Introduction Canadian economic history is often taken as an obscure and comprehensive subject. From the time Canada was a colony of Great Britain, to the official proclamation of the confederation on July 1st 1867, Canada adopted many economic ideologies that established Canada as developed nation. Mercantilism is one of many of the earliest theories that the Canadian economic system adapted from the Great Britain. According to Dyer, “Mercantilist system relied on trade with the colonies to supply the mother country with raw materials, where the end goal was a trade surplus and accumulate a treasury that was used to fight wars with one another.” As history progressed, Canada was shaping up to be independent state and incorporated new ideologies during the transition. Corporatism is one of many theories that Canada adopted and transitioned to fit within its framework after Mercantilism. Corporatism was a reaction against the social and political thought of capitalism and political conflict between classes. The transition from a mercantilist school of thought to corporatism paved the economic history of Canada to what it is today. One could still see the path of this transition by assessing the path dependency of the oldest corporation in Canada. Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) was founded in the late 17th century. It was largely a fur trading operation through the idea of monopoly. HBC was founded upon the principles of Mercantilism with the guidance of British ideologies. As Canada transitioned towards an independent and self-sustaining state, companies such as HBC transitioned their company’s ideologies accordingly. This paper will focus on how HBC has fit into a mercantilist framework and how over time it has developed into a so... ... middle of paper ... ...han a mercantile operation. This is evident through the rise of competition in the market, which prompted HBC to change to a corporative framework to carry out its operations. Furthermore, decreasing demand and supply of fur was weakening HBC. Focusing on other goods, rather than fur indicated that the company was reforming from its mercantile philosophy and exploiting other markets through a corporative framework. Lastly, the mercantile management was another declining factor to HBC’s operations. Leaders like George Simpson advocated a corporate management style so that it does not contradict with current Canadian economic environment. On the whole, it was important for HBC to transition to a complex corporate framework in order to survive through the transition. This transition initially progressed Canada towards the confederation and made its own stand globally.
Canada became increasingly autonomous throughout the 1920's and 1930's. Being established officially as a nation apart from Britain certainly helped, but there were more than just official pieces of paper at play. The negotiation of the Halibut treaty was a large push towards become an autonomous nation from Britain. The final push were the seats Canada was given at various significant events.
To draw a conclusion it is inevitable to highlight the significance change not only to Canada´s self-understanding, but also in the world´s appearance that the Statute of Westminster caused. It was the last of the Imperial Acts of the Parliament of Great Britain applicable to all dominions and therefore it marks the end of the great, superordinate British Empire which was one of the major forces throughout many centuries in history. Even though the Commonwealth technically remains, new autonomous countries were finally able to be more than just an extension of the the mother-country. Thus, many of them became remarkable powers with an own identity and own intentions on the world stage themselves, such as the country we live in, Canada.
The result of the Second World War fundamentally changed Canada and its economy started booming. There are many reasons for this change and if you remember, World War I also made a big impact on the development of Canada. However, in the next few paragraphs I will talk about how Canada gained much more respect and autonomy from the Second World War than ever before and also the change from a country into an industrialized nation.
The history of Canada was flooded with many influential and incredible events, particularly during World War 1 and World War 2. During the 20th century, Canada got more involved in worldwide events. It was a very important period for Canada; it was where they gained their independence and progressed as a country. After this century, Canada was considered an important and powerful country.
Newman, Garfield et al. Canada A Nation Unfolding. Toronto: Mc Graw – Hill Ryerson Limited, 2000.
Stevenson, Garth. "Canadian Federalism: The Myth of the Status Quo." Reinventing Canada: Politics of the 21st Century. Ed. M. Janine Brodie and Linda Trimble. Toronto: Prentice Hall, 2003. 204-14. Print.
The 1920's and into the 1930's was when Canada began to be more indepenant by slowly cutting ties with Britian, but lost its new found indepence by being swayed by America. Canada was influenced with its inventions, cultural trends, and economics. Canada adopted many of America's inventions into their homes, along with their cultural trends through entertainment and way of life. Also, Canada was economically dependent on America. Overall, Canada was influenced throughout the 1920's that by 1929, Canada became very similar to America.
It was once stated by F.R.Scott “ There are two miracles in canadian history. The first is the survival of French Canada, and the second is the survival of Canada.” His quote came to reality as of Canada grew to be a stable and secure country where everyone would want to be. Yet to accomplish this, many obstacles and events occurred such as the Spanish Succession war in 1713 , the seven years war in 1763, the constitutional act in 1791 and finally the Act of Union in 1841. First in 1713, the Spanish Succession war occurred where the British took control of Acadia. Soon after that, in 1763 the Seven Years War ended where the British took over New France and was later renamed British North America. Before the British most of the colonies were
Thompson, John Herd, and Mark Paul Richard. "Canadian History in North American Context." In Canadian studies in the new millennium. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008. 37-64.
Two history texts by Bumstead and Silver will be considered. The manner in which they organize Canadian history into logical and comprehensive periods will be taken into account. Each text establishes a chronological framework and within this, creates historical periods. Each period is intended to represent as logically as possible, the major cultural inclinations, political and social events, and thematic trends occurring within that period. Bumstead and Silver outline several broad periods, then delve into each period with a precise focus. Silver has a social focus within each period, and Bumstead has a thematic focus.
The confederation of Canada, a process which took over a century long, with many notable events and people who were involved in forming what we know as Canada today. The confederation all started in 1763, with The Royal Proclamation. Britain decided that pacifying First nation was the best alternative to a costlier war. This proclamation created a boundary between the First Nations and the British Colonies. In the next 50 years or so, the Quebec Act, which revoked the Royal Proclamation, and Treaty of Paris, which recognized British North America to independently exist, and the Constitutional Act, happened. Although these were major events in Canada’s history, The War of 1812, was one of the most notable events that lead to Canada’s Confederation.
In the year of 1867 the nation we know as Canada came into being. The Confederation in this year only came about after things had been overcome. Many political and economic pressures were exerted on the colonies and a federal union of the colonies seemed to be the most practical method of dealing with these pressures and conflicts. While Confederation was a solution to many of the problems, it was not a popular one for all the colonies involved. In the Maritime colonies views differed widely on the topic. Some were doubtful, some were pleased, others were annoyed and many were hopeful for a prosperous future.1
Newfoundland joined Canada in 1949, making it the most recent province to became part of the country. Some historians argue that the delay is diffcult to understand, since Newfoundland had the chance to enter into Canada in 1867. This paper explores why Newfoundland did not join Confederation in 1867 and remained an independent political entitiy. In was not in their best interest given the overarching political debacle which unfolded between the colony’s Conservatives and Liberals. The decision to remain an independent political entitiy or join the federal govenrment was hindered by opposing poltical views. Despite having two men, known today as the Fathers of Confederation, at the Quebec Conference who supported the idea of union, Newfoundland itself did not. A general election to decide the fate of the colony resulted in ongoing dissatisfaction with the idea of joining the new dominion. The question of higher taxation and terrifies that would hinder the success of the colony was a risk people were not yet ready to take. Most of Newfoundland’s core industries began to suffer and fall apart, while the colonies government continued to disagree, despite a concerted effort made by Canadian officials to have them join the larger nation.
Canadians were frustrating, wonderful, and hard. Soldiers returning from the war expected jobs, but were faced with unemployment, inflation and strikes. Inflation had doubled the cost of living where wages had not and those fortunate to be employed still faced immense financial difficulty. Many people joined unions for better pay and working conditions, 1919 saw the most strikes at a staggering three hundred and six, people were angry and discontented. The 1920s were a time of crime corruption and extreme poverty, yet by mid era difficult conditions began to improve. Foreign investors gained confidence in Canada and as a result new industries were developed, The twenties really did 'roar' and with this boom of change Canada underwent the transformation that was the gateway to the future.
Mckinney, Joseph. "US-Canadian Economic Relations, Twenty Years after the USA-Canada Free Trade Agreement." British Journal of Canadian Studies 23 (2010): 233-246.