The 20's and 30's Flashcards
Define and Give the Significance of: Inflation
a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services in an economy over a period of time. Since the price rises, each dollar buys fewer things so the purchasing power per dollar is reduced. It is significant because manufactures were profiteering and workers couldn’t strike because of wartime legislation so the wages of workers didn’t meet the inflation rate and the cost of living. This left Canadians unable to purchase basic necessitates and being pushed into poverty
Define and Give the Significance of:OBU (one big union)
a huge union made of multiple smaller unions who fought for better working conditions and for power to be transitioned to the Union and its workers. It is significant because politicians and industrialists thought it was a threat to Canada’s society and it was the beginning of the formation and power of unions which changed how many industries functioned.
Define and Give the Significance of: the Winnipeg General Strike (1919)
a major strike in Winnipeg involving 30,000 union and non-union workers walking off the job. Police were asked by the union to stay on the job and later food producers went back to work to make food ot eat. It is significant because the provincial government thought the Union had revolutionary control over factory workers and the city so they responded by friring all the police (because they were too sympathetic) and they had industrialists and business leaders run essential services for the city and they were also given authority to enforce the law. This also sparked the idea of revolution and overthrown governments in government workers so gunnery and police were increased.
Define and Give the Significance of: Transients
poeple with little comunity roots and were not scared or intimidated by the government. They also had nobody who relied on them so being arrested didnt scare them. It is significant because th government felt threatened by them becasue they were finding extreme ways to express their frustration so the government put all transients who were single and unemployed and put them into isolated camps. This brought many people with the same extreme ways of thinking together to make more plans.
Define and Give the Significance of: Autoworkers Strike (Oshawa 1928)
a strike by the autoworkers against general motors and the anti-labor Premier Hepburn. It is significant because it inspired other workers across the nation to try to make change in their company. Since workers all over the country were often facing the same dilemmas, the strike showed them there was a possibility of getting what they want.
Define and Give the Significance of: The Alberta 5
a group of women (Emily Murphy, Nellie McClung, Louise McKinney, Irene Parlby and Hentrietta Muir) who worked towards womens rights and were often willing to take their fights to court. They are significant because they gained women the right to become senate and took cases all the way to England so women would be considered “persons” and were able to be included in all public offices.
Define and Give the Significance of: Immigration Act of 1919
an act that outlined all the things that were undesirable in an immigrant so that they could be assimilated. People with peculiar customs, language and habits were seen as undesirable. It is significant because it lead to racism in Canada and the idea that people are in a heirarchy.
Define and Give the Significance of: Assimilation
The process through which people from foreign backgrounds are forced to become part of the beliefs of the country they are joining. This is significant because it lead to racism and discrimination as well as very unhappy immigrants who were worried about their decision to join the country
Define and Give the Significance of: the William’s Treaty
a treaty created to “clean up” faulty land agreements that resulted in Aboriginal people recieving cash in exchange for land with no rights to fish or trap on this land. This is significant because it made the Aboriginals fearful because they realized that the government was not interested in preserving their way of life. This started a series of banings from cultural cerimonies until 1951 which is a debt Canada is still paying.
Define and Give the Significance of: Back Tuesday
occurred Oct 29, 1929 and it was the first day that the stock markets crashed. It is significant because it was the first sign that an economic crash was coming and many people just ignored it making the effects of the great depression worse
Define and Give the Significance of: Rum-running
taking Canadian liquor ad smuggling it across the border into the U.S. It is significant because it became an easy and rewarding thing to do to make good money. As they came up with new schemes so little was lost and few men were caught, it became more popular and well paying business.
Define and Give the Significance of: The Dionne Quintuplets
they were the first set if quintuplets to be born and successfully live. They were born during the great depression and were taken in by the Ontario government because their parents were seen as “unfit.” They are significant because they were a popular attraction and distraction from the issues of the depression. They were also used like zoo animals by the government so people paid money to watch the girls play. Because of this poor treatment, they were later paid by the Ontario government.
Define and Give the Significance of: Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
a political party formed to support Canadians who were unhappy with the current state of affairs. They wanted the public to have ownership of key industries and a minimum wage set. They wanted a welfare state wjere nobody would go homeless or hungry and often consisted of farmers, labourers, socialists, intellectuals and unhappy liberals. They are significant becasue their leader, J.S. Woodsworth thought that the solution to the Great Depression was for the government to spend money onpublic workers to create jobs and employment.
Define and Give the Significance of: Social Credit Party
a political group that belieed in the theory of socialcredit where if the government released money into the economy, people could spend it to help streghten the economy. This is signnificant becasue their leader, William “Bible Bill” Aberhart thought that the solution to the great depression was to give each citizen a dividend of $25/month for baisic necessities (he called it a prosperity certificate).
Define and Give the Significance of: Union Nationale
a nationalist French-Canadian party who thought that the English minority in Quebec caused all the economic and social problems. They were significant because their leader, Maurice Duplesis’s solution to the great depression was to blame and point the finger at the English minority.
