History Test Practice

Shares / Buying on Margin

Buying stocks with borrowed money, contributing to the stock market crash.

King-Byng Affair

1926 crisis between Prime Minister Mackenzie King and Governor General Byng, leading to increased Canadian autonomy.

Relief Camps

Government-run camps for unemployed men during the Great Depression.

Bennett Blankets

Newspapers used by the homeless as blankets during the Depression.

Speakeasy

Illegal bars during Prohibition.

The New Deal

R.B. Bennett's plan to fight the Great Depression, modeled on Roosevelt's New Deal.

Prohibition

The ban on alcohol from 1918-1920, tied to the suffrage movement and later repealed.

Temperance Movement

A movement aimed at banning alcohol, linked to the Women's Christian Temperance Union.

Famous Five

Women who fought for legal recognition of women as 'persons' in Canada, leading to the 1929 Persons Case victory.

Flappers

Young women in the 1920s who challenged traditional societal norms.

Progressive Party

Political party supporting farmers' rights and reforms.

Rumrunners

People who smuggled alcohol during Prohibition.

Suffragettes

Women advocating for the right to vote.

Post-WW1 Situation

Soldiers returned home to unemployment and hardships. Women who worked during the war were expected to return to traditional roles.

Influenza of 1918

A deadly flu pandemic spread by soldiers returning from WW1, killing millions worldwide and about 50,000 Canadians.

Groups Enacting Change

Women's suffrage groups, such as the Women's Christian Temperance Union, played a large role in advocating for the vote and other rights.

Persons Case

The Famous Five fought for women to be considered 'persons' under the law, winning their case in 1929.

What Happened (Winnipeg General Strike)

In May 1919, 30,000 workers went on strike in Winnipeg, demanding better wages and conditions.

Cultural Changes

Canadian identity grew, with sports, music (especially jazz), and women's roles evolving.

Music

Jazz, which originated in the U.S., gained popularity in Canada during the 1920s.

Residential Schools

Indigenous children were forcibly taken to these schools, which sought to assimilate them into Euro-Canadian culture, causing severe damage to Indigenous communities.

Racism

Racial discrimination was rampant, with laws discriminating against Asians, Indigenous peoples, and other minority groups.

What Was Prohibition?

A national ban on alcohol from 1918 to the early 1920s.

Connection to Suffrage

Women's groups like the Women's Christian Temperance Union advocated for prohibition as a moral reform.

Reasons for Ending

The rise of organized crime and public discontent led to the repeal of prohibition.

Statute of Westminster

A 1931 law that granted Canada and other Commonwealth countries full legislative independence from Britain.

Stock Market Crash

Causes included overproduction, reliance on the U.S. market, and buying on margin.

Suffering

The Great Depression caused widespread unemployment, homelessness, and poverty, worsened by the government's inadequate social support systems.

Initial Measures (Bennett's Response)

Prime Minister R.B. Bennett's government provided $225 million in relief grants and loans.

Relief Camps (Bennett's Response)

Bennett created work camps for unemployed single men, offering very low pay (20 cents a day).

Short-Term Consequences

Bennett's relief programs were largely ineffective, as unemployment remained high, and poverty was rampant.

Long-Term Consequences

Bennett introduced the New Deal in 1935, which included unemployment insurance, minimum wage laws, and other social reforms.

New Parties

The economic crisis gave rise to new political movements such as the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) and the Social Credit Party.

Welfare Reforms

Many of the social safety nets we have today have their roots in the reforms introduced during or after the Great Depression.

Unlikely Repetition

A depression like the one in the 1930s is unlikely today due to numerous safeguards such as unemployment insurance and government regulations.