1920s and 1930s
Life After World War One
Returning Soldiers
Faced difficulties: unemployment, lack of support, physical and psychological trauma.
Challenges in reintegrating into civilian life, often with inadequate government care.
Xenophobia Post-War
Definition: Fear or hatred of foreigners.
Causes:
Fears of communism, anarchism, and immigration.
Resentment towards immigrants from enemy nations.
Immigration Policies
Welcomed Immigrants:
From Britain, the U.S., and Northern Europe.
Restrictions:
Southern and Eastern Europeans, and Asians faced limitations due to xenophobic sentiments.
Women’s Rights Movement in the 1920s
Key Issues:
Right to vote (suffrage).
Better working conditions, social freedoms, and increased independence.
Resulted in changing roles in politics, employment, and society.
Suffragette: Women who campaigned for voting rights through protests and campaigns.
Technological Innovations of the 1920s
New Inventions:
Radio, refrigerator, vacuum cleaner, washing machine, automobile (Model T).
Impact on Women:
Appliances reduced time on household chores, allowing more time for work, leisure, and social participation.
Definitions
Public Sphere: Space for political, economic, and social activities.
Private Sphere: Home and family life, dealing with personal matters.
Breadwinner: Person earning family income.
Homemaker: Person managing household tasks.
Radio and Communication
Early Companies: RCA and CBS.
Impact: Revolutionized communication, providing entertainment and news, influencing culture and public opinion.
Stock Market Concepts
Definitions:
Stockholders: Own shares in a corporation.
Investors: Entities that invest money in stocks, bonds, or securities.
Shares: Units of ownership in a corporation.
Corporations: Large companies acting as one entity.
Buying on Margin
Concepts:
Buying on Margin: Borrowing money to buy stocks, paying a portion upfront.
Margin Calls: Broker demands more from an investor when stock value drops.
Buying on Time: Purchasing goods with credit and paying in installments.
Risk Factors:
Overinflated stock prices due to speculation led to risks; people borrowed heavily to invest, causing financial loss after the market crash.
Causes of the 1929 Market Crash
Contributing Factors:
Over-speculation, buying on margin, lack of regulation, bank failures.
Triggered by panic selling after unsustainable stock prices.
The Roaring Twenties
Characteristics:
Jazz Music: Signified cultural change.
Flappers: Symbolized women’s independence.
Prohibition: Rise of illegal activities.
Stock Market Boom: Economic prosperity and speculation.
Art and Literature: Flourishing of Harlem Renaissance and modernist movements.
Economic Disparities in the 1920s
Prosperity: Wealthy, business owners, stock market investors prospered.
Struggles: Farmers, African Americans, and immigrants faced economic difficulties.
Consumerism of the 1920s
Definition: Preoccupation with acquiring goods.
Popular Purchases: Automobiles, radios, appliances, fashion items.
Sports Evolution
Organizational Growth: Growth of leagues like the NFL and MLB.
Impact of Radio: Promoted sports to a national audience quickly.
Famous Figures of the 1920s
Leaders and Celebrities:
Nellie McClung, Babe Ruth, Henry Ford, Louis Armstrong, Al Capone, Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, Frederick Banting, Agnes MacPhail, Rocco Perri.
1920s Slang and Terms
Slang: Informal language unique to a time or group.
Rum Runner: Smuggled alcohol during Prohibition.
Black Tuesday: Stock market crash on October 29, 1929.
Speakeasy: Illegal bar during Prohibition.
Bootlegger: Illegally produced/sold alcohol.
Black Market: Illegal trade of goods.
Suffragettes and Flappers
Suffragettes: Women campaigning for voting rights, utilizing protests and civil disobedience.
Flappers: Rejected traditional norms, independent through fashion and behavior (short dresses, bobbed hair, smoking, drinking).
Changes for Women in the 1920s
Political: Gained voting rights.
Social: Greater independence in society, fashion, and leisure.
Economic: Increased participation in the workforce.
Prohibition
Definition: Ban on alcohol in the U.S. (1920-1933).
Supporters: Temperance movements aimed to reduce crime and social issues.
Consequences: Led to organized crime, illegal bars (speakeasies).
Consequences of Prohibition
Negative Effects: Increase in crime, illegal production, and sales of alcohol.
Repeal: Prohibition was repealed in 1933 due to its adverse societal impacts.
Henry Ford's Assembly Line
Assembly Line: Manufacturing process where specific tasks are performed in sequence.
Mass Production: Producing large quantities of standardized goods quickly and cheaply (e.g., Ford cars).
Model T: Affordable due to assembly line efficiency, accessible to many.
Branch Plant
Definition: Factory in one country owned by a company from another country.
Automobile Industry Impact
Transformation: Revolutionized transportation, urban planning, and the economy.
Spinoff Industries: Related sectors grew, like gas stations and auto parts companies.
Residential Schools and Assimilation
Residential Schools: Aimed to assimilate Indigenous children into European-Canadian culture.
Assimilation: Forcing people to adopt cultural norms of the dominant society.
Long Term Causes of the Depression
Overproduction leading to falling prices.
Unequal wealth distribution limiting consumer spending.
High tariffs restricting international trade.
Weak banking systems failing during market crashes.
Speculation and overinvestment in the stock market.
Declining agricultural prices distressing farmers.
Stock Market Crash 1929
Black Tuesday: October 29, 1929; marked the beginning of the Great Depression.
Consumerism's Role: Mass consumption on credit led to false prosperity, contributing to economic collapse.
Stock Market Terminology
Investors: Buy stocks to profit.
Margin Calls: Requests for more funds from brokers following stock losses.
Stock Brokers: Buy/sell stocks for clients.
Stocks: Represents ownership in a company.
Credit and Credit History
Credit: Ability to borrow money with repayment promise.
Good Credit: Timely repayments and low debt.
Bad Credit: Missed payments and high debt levels.
Overproduction and the Great Depression
Consequences: Overproduction in various sectors led to financial losses.
Surviving the Great Depression
Drought and Dustbowl: Caused crop failures and hardship for farmers.
Most Affected: Prairie farmers, especially in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Alberta.
Unemployment Rates: Reached 27% during the Great Depression vs. 5-7% in Canada today.
Great Depression Terms
Evictions: Forced removal from homes due to non-payment.
Tent Cities: Makeshift homes for the homeless during the Depression.
Vouchers: Documents for goods used in government aid.
Pogey: Unemployment relief payments in Canada.
Hoovervilles: Shantytowns named after President Hoover, who was blamed for the crisis.
Bennett Buggies: Cars converted to horse-drawn carriages due to fuel costs.
Hobos During the Great Depression
Definition: Homeless individuals traveling, often by freight trains, in search of work.
Letters to the Prime Minister
Common Requests: Calls for government relief, jobs, and support due to economic hardships.
On-To-Ottawa Trek
Background: Sparked by dissatisfaction with unemployment relief camps.
Journey: Started in British Columbia, ended in confrontation with RCMP in Regina, Saskatchewan.
New Politics and Public Sentiment
Discontent with Bennett: Blame for inadequate responses to the Great Depression, high tariffs, and insufficient relief.
Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal
Position: U.S. President (1933-1945).
New Deal Programs: Series of initiatives for economic relief, recovery, and reform; included public works projects, social security, and banking reforms.