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Great depression in canada
Essays on the social, political, and economic effects the depression had on canada
Great depression in canada
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The Great Depression in Canada was one of the lowest points in Canadian history. There were political, social, and economic consequences that still affect Canada to this day. Many attempts were made to try to fix problems that the depression delivered, including work camps, the creation of welfare and social insurance programs, and land settlement. Neither William Mackenzie or Richard Bennett were capable of solving the dilemma, and ultimately only World War II was able to put an end to the depression era. Even though the government made many efforts to improve the situation, almost all of these attempts were proven to be futile.
Before the Depression, Canada’s economy was booming. The United States was investing with branch plants and industries
Hollingsworth and Tyyska discuss the employment of women in their article, both wage work and work performed outside of the “paid labour force.” (14). They also look at work discrimination of women based on gender and marital status. They argue that disapproval of married women working for wages during the Depression was expressed not only by those in position of power, such as politicians, but also by the general public and labour unions. They suggest that the number of women in the workforce increased as more young wives stayed working until the birth of their first child and older women entered the workforce in response to depression based deprivation. Hollingsworth and Tyyska also give examples of work that married women did that was an extension of their domestic duties such as babysitting for working mothers or taking in laundry. They also state that some women took in boarders, sold extra produce from gardens, or ran make-shift restaurant operations out of their homes.
Canada was a new world society, with a developing farm frontier. 3) There was a working class political pressure. 3 Dependence on foreign trade of wheat contributed to Canada's main cause of the Great Depression. The Weather in the Prairies greatly contributed to the disastrous effects which took place upon the Prairies during the 1930's.
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.
Before the war, Canada’s most important sector in its economy was agriculture. However, this was changing drastically after and during the war as industry began to take over as being more important. Canadian production of war material, food supplies, and raw materials had been crucial during the war. After the war, it was only natural that big investments were being made in mining, production, transportation, and services industries. Canadian cities were becoming very important contributors to the economy. This was also bringing in waves of post-war immigration, the backbone of Canada’s multicultural society we know today.
... the American economy for trade rather than their own country. The shift to a national highway in Canada supported trade and the economy in giving motorists the ability to travel through Canada without having to leave like which had to be done in previous years.
Ending in 1939, it had also stopped the priority of an economy based on raw materials and opened up new opportunities. As the Canadian historian James Gray remarked, the Great Depression “brought out more of the best than it did the worst in people,” offering a reminder
The economic progress Canada made after the war lead to the growth of the country. New industries emerged from innovations of products like automobiles, radios, television, digital computers and electric typewriters (Aitken et al., 315). Canadians quickly adapted back to the “buy now, pay later” strategy rather than careful budgeting during the Great Depression (Liverant). Almost everything that Canadians did was influenced from new inventions; television was the most influential. Canadians conversations, humour, and lifestyle were influenced from television (Aitken et al., 315). Trade relations between the United States and Canada had become more efficient due to the St. Lawrence Seaway. The mass development of the St. Lawrence Seaway, in 1954, was to provide a large wate...
The baby boom generation’s first memorable contribution to Canada was to raise the Canadian economy to a higher stage with the emergence of greater number of people with varying abilities. With the sudden increase in the population, more demands for more products and services were undoubtedly created, helping the economy to strive forward and advance Canada to be competitive in the global market. Before the baby boom period, Canada was suffering from the aftermath of the Great Depression. There was a lack of jobs and people did not have the sufficient funds to spend on any extra luxuries and this created a vicious cycle of economic crisis. However, due to thou...
...oss national product dropped 40%, 30% of the labour force was out of work, one fifth of the population became dependent on government assistance and wages fell. The close trade bonds and economic reliancy made Canada go into a downward spiral of economic distress.
The Great Depression was a period, which seemed to go out of control. The crashing of the stock markets left most Canadians unemployed and in debt, prairie farmers suffered immensely with the inability to produce valuable crops, and the Canadian Government and World War II became influential factors in the ending of the Great Depression.
Many Canadians thought the depression was brought about by the wheat crop crash and not the stock market crash because many Canadians and farmers were dependent on the growth of wheat because it made up a majority of their exports, but seeing as the wheat provinces were hit with a severe drought the wheat crops crashed leaving many farmers out of jobs and money, causing a great affect on Canada. The causes of the great depression were due to over-production and over-expansion because Canadian companies expanded their industries of goods so that they could generate more profits. Yet economic activity shrank in the late 20’s and companies were left with a heavier debt and lack of...
In conclusion, every single event that took place during the Great Depression made it that much bigger and ‘great’; no matter if it was political, social, or economic. In economics, it was the Stock Market Crash and the drought that caused the Depression; in politics, it was the rivalry between Bennett and King; and in society, it was the unemployment rates and the Regina Riot. With all these factors the Great Depression really does deserve the original name it was given. From all these events, we can learn a lot about how to prevent such a big event from happening again like so many events do. The word ‘great’ really is perfect in describing the Great Depression.
When the Great Depression occurred right around 1930, William Lyon Mackenzie King and his government did not respond strongly . Although the depression was evidently obvious, King believed that the economic crisis was temporarily and only patience was needed to overcome it . It took a while for King to realize how the depression was affecting the politics . King believed that welfare was a provincial responsibility and no one else’s . During the depression, all provinces wanted to increase the tax in Ottawa, but he did not understand the concept of it since other provinces were going to use the tax for themselves. King thought that it was necessary for the provinces to take initiative and increase their taxes . As the depression hit rock bottom many Canadians were unemployed. As Canada was changing right in front of his eyes, King’s perspectives did not show change. In one of his speeches he declared, “I submit that there is not evidence in Canada today of an emergency situation which demands anything of that kind” . King did not face with depression in the most orderly matter but he was a great Liberal leader, he kept the Liberals together when the Conservatives were falling apart and new political parties were developed to compete for the votes . During the depression, King held an election that was one of the most important events that occurred in...
...l deficit and Bennett cut back on government spending. A great burden on the country was Canadian National Railway, the government had to take over many railways and from that took in a debt of over two billion dollars. After seeing president Roosevelt's New Deal policy having good results in the U.S. Bennett introduced policies based on the New Deal. Bennett started up minimum wage and unemployment insurance. However Bennetts attempts to revive the economy were not nearly as successful as Roosevelt's. as a result the depression was worse in Canada than in the U.S., and this led to the defeat of Bennett in the 1935 election to liberal Mackenzie King. Like in the U.S. the Great Depression did not end until the outbreak of the second world war. A boost in the economy was created by a strong demand of Canadian goods in Europe and an increase of government spending.(ibid)
The investigation will focus on “To what extent did the Great Depression lead to social reform in Canada”? The investigation can be analyzed by short term, immediate, and long term social change. Author and historian, Michiel Horn states “the Depression of the 1930’s still ranks as the most disastrous decade of the century” as the economic downswing starting in 1929 was an unforeseen change that left a significant impact on the Canadian population. Once the Depression struck, in the short term aspect, relief was necessary for numerous families as 50% of Canadian were at or below the poverty line. Relief camps were established to keep troubled men away from urban areas, and unions such as “Relief Camps Workers Union” were constructed to communicate