noteworthy events

Inventions and Discoveries

Insulin: Banting and Best develop insulin; 1922 injected a diabetic boy with insulin and he improves immediately

Idea is sold to U of T for $1, they license it and sell it to drug companies to make millions!

Pablum: Fredrick Tisdall, Theodore Drake and Alan Brown develop Pablum; a ready to use cereal for babies

Helps prevent infant mortality

Airplanes and Air Travel

Developed slowly in the 1920’s

1939 overseas mail is being delivered across Canada by plane

Trans Canada airlines created in 1930s

AutomobileCars increase greatly in Canada

407 064 in 1920 to 1,239, 889 1930

Model T first production car cost $424

Changes the landscape: roads, gas stations, parking lots etc

Traffic jams, collisions and air pollution become a problem

People drive to work, suburbs crop up

Licences required in 1927

Radio and Telephone

Rotary dials and combined headsets arrive

Long distance networks are created

Rules regarding conversations exist

Radio: Canadian signals are very weak, 40% Canadians only recieve American stations

1928: William Lyon Mackenzie King creates Royal Commission, found that broadcasting should be publicly owned

Bennet creates CBC in 1932

Class Task

Use this time to research your 1920’s character and get into groups for your presentations.

When picking groups remember to pick people you know will contribute.