1. A Quick Question… Why do we study History?
Before we get started…
A Quick Question…
Why do we study History?

2. Peter Seixas and The Big Six:
Historical Significance
Continuity & Change
Historical Perspective
The Ethical Dimension
Cause & Consequence
Evidence
A big part of history is critical thinking
Peter Seixas developed these concepts to help you analyze history more critically

3. How can we decide what is important to learn about the past?
Establish its historical significance
How do we know what we know about the past?
Analyze primary source evidence
How can we make sense of the timeline of history?
Look at the continuity and change
Why do events happen? What are their impacts?
Determine cause and consequence
How can we better understand the people of the past?
Look at history from historical perspectives (put yourself in their shoes)
How can history help us live in the present?
Understand the ethical dimension (we can make interpretations, but not pass judgement)

4. The Roaring 20s
and
The Dirty 30s

5. In this unit we will…
Analyze Situations and Discuss Ideas Relating to:
Technology changing the life of Canadians
Prohibition
Women’s rights
Political Change (new political parties)
Changes to Canadian identity & autonomy

6. What do you think of when you think the ’20s?
Themes:
The “American Dream”
Jazz Music
Style (Flappers)
Automobiles
Class Division (Luxury Money)
Clubs, Gangsters, Crime
Lavish Parties
Technology
Soldiers Return
Alcohol
Before we get to the party…

7. Today’s Learning goal:
By the end of today’s class, you should…
Have an understanding of what life was like right after the war
Have an idea of the difficulties veterans faced

8. 1919: War is over! Soldiers return home!
The “Roaring 20s” didn’t start out as a roar!
The First World War made Canada’s economy boom (ammunition, ships, supplies)
The end of the war meant the end of the economic boom, many factories shut down
The demand for goods was high during the war, this caused inflation (a price increase)
Wages rose too, but only by 18%, not enough to cover the doubling of prices

9. The story of Johnny Smith:
Read the short article on Johnny Smith, a returning soldier
How does Johnny describe the job market?
How would you feel if you were Johnny?
Big 6: Historical Perspective, Continuity & Change, Evidence

10. Life as an unemployed veteran:
Military supplies factories had shut down. The women who stepped in to take the jobs of their husbands were sent back to the house (we’ll look at their reaction to this later!)
At this time there was no government support for the unemployed (like welfare, unemployment insurance or pensions)
During the war, many industrialists became rich by selling goods that were in high demand (profiteers)
Working conditions were still as terrible as they were before the war

11. Working Conditions without rights
Elysium:
In the movie, Matt Damon plays an ex-convict who works in an industrial plant which builds robot parts.
This job keeps his parole down and him out of jail
He lives in a poor city on Earth, a lot like post-war Canada, there are very few jobs
Something goes wrong with his machinery. The door gets jammed to the radiation chamber. He calls over his boss. His boss’s response, “go in there or I will find someone else who will.”
Would you take the risk or lose your job?

12. Can you think of any risks of striking?
unions
Many workers began joining unions to advocate for better working conditions and job protection
Unions were not accepted like they are today
The labour law at the time told employers not to bargain with employees or their union representatives (collective bargaining)
Striking looked like the only way workers could get their demands heard!
Can you think of any risks of striking?

13. Why is Striking Risky?
The labour laws were in favour of the employer in 1919
Employers could get:
Injunctions: court orders ordering the employee on strike back to work
Strike breakers: non-union members to take the job of the worker on strike
Both of these options would leave the employee without pay or a job
Between 1918 & 1919, union membership rose despite the risks
More and more people were unhappy with their working conditions

14. Homework! Yay!
The Winnipeg General Strike in 1919 was one Canada’s biggest labour strikes
Read pages in your textbook, answer the following:
How did the Russian Revolution affect Canadian workers?
What were workers in Winnipeg asking?
What is the Riot Act?
What is “Bloody Saturday?”
Was the strike a failure?