World war 2 Flashcards
All lessons combined
What was “too much” in the great depression
Too much…
- Margin buying (using credit to purchase)
- Production of goods ( especially wheat & newspaper)
- American Influence( when their economy suffered, so did ours)
What was “not enough” in the great depression
Not enough…
- Wages for workers
- Protection for savings
When did the stock market crash
October 28, 1929, was when values of shares on the Toronto stock exchange fell by $1 million per minute
What is “Black Tuesday”
-The next day of the stock market crash (October 29, 1929) was when “Black Tuesday” happened stock exchange in New York, Montreal and Toronto continued to plummet.
What was the impact of “Black Tuesday” and the stock market plummeting
-This created an economic disaster that would last through the 1930’s
Effects on Canadian farmers…
- Demand for farm products fell as other countries tried to limit imports.
- The result was a dramatic fall in the prices of farm products and farm income.
What is the Praire Drought- Dustbowl
- The dust bowl was a severe drought begging in 1928 turned topsoil to dust, nothing could grow.
- By 1931 constant wind storms blew topsoil away
- People had to cover their faces with wet clothes to be able to breathe.
- Massive number of grasshoppers ate everything.
How was life like in towns & cities during great depression
- Huge unemployment and poverty
- long lines of soup kitchens for food
What is The Dole or Pogey
They were assistance that was handed out by church groups and the government
- negative stigma was around them (humiliation) attached to being “on the dole”
- Relief payments were minimal and never enough.
- People fell behind on rent or mortgage payments & were evicted from their homes.
What were teens positions during
- Homeless teenagers took to “riding the rails” across the country looking for work
- They “hopped” freight trains, sometimes riding in rail cars, or on the roof, or worse, clinging to the rods underneath the train.
What was the federal response
- Prime Minister Mackenzie King felt that relief was not the federal government’s responsibility.
- Canadians disagreed- he lost the 1930 election to R. B. Bennett
What were the relief programs
In the 1930s there was no system of government support for the ill, poor, or unemployed.
Churches and charities set up soup kitchens, but couldn’t cope.
What did Bennett do when he was elected
Bennett was in power from 1930 until 1935
He raised tariffs (taxes on imports) to record levels
During his term, he gave money to the provinces for relief – The Unemployment Relief Act
After his death, it was discovered that Bennett sent some of his own money to needy Canadians.
How was the blame on the government
- Poor Canadians began to refer to abandoned farms as “Bennet Barnyards” and the homeless called newspapers “Bennett blankets”
- When people couldn’t afford gasoline for their cars they hooked them up to horses and called them “Bennett buggies”
What was the unemployment relief camp
- As soon as young men turned 16 they were cut off relief and expected to find work.
- Labour camps were set up – men would build roads or cut trees.
- Wages were terribly low – only 1 / 10 what a regular worker would normally make
What were protests “On to Ottawa Trek”
- Labour unions recruited unemployed workers to go to Ottawa and press the government for better wages and working conditions
- In Regina, Prime Minister Bennett send the RCMP and the Regina police to break up the protest
- On July 1, 1935, a riot broke out – hundreds were injured and a police officer was killed
Bennetts response
- The On-to-Ottawa Trek was unsuccessful - workers did not have their demands met
- Government leaders had always believed that things would eventually improve on their own
- As people grew frustrated with the government, Bennett realized he needed to take action before he was defeated in an election
What was the “new deal”
-The “New Deal”, was Bennett’s plan for re-election
-Had it been implemented, it would have given the government more power over the economy with controls such as:
Introducing a minimum wage
Cutting the workweek down from 60 hours to 48
Creating the first employment insurance program
However, Bennett lost the 1935 election to W.L. Mackenzie King, so the promises made in the “New Deal” never went into effect.
What were the distractions from despair?
- Movies and magazines were very popular, featuring a “fantasy” life that was a relief from hardship
- Dionne Quintuplets, born in northern Ontario in 1934, became an international sensation and tourist attraction
