Introduction
World War I dramatically changed Canada like no other event had. The economy and industries benefited from the wartime emphasis on production, allowing many new industries to flourish during the war. Canadian workers were willing to put up with relatively low wages and poor working conditions to produce materials for the war effort. It became common knowledge soon after the war that many factory owners had made huge profits from the government, profits which they had earned on the sacrifices of the workers. As owners switched from manufacturing war materials to producing peacetime goods, the workers began to demand that the government force the owners to raise wages and improve conditions on the job. The conflicting demands on government - better conditions and wages by the workers, continued high profits, and no government interference by the owners - began to fester as early as 1919.
Canada was faced with many problems after WWI. Returning soldiers trying to return to civilian life, influenza epidemics, and many labour problems faced Canadians throughout 1919.
The Winnipeg General Strike, 1919
As World War I ended, manufacturers and the Canadian government began the difficult transition from a wartime economy to a peacetime economy. This transition would have to take into account the changing world economy and the impacts this would have at home for average Canadians. The wartime industries, such as munitions or military supply factories, would either have to shut down, drastically slow their production, or retool to produce peacetime goods. The women who left their homes during the war to help fill the wartime labour shortage would now be expected by some people to return to their domestic routine, so that returning soldiers would be able to pick up the jobs they had left to fight in World War I. Thousands of the returning soldiers were flooding the job market and would soon find that jobs were hard to come by.
Different Points of View
While poorly paid soldiers were sacrificing their lives in the defence of Canada, war profiteers were becoming rich. Many people, including war veterans, were annoyed by the fact that some wealthy industrialists had grown even wealthier by profiting from the wartime economy. Veterans felt that they were owed a share in the wealth that was created during the war or at the very least a return of their old jobs.
Even those soldiers who were lucky enough to get their old jobs back when they returned home faced a difficult situation. Recall that during the war, prices of goods and services had risen dramatically because of the shortage of supply. Demand for goods was greater than supply. The wages of factory workers had also increased during the war, but at a lower rate than prices had risen. This meant that when soldiers returned to their jobs, they were not truly making as much as they did before they left, as they could no longer buy the same quantity of goods because of the huge increase of prices. This situation angered the soldiers because they had fought in the war to create a better world, yet when they returned home they found something far less then they had expected.
Added to the difference in price and wage increases, soldiers also had difficulty in obtaining places to live. All across Canada, many urban areas were facing a severe housing crisis. Apartments and homes were hard to find. If the soldiers could find a place rent was high and the cost of purchasing a house was out of their reach. Added to the housing crisis, workers in years before the 1920s did not have unemployment insurance, workers compensation (which would pay some of their wages if they were injured on the job), pensions or really any rights in their places of employment. One worker complaining about this situation was easy for employers and the Canadian government to ignore. However, a group of workers might have a chance to get noticed and improve their circumstances.
Thus, many workers began to join unions to fight for better working conditions and wages, but there were not any laws that actually required factory owners to listen to their workers’ demands. The workers felt that there was only one way to have their demands met: a strike. They would remove their services, which would stop production and take away the profit from the owners. But this was not very effective, because industrialists could get the government and the police to help force the workers to go back to work, or hire outside workers (scabs) to replace them.
In an effort to move their cause forward, many workers realized that the small unions located in individual factories and other occupations would have to unite to become more powerful. This idea was called, “One Big Union” (OBU). The idea of the OBU came from workers who were influenced by the Communist Revolution staged by the Bolsheviks from Russian in 1917. The Bolsheviks called for the workers to stage a ‘revolution’ against the factory owners. Union leaders in Canada believed that if they could get workers to follow this idea of uniting against their employers they might stand a chance.
Things came to a head in Winnipeg in 1919.
Task
Using the websites provided, you are to complete the tasks which follow. By completing this task you will describe some major instances of social and political conflict in Canada during this period and analyse some of their causes and consequences. Furthermore, you should be able to answer the following questions:
1. What were the most significant causes of the Winnipeg General Strike?
2. What were its short- and long-term consequences?”
Process
ACTIVITY 1:
Use the links provided to complete these questions:
- What conditions existed in Canada that caused the workers to become agitated with their situation?
- What were the immediate impacts caused by the striking workers?
- Who were on the different sides in the confrontation in Winnipeg?
- What different occupations went on strike on Thursday, May 15th 1919?
- What is the concept or idea behind the, “One Big Union?”
- How did the decision for a general strike surprise some of the union leaders?
- What was the Citizens Committee of One Thousand? Why did they feel a need to exist?
- What did the Federal Government in Ottawa attempt to do to halt the strike and the growing tensions in Winnipeg?
- Saturday, June 21, is known as "Bloody Saturday”. What happened on this day during the Winnipeg General Strike?
- What were the lasting impacts of the Winnipeg General Strike on Canadian Labour history?
Canadian Museum of Civilization
ACTIVITY 2: Point of View - Two Conflicting Eyewitness Accounts
Events as reported by eyewitnesses often conflict. One eyewitness selects one set of observations; another selects another set. Most often reporters report different views of the same event. The following accounts of the Winnipeg General Strike dramatically illustrate these recurring problems in recounting history.
Read both of the following accounts and then answer the questions which follow:
Account #1 "Strike Bulletin" of the Western Labour News
On Saturday about 2:30 a peaceful parade of strikeers scheduled to begin. The workers were protesting the arrest of strike leaders. Suddenly, without provocation, fifty mounted men, swinging baseball bats rode down Main Street. Half were red-coated mounties, the others were "Special Police" in their khaki uniforms. They quickened their pace as they reached the crowd. Wishing to avoid trouble, the workers opened to let them through. It was to no avail. The horsemen turned and charged through the crowd again. They were greeted by hisses and boos and some stones. There were two riderless horses with the squad when it emerged and galloped up Main Street. The men in khaki disappeared, but the mounties rained their horses. They reformed in front of the post office.
Then with revolvers drawn, they galloped down Main Street. They charged into the crowd, firing as they went. One man standing on the side-walk thought the mounties were firing blanks until a spectator beside him dropped with a bullet through his chest. Another bystander was shot through the head. Lines of Special police were thrown across Main Street. They swung their clubs as the workers tried to flee the onslaught. Dismounted red-coats lined the streets declaring the city under military control.
Account #2 Lt. Col. O. M. Bigger; Bigger to Prime Minister Borden
Despite two proclamations to the contrary, a group of strikers gathered on Main Street this afternoon. They were waiting for an illegal parade to start. The mayor read the riot act. Following his orders, I sent "mounties" and special police to disperse the mob. As the police approached the strikers they were stoned and fired upon. The mounted police galloped down the centre of Main Street in an attempt to frighten the crowd. The mob became more unruly and the police were forced to return fire with their revolvers. More troops and machine guns were brought in, they were not necessary. By 6 pm all crowds were cleared from the streets. Steps were taken to prevent further riots.
Casualties reported to date number 29. Thirteen of those were gunshot wounds. Police casualties number 8, none are serious. One foreigner died of gunshot wounds and two otehrs were seriously wounded, likely fatal. At least 50 rioters were arrested, some of these are notorious Bolsheviks. No further trouble is anticipated.
Questions:
- Complete the 5Ws and H for each account.
- What is the opinion of the author in Account #1? What words are used to make you think this?
- What is the opinion of the author in Account #2? What words are used to make you think this?
- Why are the accounts different?
- Based on what you have learned, whose side do you attend to agree with and why?
Evaluation
Your responses will be marked according to their completeness AND their content. You are to submit your responses next class.
Conclusion
Social and Economic Changes
Canada was able to overcome the early obstacles caused by the social and economic issues which followed the retooling of factories for non-wartime production. As a result Canada went into the 1920s at a quick pace. This decade in Canadian history is known as the “Roaring Twenties”. The word "roaring" was applied because the economy was booming and social standards were changing. The entertainment scene of the time was of people drinking alcohol and dancing the Charleston in places called speakeasies. Canadians got over the post-WWI problems quickly, and soon they were rewarded with good times. The war was over, people felt happy, safe, and confident. The “Roaring Twenties” would soon be the “booming” twenties, as an economic Boom Cycle soon captured Canadians.
The Canadian economy became a "consumer culture". With factories switching from making war materials on their assembly lines to producing more domestic items such as cars and washing machines. Canadians began to want more material goods in their everyday lives. The government obliged by making it easier for most people to get credit. Almost everyone went into debt in an attempt to "keep up with the Joneses". However, no one was worried – it was the booming good times of the 1920s economy. People were making money hand over fist and certainly were not concerned with their debts or a rainy day.