How Did The 1920s Affect Canada

Without a doubt, the 1920s were a period of great change and a source of pride for millions of Canadians all over Canada. The aftermath of World War I had lead Canada to develop a national identity rather than a colony of Britain, expand its economy to a greater extent, and revolutionize its technology.1 Of the countless Canadian innovations in the “roaring twenties”, the three most significant changes are the medical advances, the telephone, and the Model T car.
By the 1920s, diabetes was considered a global epidemic, affecting people across the globe. Scientists unanimously agreed that diabetes was “the failure of the pancreas to secrete enough of a certain mysterious substance necessary for the proper utilization of carbohydrates as a body fuel.”2 This had stumped scientists for years, and no sufficient cure or treatment had been found. However, in 1921, Toronto doctor Frederick Banting, assisted by J. Macleod, Charles Best, and Dr. J.B Collip successfully created insulin, which was subsequently tested on dogs with diabetes before experimenting on the first human, Leonard Thompson in

1922. The Nobel prize for medicine was awarded to Banting and Macleod in 19233 for their immense contribution and assistance to people all around the world with diabetes. Because of this new liquid, thousands of lives worldwide were saved, and Canadian patriotism had been greatly strengthened by this discovery.
Alexander Graham Bell, a Scottish scientist, and engineer invented the first telephone in 1876.4 Canada, however, had not incorporated the telephone as an official means of communication until the 1920s. Surprisingly, only 1 in 4 families had a telephone in 1920, but this number had increased to 3 in 4 families by the end of 19295. The mass production of the telephone had caused families all around Canada to now have access to a telephone. This offered much easier long distance communication which benefits Canadians to this very day. The telephone had brought Canadians closer together, and as it has such a prominent role in many people’s lives, the telephone had become a part of many Canadians’ lives, and for this reason, it is recognized as one of Canada’s biggest advancements of the twentieth century.
Besides the telephone, there is another device mass produced in the 1920s which is still used today and offers much convenience to all using it, the automobile.6 In 1908, American Industrialist Henry Ford had built the Model T, a car that took less time to make then previous models and was more affordable.7Because of this mass production, Canadian culture and lives had changed to incorporate cars.

Roads had been paved, parking lots and filling stations had drastically increased in number, and millions of new jobs had been created in Canada8, impacting, for the better, lives all across North America. No longer was travel, like communication, an issue for Canadians. Instead of having to walk or take public transportation, purchasing a car was the obvious and more efficient solution. This invention had impacted Canadian lives and would continue to impact them until

today.
Overall, the 1920s were a period of great development for Canadians in shaping culture, transportation, communication, and much more. The impacts of insulin, the telephone, and the Model T automobile made the greatest changes to Canadian society in the “roaring twenties”, changes that exist to this current day. As a result of these three innovations, lives were both saved and changed for the better, jobs were created, a culture was shaped and an identity was created for Canada, which is why these years were aptly named the “roaring twenties”.