1. Aftermath of the War: • By 1918, the war was over, and Canada was recovering from the loss of more than 60,000 soldiers and the return of hundreds of thousands of wounded soldiers.

2. Political Tensions: • Conscription had been imposed by the Union government, leading to the fracturing of the Liberal Party and the formation of the Unionist Party. • Tensions were high between French and English Canadians, and there was even talk of Quebec leaving Canada after the 1917 election.

3. Winnipeg Strike of 1919: • About 30,000 people were on strike, leading to the shutdown of virtually the whole city. • The strike was a war between capital and labor, between the East and the West, and between ordinary working people and bosses. • The bloodiest battle of the strike occurred on June 21, 1919, when mounted RCMP officers charged into a mass of strikers in downtown Winnipeg, resulting in the deaths of two workers, Michael Sokolowiski and Steven Skezerbanovicz, who were immigrants and workers. • Sokolowiski and Skezerbanovicz died during the Winnipeg General Strike, with Sokolowiski dying instantly from a bullet to the heart and Skezerbanovicz dying later from infections. • These men were ordinary individuals who became caught up in extraordinary circumstances, and their deaths are still memorialized in Winnipeg.

History • The Winnipeg General Strike was a pivotal moment for labour groups in Canada, challenging the prevailing economic system and reflecting the harsh realities of an industrialized, urbanized, and regional country grappling with the realities of modern capitalism. • The strike also demonstrated the growing class conflict between workers and capital in Canada, with elites using repression to reinforce the liberal, capitalist ethos of the country. • To fully understand why these men died and the larger battle between capital and labour in Canada, it is important to understand the emergence of industrialization, the growth of the labour movement, and the history of Winnipeg. The Industrial Revolution the industrial revolution Changes in the nature of work during the 1700s-1900s

1. Two industrial revolutions occurred in the 19th century • First industrial revolution marked by steam power, railroads, and machinery • Second industrial revolution had five major developments

2. Mechanization accelerated, creating unskilled laborers working at repetitive industrial tasks • Second industrial revolution • Machinery controlled workers instead of the other way around • Moving assembly line at Ford Motor Company in Canada dictated speed and process of work • Skilled tradesmen dominated small-scale industry in earlier years of the century Second Industrial Revolution • Mechanization and mass production techniques led to dramatic growth in scale of workplace • Factories were massive structures employing thousands of people • Fordism: mass production of goods on a huge scale to make production profitable • Large-scale factories built during WWI to feed demand for munitions and material New Management Systems • Mechanization and large-scale industrialization required new management systems

History • Corporate structures became highly regimented, hierarchical, and bureaucratized • New management systems coordinated work, controlled costs, and integrated work processes • "Scientific management" pioneered by F.W. Taylor and went hand in hand with Fordism New Pools of Labor • Number of workers needed in factories required new pools of labor • Women, children, immigrants, and non-whites joined the industrial labor force • Usually took worst jobs in factory, changed dynamic of workplace Corporate Welfare • Large-scale entities led to creation of "corporate welfare" • Paternalistic, company-based approach to employee relations designed to keep workers happy and healthy • Gestures included welfare and benefits programs, picnics, life-insurance policies, company magazines, etc. • Aimed to keep workers content and keep unions out of company Labour in Canada in the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries labour in canada in the late 19th and early 20th centuries • Canadian workers in the 19th and early 20th centuries struggled for recognition, rights, and better working conditions and wages. • The organized labour movement in this period was mainly comprised of skilled workers. Challenges to Early Union Movement: • Technological changes made some skilled trades jobs obsolete, weakening early unions. • Legal climate was inhospitable as many court rulings found unions a "restraint of trade" and therefore illegal. • Movement was narrow, with few women or minorities in unions and most male workers excluded. Emergence of Union Agitation: • From the 1870s and 1880s onwards, workers and unions started to agitate for better wages and safer working conditions.

History • Many Canadian workplaces were extremely dangerous. • Battle for the 9-hour day was a key issue. • The 1872 Trade Unions Act gave the union movement impetus, but rights granted were limited. Growth of Union Movement: • New labour organizations were founded, including the Trades and Labor Congress of Canada and Catholic-based unions in Quebec. • American unions, such as the Knights of Labor and the American Federation of Labor (AFL), expanded into Canada. • The AFL remained committed to craft unions with skilled male membership, focused on workplace issues, and wanted to stay out of politics. Gompers Dominates Canadian Unions • Samuel Gompers, leader of the American Federation of Labor, caused tension between Canadian and American union leaders as his union came to dominate Canadian unions. Government Response to Union Movement • In response to the growth of the union movement and agitation over working conditions, the government established the Royal Commission on the Relations of Labour and Capital in 1889, but the resulting report was largely ineffective. • The government created Labour Day in 1894, but was otherwise largely opposed to collective workers' rights and called out the militia during labour conflicts on at least 33 occasions. Rapid Growth of Unions • Despite challenges, unions grew rapidly from just over 130,000 people in 1911 to just over 375,000 by 1919. Post–First World War Issues post-first world war issues Workplace Changes and Factors Leading to Confrontation at Winnipeg • Workplace changes led to confrontation at Winnipeg

History • Postwar factors also contributed to the confrontation War's Impact on Canadians • War caused severe disruption • Mobilization, conscription, and 1917 election strained Canadians • Influenza epidemic added to wartime disruption • An estimated 50,000 Canadians died from the pandemic Effects of Soldiers' Return • Thousands of soldiers returned home • Many were militant, radicalized, or politically awakened • Disillusioned and critical of the government • Developed working-class consciousness Economic Slowdown After the War • Unemployment increased as veterans returned • Industries geared for wartime production were no longer building for war effort • Money was scarce, causing cost of goods to increase • Real wages declined, causing economic hardship Militancy grew in the western provinces as unionists tried to get attention from the eastern and central workers and bosses • Western labour leaders felt that Canadian unions in the rest of English-speaking Canada were not radical enough and catered to skilled craft workers instead of the wider working class • Struggle for workers' rights was not just a class issue but also a regional issue in Canada Disagreements at Trades and Labor Congress of Canada • Delegates disagreed over the level of militancy needed to achieve their goals at the 1918 meeting of the Trades and Labor Congress of Canada • Western delegates called for the creation of the OBU (One Big Union) at Calgary in 1919, aimed at wider social reform Worldwide Events and Inspiration • Labour leaders inspired by events in Russia • Worldwide events, such as the Bolsheviks taking control in Russia in 1917, played a role in the build-up to the confrontation at Winnipeg

History • Many Canadians saw the events in Russia as a positive development, while others saw it as a terrifying sign of what might be coming in Canada if the labour movement was not stopped. Winnipeg and the Strike, 1919 winnipeg and the strike, 1919 Winnipeg General Strike of 1919 • The Winnipeg General Strike of 1919 was the most widespread and complete general strike in Canadian history. • It began with demands for higher wages from the city's building trades union and metal trades. The employers' association and the Winnipeg Board of Trade rejected these demands, leading to the unions going on strike. Other unions quickly joined in sympathy strikes, resulting in all unions in the city calling for a general strike. Formation of Central Strike Committee • Due to the widespread disruption, a Central Strike Committee was formed to provide basic services and to bargain with employers. The committee allowed the delivery of food and a few other necessities after a few days. Workers effectively took control of Canada's third-largest city. Formation of Citizens' Committee of 1,000 • In response, the middle and upper classes formed the "Citizens' Committee of 1,000," which represented the interests of the employers. It aimed to recapture civil control of the city and demanded government intervention in the strike. Government Repression • The Union government of Conservative Robert Borden was still in power and saw the events in Winnipeg as the beginning of a revolution. • They responded to the situation with outright repression. • Minister of the Interior Arthur Meighen was sent to Winnipeg and worked with the Citizens' Committee of 1,000 in opposition to the strike. Postal workers were told they would be fired if they didn't return to work by May 26, but it did not work. Hot Summer and Banning of Parades • In May and June, as the situation became increasingly tense, the two sides settled in for a hot summer. Both tried to win the support of veterans, with many being unemployed and sympathetic to the strikers.

History • On June 6, Mayor Charles Gray of Winnipeg banned parades and public demonstrations for fear of violence. The government's response to the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919 • Changes in laws: Federal government changed Section 41 of the Immigration Act to allow deportation of those attempting to overthrow the government, and changed Section 98 of the Criminal Code to make it an offence to belong to any organization advocating force or violence. • Build-up of forces: Militia and North-West Mounted Police were built up. City's regular police force was fired and replaced by approximately 1,800 "special constables" recruited by the Citizens' Committee of 1,000. • Backlash against "ethnics": Increasing backlash against any "ethnics" who supported the strike. • Arrests of strike leaders: 10 strike leaders were arrested, and union offices were searched. • Bloody Saturday: Open confrontation on June 21, known as Bloody Saturday, where a riot erupted when the streetcar service attempted to start up with replacement workers. Mounties charged the protesters, many were injured, and two marchers were killed. The government also arrested "foreign rioters," closed the newspaper the Western Labour News, and arrested its editor, J.S. Woodsworth. • The strike was effectively ended by a series of events. • The Central Strike Committee offered to end the strike if a royal commission would investigate the underlying causes. • The government threatened to call in military forces to end labour conflict and curtailed workers' rights to organize and protest. • On June 25, the strike was officially called off. • It appeared that labour had lost. The Impact of the Strike the impact of the strike Immediate and Long-Term Consequences of the Winnipeg General Strike:

History Immediate Consequences: • Workers saw few tangible benefits, many were laid off, and most did not make the gains they had hoped for. • Across Canada, at least nine major sympathy strikes occurred, galvanizing the Canadian labour movement. • Widespread labour agitation provoked repressive government responses across the country, including the creation of groups like the Citizens’ Committee of 1,000. • The government’s repressive attitude was fueled by the Red Scare, which led to a crackdown against any "communistic agitation" in Canada. • The end of the strike was seen by many Canadian political elites as Canada having averted a revolution, while most Canadians saw it as just another strike. • The strike increased incidents of ethnic discrimination generated by the strike, and many Canadians blamed the strike on "dangerous foreigners." Long-Term Consequences: • Government repression toward labour movements was codified through Section 98 of the Criminal Code, which stayed on the books until the late 1930s. • The strike caused a radicalization and political fragmentation of the Left and the working-class movement. • Radicalization was strongest in the West, which spawned a host of labour movements and workers' parties that eventually took the form of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF). • The strike caused a fragmentation of labour groups, with a host of groups emerging instead of the effort to have One Big Union. • A growing farmer’s movement developed in response to and as a part of the largely urban labour movement. • The two men who lost their lives as a consequence of the violence of that confrontation continue to be commemorated a century after "Bloody Saturday."