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In the 30s women discarded the old long skirts and switched to dresses that went up to the knees or ankles. Hair that was once long and put in a braid was then cut into bobs and shingle haircuts. Women went to pubs, drank alcohol, smoked tobacco, and even sung and danced in front of their husbands which at the time was considered shameful.
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This was a definite change for women. The comparison from women in the first world war, wearing long skirts, hair tied back, no jewelry was now all in the past. This change happened slowly… throughout the 1920s…
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In 1930, Canadian women had started to find a sense of boredom and limitless towards what was allowed and not allowed to do. During the 30s, new styles were becoming more and more common. The idea that women could not go to pubs to enjoy some time with their husbands and friends was beginning to be known as an “old school” idea. Women were known first as a gentle and calm, soothing soul but eventually, that idea had turned around.
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The Great Depression lasted almost a decade in that time period over 100,000 farms had been abandoned due to the fact that farmers had no way to make money, their wheat had rotten and no one would purchase it either.
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Unfortunately, however… Due to the Great Depression, the sudden recession of goods and supplies had sunk. Farmers had loads of stock of wheat and barley which they were determined to get rid of. The ranchers all-over the western coast lowered their prices to almost half of what the normal bushel would have cost. If one bushel in the 20s was $1.82, the same bushel was 60 cents in the 30s!
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Black Tuesday, October 29, 1929… who knew that this would be the last day for a whole decade that many Canadians will have jobs. Workers all over the country were going about their business ready to shop, buy, sell, and have a good sale day. The sudden panic struck all over the country. Markets were running high and then made a sudden plummet to the ground. After that, 25% of Canadian citizens were unemployed during the Great Depression.
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In the 1900s and to this day, Canada’s western coast has been known for its wheat and barley production. In the 30s most citizens living on the western coast of Canada were well-off farmers. For the reason that the western coast was having lots of flat land and farmers immigrated there and opened up their well in need farms considering the mass amounts of wheat principal to the other provinces and countries.
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During the months with the most amount of heat such as July and August, the temperatures would rise up to 50 degrees, causing dust storms to twist and turn throughout the fields of hardworking farmers. By the time the storms would end the ground was covered in a thick layer of dust, the crops that were once planted never grew for years. The spring weather used to have no rain… making the ground either cold snap or hot as fire.
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After a passing dust storm, the soil which used to once exist on the ground then was dust. Soil that existed meters below the ground had now been replaced with dust.
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It was called The Dirty Thirties. Farmers were already struggling with no way of selling their now dead and rotting crops. But the idea to even grow crops was out of the window. The weather in the prairies was treacherous in the wintertime… The temperatures would decline to -40 degrees sometimes even -50. The soil would be frozen even when spring would roll around.
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The change that this brought to farmers was quite fast and was very unpredictable. If we compare farmers in 1920 and 1910, wheat and barley were in very high demand. Making farming one of the wealthiest jobs you could get at the time. In 1930, that same job had been abandoned by many due to the fact that wheat and barley had lost all their value.
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After years of no help and the feeling of hopelessness. 1000 men all over the country decided to illegally board a train heading towards Ottawa from Vancouver, young men protested in vain to meet former PM Bennett to discuss their problems and unfair treatment. Once the Prime Minister had gotten word of this plan, he gave strict orders to the commanders of the railway to stop the train at Regina.
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This, however, did not stop these young men. They continued their vicious ideas. Bennett was like a pot that was about to explode. He finally agreed to meet one of the lead strikers with the name Evans. The meeting with Evans and Prime Minister Bennett wasn’t supreme… both parties had a large argument. Leading the strikers to a dead end.
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The continuation of men being treated unfairly had left them no choice. The On To Ottawa trek was the reaction to the ways that PM Bennet was treating them.
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The soil was what brought all of these farmers to Canada and the prairies. The western coast was known for its rich masses of dirt, it was perfect for farming. In the 30s however, this all changed, slowly… farmers began to abandon their farms due to the immense amount of dustbowls and unpredictable weather.
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As the war continued on, by 1944 over 1 million women entered the workforce. Women of the time welded, changed tires, canned food, and did farming. Anything and everything that would be considered “a man’s job” Ladies would be paid less than the man would get, but they didn’t care, so long that they were getting something. Women were also part of the military. They would not be part of the battle but mainly handling any maintenance required on boats and planes, over 46,000 women worked overseas.
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This moment was a great part of Canadian history, women proved to everyone that they are just as capable as men are. The only unfortunate thing was that they were coerced to quit as soon as the men came back from war.
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The need for soldiers had increased but the number of people was short due to people dying during the Great Depression, women took some control over working at home and in the military.
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The World War helped Canada’s workers to get back on their feet, farmers in the pararies came out of the dust bowl and quickly began to harvest crops, woodcutters and lumber workers chopped wood and built resources, minerals like copper, zinc, and nickel came from Ontario and Manitoba to make plane parts, gun parts, and machinery.
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1939, World War 2 was in a rage. A time where Canada as a nation had to unite and work together at the homefront. That mainly included women. Due to men going out to war again, many of the factories, shops, and maintenance facilities needed people to do their work. Women needed money to provide for their families, due to their husbands not being able to implement overseas fighting. In the year 1939 alone over 570,000 women were working in factories.
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On September 10, 1939. Canada had just declared war on Germany. World War two was the best thing that could happen to Canada after the Great Depression. The frantic need for men was at a spike. Young boys all over the country felt as if their prayers had been answered. Over 1 million soldiers fought in the Second World War. The economy had made a kick start again, Britain was in desperate need of resources which was perfect for Canadians in order to rebuild the economy and resettle the nation.
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For the first time in Canadian history, women were given the chance to work and show that they were capable of doing just about anything. In the first World War, the only jobs women were given were to be nurses, to treat the sick and wounded. During the Second World War, however, they were given the ability to travel overseas with men, work, and learn new skills this changed a man’s perspective of his wife. This development took years to happen. But when it did, it made a statement.
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This was a definite change in the way workers were compared to World War 1. In 1914 650,000 men fought in the World War, compared to the second were almost double the amount fought. Women were no longer nurses, but they were factory workers, farmers, mechanics ext… This change was a quick and vital change for Canada. We had taken control of the situation quickly. Therefore we were able to get our economy running and even better than it was before.
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Canada, Veterans Affairs. “Canada Remembers Women on The Home Front.” Women and War - Remembering Those Who Served - Remembrance - Veterans Affairs Canada, 20 Apr. 2017, www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/those-who-served/women-veterans/homefront. “The Canadian Economy and the Second World War.”
The Channel, ingeniumcanada.org/channel/articles/the-canadian-economy-and-the-second-world-war. -
Civilization.ca - History of Canadian Medicare - 1930-1939 - The Great Depression, www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/hist/medicare/medic-2c01e.html. “The Dust Bowl - Founding of Ducks Unlimited Canada.” Ducks Unlimited Canada, www.ducks.ca/dustbowl/.
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“The Great Depression Hits Farms and Cities in the 1930s.” Iowa PBS, 12 Feb. 2018, www.iowapbs.org/iowapathways/mypath/great-depression-hits-farms-and-cities-1930s#:~:text=Farmers%20struggled%20with%20low%20prices,for%20manufactured%20goods%20fell%20off. “The Great Depression in Canada.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/great-depression.
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“History of Agriculture to the Second World War.” History of Agriculture to the Second World War | The Canadian Encyclopedia, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/history-of-agriculture. Oliva, Leo, et al. “Look Back to Understand How Low Wheat Prices Are: Manitoba Co.” Operator, 17 Aug. 2016, www.manitobacooperator.ca/comment/look-back-to-understand-how-low-wheat-prices-are/.
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Neill, Elaine. "On-to-Ottawa Trek." History CHC2DI. December 2020. Bluevale Collegiate Institute. Google presentation. Neill, Elaine. "The Great Depression." History CHC2DI. September 2020. Bluevale Collegiate Institute. Google presentation. Neill, Elaine. "Canadians at Home." History CHC2DI. October 2020. Bluevale Collegiate Institute. Google presentation.
