Interwar Canada: Key Terms and Concepts

Vocabulary flashcards summarizing key terms, events, and concepts related to Canada’s interwar period, economic history, and social change.

Aboriginal title

Inherent Indigenous rights to land ownership and use, recognized in Canadian law.

Autonomy

The power to govern oneself without external control; political independence.

Balfour Report / Imperial Conference / Statute of Westminster (1931)

Series of events that granted Canada and other Dominions full legal independence from Britain.

Bolsheviks

Radical socialist faction led by Lenin that seized power in Russia in 1917 and formed the USSR.

Bourgeoisie / Proletariat

Marxist terms: bourgeoisie are owners of capital; proletariat are wage-earning workers.

Buying on Margin

Purchasing stocks with a small down payment while borrowing the rest, increasing risk and leverage.

Capitalism

Economic system based on private ownership of property and the pursuit of profit.

Chanak Crisis (1922)

Canada’s refusal to automatically send troops to a British-Turkish dispute, showing growing foreign-policy independence.

Collective bargaining

Negotiation process between unions and employers over wages and working conditions.

Depression (economic)

Extended period of severe economic decline, high unemployment, and reduced production.

Economic boom and bust

Natural cycle of rapid growth (boom) followed by contraction (bust) in an economy.

Great Depression

Worldwide economic collapse from 1929 to the late 1930s marked by mass unemployment and hardship.

Halibut Treaty (1923)

First treaty signed by Canada independently, regulating Pacific halibut fishing with the United States.

King-Byng Crisis (1926)

Constitutional dispute between PM Mackenzie King and Governor General Lord Byng that tested Canadian self-government.

Laissez-faire

Economic doctrine advocating minimal government interference in business affairs.

Market economy / Mixed economy

Market: prices set by supply and demand; Mixed: combines free market with government intervention.

On-to-Ottawa Trek (1935)

Cross-country protest by relief-camp workers demanding better wages and conditions.

Overproduction

Manufacturing more goods than consumers can buy, leading to falling prices and layoffs.

Pension

Regular payment to retirees funded by employers, workers, or the government.

Plebiscite

Direct vote by citizens on a specific public question.

Pogey

Canadian slang for government relief payments during the Great Depression.

Progressive Party

1920s Canadian political party representing farmers and advocating tariff reduction and electoral reform.

Protectionism

Policy of protecting domestic industries through tariffs and trade barriers.

Recession

Period of temporary economic decline, usually defined as two consecutive quarters of falling GDP.

Regina and Vancouver Riots (1935)

Violent clashes linked to the On-to-Ottawa Trek and waterfront strikes, highlighting labour unrest.

Relief camps

Government work camps for single unemployed men during the Depression, offering low pay and shelter.

Self-determination

Right of a people to choose their own political status or form of government.

Speculation

High-risk investment strategy aimed at quick profit from fluctuating prices.

Supply and demand

Economic principle where price is determined by the quantity available and consumers’ desire for a good.

Tariffs

Taxes on imported goods designed to protect domestic industries.

The New Deal (Canada/US)

Government programs of public works, social welfare, and regulation to combat the Great Depression.

Veteran

Person who has served in a nation’s armed forces, especially in wartime.

Welfare state

System in which the government assumes responsibility for citizens’ social and economic well-being.

Communism

Ideology advocating a classless society with collective ownership of the means of production.

Why did communism grow?

Appealed to workers facing inequality and hardship; inspired by success of the 1917 Russian Revolution.

America–Canada relationship

Close economic and cultural ties, extensive trade, and growing Canadian autonomy in foreign policy.

Winnipeg General Strike (1919)

Mass labour strike for higher wages and union recognition, pivotal in Canadian workers’ rights history.

Workers’ rights

Legal protections for fair pay, safe conditions, and the ability to unionize and bargain collectively.

Prohibition (1918-1920s)

Legal ban on alcohol that sparked smuggling, speakeasies, and eventual repeal due to public opposition.

Canadian identity and independence

Evolution from British colony to autonomous nation, shaped by WWI, the Statute of Westminster, and cultural growth.

Women’s roles / rights (interwar)

Expanded into paid work; achieved federal suffrage and legal recognition in the 1929 Persons Case.

Economic systems

Ways societies organize production: capitalism, socialism, and mixed models.

Stock market crash (1929)

Collapse in share prices on Black Tuesday that triggered the Great Depression.

Reactions to the Great Depression

Relief payments, public works, rise of new parties (CCF, Social Credit), and expanded government programs.

Government intervention during recessions

Pension, social assistance and social welfare to stabilize the economy.