PROBLEMS FACING POST-WAR CANADA

Canadian History 1201

THE ROARING 20S

This was a time of glamour and prosperity for many

There was “hot jazz”, dance halls, movies, radios and cars

It looked as though people were making up for the misery of war by enjoying themselves as much as possible

By the late 1920s, over half of Canadians lived in industrial, urban centres

THE ROARING 20S

More Canadians had money to spend on consumer goods

Northern Canada began to open up

The Union Government was still in power

New political ideas were beginning across the country

THE ROARING 20S

Unions and protest parties began to take ahold of the political landscape

There was a new generation of female voters making an impact

Canada was still part of the British Empire But the country was becoming increasingly

independent

UNEMPLOYMENT

War materials were no longer needed so factories cut back on production so workers lost their jobs Munitions factories all closed down

Other industries slowed down and resulted in layoffs i.e. Steel, Cloth, Wood

Returning soldiers couldn’t find work

UNEMPLOYMENT

Women were forced back into the home so men could get jobs

Veterans were unemployed and bitter They felt that the country owed them a chance to

make an honest living They were upset that businesses made a profit off

the war while they were risking their lives in Europe

INFLATION

The government removed the price controls that were in place during the war so prices of goods skyrocketed

The cost of food, fuel, rent and clothing was going up Housing was scarce and costly; rent was high

The price of many things had doubled from 1914-1919

Even those that were working were unable to buy necessities

WORKING CONDITIONS

Some construction workers had to work 16 hours a day

Working conditions were dangerous i.e. Many miners were killed on the job

Wages did not keep pace with inflation

People were always afraid of losing their jobs

TRADE UNIONS FORMED

Unions were created A group of workers who join together to get

improvements in their wages, work hours and working conditions

One Big Union believed society was a class struggle with workers on one side and business people on the other

OBU encouraged workers to participate in a General Strike in order to control industries

TRADE UNIONS FORMED

If workers and the employers could not reach an agreement, unions could call a strike to force employers to accept the union demands

A lockout was sometimes used by employers to force union workers to agree to their demands

Some employers refused to deal with unions

PROHIBITION

Started in 1916-1917 in Canada and made the production and sale of alcohol illegal

Started partly by the Women’s Christian Temperance Union who believed that the grain used in alcohol should be used to feed soldiers and civilians

The government lost millions in potential taxes as the sale of alcohol went “underground”

PROHIBITION

PROHIBITION

Bootleg Booze was available to anyone that had cash Illegal liquor made and sold by organized

bootleggers

Speakeasies opened in homes and businesses Secretive private, elegant bars

Prohibition was impossible to enforce

PROHIBITION

PROHIBITION

PROHIBITION

Rumrunners (people who sold liquor to the U.S. across the Quebec border) got rich Rocco Perri in Canada and Al Capone in the U.S.