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Farmers: Stock Market Crash
On October 29th, 1929, the Canadian economy and the wealth of Canadian citizens were severely damaged by the stock market crash that took place. Following this economic disaster, the price of wheat decreased substantially. The United States was also in an economic crisis, therefore, Canada lost its biggest trading partner and farmers had a smaller market to sell their crops to. The stock market crash was an event that would bring years of toiling, poverty, and no prosperity for Canadian farmers. -
Farmers: Stock Market Crash (Continuity and Change)
The hardships of farmers, that began after the stock market crash and continued throughout the 1930s, exhibited significant change compared to the incline that Canada’s agriculture market had seen in the mid-1920s. Instead of the continuation of farmers’ success with increased demands of wheat from Canadians and other nations, the farming industry suffered a great decline with smaller markets, significantly lowered prices, and miserable livelihoods for farmers. -
Women: Domestic Work in the Great Depression (Continuity and Change)
The pressure of working women to stick to housework from the 1920s continued into the Great Depression, where it became more substantial. At the end of the First World War, women had worked to achieve their places in the workforce while receiving lower pay than men. The predominance of male workers carried into the 1930s, and increased, with the louder demand that working women should allow men to work during Canada’s economic struggle, lessening the opportunities for women in society. -
Women: Domestic Work in the Great Depression
Despite how Canadian women had been able to maintain workforce roles and university education by 1929, the Great Depression caused a great number of lay-offs for women and fueled the expectation that married women should perform domestic work so that men could perform jobs instead. Some women found light manufacturing jobs or household work and educated women were able to find work in a limited selection of jobs. Women who worked in homes saved household resources to maintain finances. -
Farmers: Increased Food Production in World War II
In 1939, Canada’s farming industry was recovering from the suffering that the Great Depression brought about in the 1930s. After Canada joined the war, the government was determined to provide the resources for the military fighting in Europe and the civilians residing in Canada. Because of this, Canada’s food production increased tremendously as farmers worked, with the help of Canadian students and soldiers, to meet the nutritional needs of Canadians at home and the soldiers overseas. -
Farmers: Increased Food Production in World War II (Continuity and Change)
Canada’s war effort in World War II continued the progress seen in World War I regarding food production. In both wars, Canada’s food production expanded, contributing to the prosperous labour of farmers. Another resemblance between the wars was the farmers’ opposition to conscription because the men and boys were needed to assist with agriculture. The repeated growth of Canadian food production was beneficial for Canada, its farmers, and the country’s war effort. -
Minorities: Black Canadians Fighting in World War II
Black Canadians faced discrimination during World War II and were not allowed to serve in the military until 1942. Although they faced exclusion in the beginning, Black Canadians still contributed to the war effort, serving as airmen and sailors, both at home and overseas. Black women also served in the military, taking on assisting roles and allowing the men to fight in the front lines. Additionally, Black men and women in Canada worked to provide necessary war materials for the military. -
Minorities: Black Canadians Fighting in World War II (Continuity and Change)
Similar to the First World War, Black Canadians were initially denied entry into the military until it needed more numbers. However, in World War II, changes were made as Black military members were not segregated into their own battalion and they served the military more extensively. These opportunities for Black Canadians to contribute to the war effort benefited Canada as it broadened society and provided a sense of pride for the Black Canadians who were able to serve their country. -
Women: Working in World War II
With the many men that had left their homes to fight in the military, Canada was dealing with a labour shortage and required women to fulfill the needs of Canadians. In 1942, the government's desire for the greater involvement of women in the work industry increased the number of working women considerably. Women worked in service of the Candian economy and in manufacturing, where some took up roles traditionally performed by men only. Working women benefited Canadians at home and those at war. -
Women: Working in World War II (Continuity and Change)
Work in World War II demonstrated continuity as in both World Wars, women were brought into the workforce to perform jobs in place of men fighting in the armed forces, getting to experience the workforce and receiving wages less than that of men. Despite the trend of laying off women after the conclusion of both wars, the continued involvement that women had in the workforce allowed women to see a progression in terms of their place in Canadian society. -
Minorities: Japanese Internment Camps in World War II
After the Japanese Army attacked the Allies in Pearl Harbour and Hong Kong in 1941, Canadians’ pre-existing prejudice towards the Japanese grew, most severely in British Columbia. In 1942, 22,000 Japanese Canadians were relocated into internment camps where they lived in huts with other Japanese families in awful conditions. Those who resisted were sent to war prisoner camps. The next year, the government seized all possessions of the Japanese and sold them to cover the cost of internet camps. -
Minorities: Japanese Internment Camps in World War II (Continuity and Change)
World War II aggravated the racism that the Japanese had experienced in Canada for decades, such as being denied the ability to vote. In the First World War, they faced discrimination when being prohibited from joining the army. The racism towards the Japanese continued but escalated immensely when Japanese Canadians were forced to inhabit internment camps in their own country because of their race, which extremely damaged the lives and societal roles of Japanese Canadians. -
Works Cited (pt 1)
Anderson, Doris. “Status of Women.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, 7 Feb. 2006, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/status-of-women.
“Canada At War.” Canadian War Museum, www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/newspapers/canadawar/canadawar_e.html.
“Farming and Food.” Canadian War Museum, www.warmuseum.ca/firstworldwar/history/life-at-home-during-the-war/the-war-economy/farming-and-food/. -
Works Cited (pt 2)
“Great Depression in Canada.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 16 Dec. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Depression_in_Canada#Women.
“History - Black Canadians in Uniform .” Veterans Affairs Canada, www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/those-who-served/black-canadians-in-uniform/history.
“Life on the Home Front: Women and the War on the Home Front.” Canadian War Museum, www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/newspapers/canadawar/women_e.html. -
Works Cited (pt 3)
Marsh, James H. “Japanese Canadian Internment: Prisoners in Their Own Country.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, 23 Feb. 2012, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/japanese-internment-banished-and-beyond-tears-feature.
Mennill, Paul. The Depression Years: Canada in the 1930s. Prentice-Hall of Canada, 1978.
Neill, Elaine. "Canadians at Home." History CHC2DI. December 2020. Bluevale Collegiate Institute. Google presentation. -
Works Cited (pt 4)
Neill, Elaine."Canadian Controversies of WW2." History CHC2DI. December 2020. Bluevale Collegiate Institute. Google presentation.
Neill, Elaine. "The Great Depression." History CHC2DI. December 2020. Bluevale Collegiate Institute. Google presentation.
Neill, Elaine. "Treatment of Minorities." History CHC2DI. November 2020. Bluevale Collegiate Institute. Google document.
Neill, Elaine."The Roaring Twenties." History CHC2DI. December 2020. Bluevale Collegiate Institute. Google presentation. -
Works Cited (pt 5)
Palmer, Howard, and Leo Driedger. “Prejudice and Discrimination in Canada.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, 10 Feb. 2011, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/prejudice-and-discrimination.
“The Roaring Twenties.” Canada History Post, www.canadahistoryproject.ca/1920s/.
Seixas, Peter. History Uncovered. 1st ed., Nelson, 2014.
Struthers, James. “The Great Depression in Canada.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, 11 July 2013, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/great-depression. -
Works Cited (pt 6)
“The War Economy and Controls: Agriculture.” Canadian War Museum, www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/newspapers/canadawar/agriculture_e.html.
