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Prohibition
In the early 1900s, prohibition, or abstinence of alcohol, was gaining public approval. Many of society's issues like domestic violence, poverty, and crime were blamed on alcohol. People started campaigning for prohibition including the famous five that fought for women's suffrage. In 1918, the government passed prohibition as part of the War Measures Act. The ban ended in 1921 when governments realized they were losing out on a lot of money from alcohol taxes. -
Spanish Flu
Since we weren't as knowledgeable about disease back then, we don't know exactly how the Spanish flu started in 1918. It spread through the war trenches very quickly. Many soldiers also brought it back to their home countries when they returned home after the war. Some historians think as many as 50 million people died including more than 50 000 Canadians. -
Suffrage
The suffrage movement in Canada had started in the 1870s, but in the early 1900s, female leaders continued to fight for women's right to vote. The movement also included fighting for further rights like being able to have a political office, being able to be a judge, and being able to hold the position of Senator. It paid off when Prime Minister Rover Borden's government granted all white women the right to vote on May 24, 1918, as part of the "Act to confer the Electoral Franchise upon Women." -
Immigration Act
After the war, soldiers came home and unemployment increased. The government passed the Immigration Act in 1919. it excluded immigration from countries that sided with the Central Powers, people who were illiterate, people who were communist or socialist. Canada also didn't have a refugee status of immigration which meant that refugees went through the same process as any other immigrant. Canada instead promoted the immigration of British people, white Americans, and those who were good farmers. -
The Winnipeg General Strike
After WW1, the idea of unions became increasingly popular. On May 1, 1919, members of the Winnipeg building trade unions went on strike because they wanted higher wages. Each day they were joined by more people like factory workers, firefighters, and police officers. This went on until a total of 30 000 workers were striking. -
Bloody Saturday
Soon committees formed to oppose the strikers. Politicians and businessmen that were apart of the Citizens' Committee persuaded people that strikers were communists trying to overthrow the government. The Federal government, afraid of a revolution, called in the RNWMP and 1800 police to keep order. On June 17, the RNWMP charged on horseback into a crowd of strikers that was turning violent. 100 people were injured and one worker died. This is known as Bloody Saturday. -
Residential Schools
In order to assimilate the First Nations people and create a country without the problems of First Nations people, residential schools were created to educate and assimilate the First Nations children. In 1920, the government modified the Indian Act requiring all children ages seven to fifteen to attend school. Many teachers were harsh or even cruel. The children weren't allowed to speak their language or practice their religion. Some children suffered physical and even sexual abuse. -
Insulin
In the 1920s, people knew little about diabetes, and it often proved fatal. Frederick Banting was a doctor from Ontario. He believed that diabetes could be treated with insulin injections. With the help of Charles Best, Banting researched his theory until he thought he was ready. In January 1922 he successfully injected insulin into a 14-year-old boy who lived until his late twenties where he died of another illness. Banting was awarded a Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1923. -
Child Labour Laws
In the late 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, there was a rise in child labour in Canada. More children were finding jobs in factories and mines. Social reformers started trying to change this. They thought that children should be in school. By 1929, most provinces had passed laws that didn't allow children below the age of fourteen from working in mines and factories. They had to attend school instead. -
Crop Failure
In 1929, a terrible drought hit the prairies that lasted for nearly 10 years. The crops dried up and the soil turned to dust. The wind came and blew the dusty soil away. Dust storms would occur which gave some areas of Alberta and Saskatchewan the nick-name "Dust Bowl" Many people were forced to abandon their farms at this time. -
Black Tuesday
There were many underlying issues that led up to the great depression in Canada. Weak economies, high tariffs, having all your economic eggs in one basket with no alternative, and overused credit. Altogether these things led to Black Tuesday, October 29, 1929, when the stock market crashed. Stocks lost all value and many people went very poor as a result. -
The Rise of Fascism in Germany
There were many factors at play in Germany that led to fascism. The democratic system in place was new and weak. The economy was also suffering from the Great Depression and the reparations imposed by the Treaty of Versailles. In their desperation, the people turned to Hitler, a public figure who appeared to be a good leader, but quickly turned the democracy into a fascist dictatorship. Hitler gained a Nazi government majority in an election held in February, 1933. -
The On-to-Ottawa Trek
In the 1930s, a lot of unmarried men were riding trains across the country looking for work. Men were working in the relief camps in British Columbia but were paid very little. They started to walk out on their jobs and demand more pay and better conditions. Many men decided to meet in Vancouver and then take their case to Ottawa to protest at parliament. In April 1935, Eventually, over 1500 men were Vancouver holding rallies. They continued moving East towards Ottawa. -
The Regina Riot
By June 14, 1935, 2000 of the trekkers had come to Regina, Saskatchewan. The Prime Minister, Bennet, didn't want the trekkers to go all the way to Ottawa, so he had a meeting with the leaders. The meeting didn't solve anything. On July 1, at a trekker meeting in Regina's Market Square, the police attacked the crowd. A riot broke out chaos ensued. When order was restored one officer was dead and many people were injured. The trekkers were sent back home. -
The St. Louis
With the rise of Hitler came antisemitism in Germany. In 1939, the St. Louis sailed from Germany to North America. It was filled with Jews escaping Germany. They intended to find asylum in Cuba, but they weren't allowed to enter. The Jews requested to enter America and Canada but they were denied entry to both countries. The ship was forced to return to Europe. More than 500 of the Jews on the ship ended up being recaptured in other parts of Europe and being placed in concentration camps.
