Canada in the 1920s
Canada in the 1920s
The Winnipeg General Strike
• During The First World War, companies made extreme amounts of profit
• Labour conditions, wages, etc. were almost completely neglected
Context
• Soldiers returned from fighting on the front having dreams of a better world (stable wages, better jobs, etc.)
• Canada was in economic ruin as it tried to convert back into a peacetime economy o Inflation due to debt o Loss of jobs and the closing of factories
• Unemployment rates soared
The General Strike
• Labourers across Manitoba organised the One Big Union (OBU) that was meant to fight for labourer’s rights
• Strikers demanded a general living wage, eight hour work days, and the right to unionize
• Businessmen organised themselves as The Citizen’s Committee of One Thousand who needed the security of their businesses
• They believed that the general strike would result in a communist revolution in Winnipeg
• The government was also afraid of a communist threat
• Russian Bolshevik Revolution influenced many other countries
• The Winnipeg Veterans supported the strikes but were impatient with the strike leaders
• The Winnipeg “special police” were a militia hired by the corporations to stop riots; they received very high pay but did not receive training
• May 1st, 1919: Workers walk off their jobs
• May 15th, 1919: General Strike begins (all over Canada)
• June 10th, 1919: A riot breaks out in Winnipeg – strike leaders arrested
• Saturday, June 17th, 1919: “Bloody Saturday” o A large riot that involved the RCMP – several civilians killed and more injured
• Forty-day strike
• Short term: none of the demands were met
• Long term: drew attention to the plight of the labourers and increased political consciousness of the labourers’ conditions. In addition, it drew many workers to politics
The Work of Work
Industries
• Most of the industries were represented by a male majority o Pulp and paper, sawmills, non-ferrous metal smelting, castings and
The Winnipeg General Strike
• During The First World War, companies made extreme amounts of profit
• Labour conditions, wages, etc. were almost completely neglected
Context
• Soldiers returned from fighting on the front having dreams of a better world (stable wages, better jobs, etc.)
• Canada was in economic ruin as it tried to convert back into a peacetime economy o Inflation due to debt o Loss of jobs and the closing of factories
• Unemployment rates soared
The General Strike
• Labourers across Manitoba organised the One Big Union (OBU) that was meant to fight for labourer’s rights
• Strikers demanded a general living wage, eight hour work days, and the right to unionize
• Businessmen organised themselves as The Citizen’s Committee of One Thousand who needed the security of their businesses
• They believed that the general strike would result in a communist revolution in Winnipeg
• The government was also afraid of a communist threat
• Russian Bolshevik Revolution influenced many other countries
• The Winnipeg Veterans supported the strikes but were impatient with the strike leaders
• The Winnipeg “special police” were a militia hired by the corporations to stop riots; they received very high pay but did not receive training
• May 1st, 1919: Workers walk off their jobs
• May 15th, 1919: General Strike begins (all over Canada)
• June 10th, 1919: A riot breaks out in Winnipeg – strike leaders arrested
• Saturday, June 17th, 1919: “Bloody Saturday” o A large riot that involved the RCMP – several civilians killed and more injured
• Forty-day strike
• Short term: none of the demands were met
• Long term: drew attention to the plight of the labourers and increased political consciousness of the labourers’ conditions. In addition, it drew many workers to politics
The Work of Work
Industries
• Most of the industries were represented by a male majority o Pulp and paper, sawmills, non-ferrous metal smelting, castings and