369 lines
19 KiB
Plaintext
369 lines
19 KiB
Plaintext
ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßÛßßßßßÛÛÜ ÜÜßßßßÜÜÜÜ ÜÛÜ ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÜÜÜÜÛßß ßÛÛ
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ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÛ ÜÛÛÛÜÛÛÜÜÜ ßÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÛÛÜÜÜÛÛÝ Ûß
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ßßßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÞÝ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßßÛÜÞÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßßÛÛÛÞß
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Mo.iMP ÜÛÛÜ ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÝ ßÛß
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ß ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÜÛ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß
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ÜÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÜÜ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÞÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛßß
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ÜÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÛÛÛÛÜÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛ ßÛÛÛÛÛ Ü ÛÝÛÛÛÛÛ Ü
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ÜÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ßÛÜ ßÛÛÛÜÜ ÜÜÛÛÛß ÞÛ ÞÛÛÛÝ ÜÜÛÛ
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ÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÜ ßßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÜÜÜß ÛÛÛÛÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÛÛÛÛÛß
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ßÛÜ ÜÛÛÛß ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßßÜÜ ßßÜÛÛßß ßÛÛÜ ßßßÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßß
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ßßßßß ßßÛÛß ßßßßß ßßßßßßßßßßßßß
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ARRoGANT CoURiERS WiTH ESSaYS
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Grade Level: Type of Work Subject/Topic is on:
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[ ]6-8 [ ]Class Notes [Report on the Great ]
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[ ]9-10 [ ]Cliff Notes [Depression of the 1930's]
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[x]11-12 [x]Essay/Report [ ]
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[ ]College [ ]Misc [ ]
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Dizzed: 09/94 # of Words:2889 School: ? State: ?
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ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>Chop Here>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
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During the Great Depression of the 1930's, Canada's Prairie
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provinces suffered more than any other area in Canada. This time
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frame brought for the farmers many years of droughts and
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grasshopper plagues, as each year got worse without any rainfall
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whatsoever. The impact of the Great Depression on the Prairie
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provinces was devastating and it's impact on the region was
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social, political and economical. During this period unemployment
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reached high levels, prices of products were falling and purchasing
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power was getting very weak. To try to help out unemployed people,
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mostly men, the government introduced relief camps. During the
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1930's in Prairie Canada, the Great Depression created harsh
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conditions and it was a struggle until it ended.
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The event which triggered the Great Depression was the Stock
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Market crash of October 24, 1929 in New York. Another important
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cause was that:
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Later in the 1930's, the wide adoption of the gold exchange in
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many countries was widely criticized as a great mistake which
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greatly contributed to the severity and length of the Great
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Depression. 1
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In Canada, wheat, the most important export, was being over-
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produced around the world, despite the fact that the 1928 supply of
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wheat was still available in 1929.
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A good reason for the stock market crash in 1929 was that,
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the values of stocks of the New York Stock Exchange were
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grossly over-valued, but government and business appeared to
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ignore the signs. 2
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Canadian revenues that came in from export sales were
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dependent largely upon the United States who had the money for
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growth; the commodities were grain, pulp and paper and metals.
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Then when the New York crashed on October 1929, stock prices fell
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dramatically. When the stock market crashed, the Canadian economy
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suffered after the United States invoked high tariffs to shut out
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Canadian goods. In the Prairie provinces of Canada, in addition to
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economic depression was the effect of the nine years of drought and
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crop failures.
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When the Great Depression plagued Canada, the country was not
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ready for it; there are three main reasons why:
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1) Seasonal unemployment was predictable since wages for
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seasonal labour were high enough.
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2) Cyclical unemployment and recovery in the past always
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occurred eventually. Canada was a new world society, with
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a developing farm frontier.
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3) There was a working class political pressure. 3
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Dependence on foreign trade of wheat contributed to Canada's main
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cause of the Great Depression.
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The Weather in the Prairies greatly contributed to the
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disastrous effects which took place upon the Prairies during the
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1930's. Crops which were green and healthy in June, had reduced to
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nothing in two to three weeks. The cause of devastation to the
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crops was usually from dust storms. The drought created five to
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seven years of dried-out crops. A description of the Prairie land
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was that ...
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The Prairies were like a great rich land without rain. The
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heat everyday was too hot to adjust to during the day and
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too hot to sleep at night. It was like living a dry sauna.
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The wind was so hot and sucking that it sucked up the
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moisture. 4
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In 1931, events which occurred were blizzards, dust storms
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consisting of hot dry, wind and complete crop failure. In 1932 it
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was the year when grasshoppers plagued the land. In 1933 the
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effects of drought and grasshoppers were the main factors which
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contributed to the downfall of the Prairie provinces in the first
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few years of the Great Depression. In 1934, soil began to blow in
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mid June and destroy gardens and crops and cause the cancellations
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of many fairs in the villages across the southern plains. In 1936,
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it was the coldest winter with blizzards contributing to chilling
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records and also events where people froze to death. During the
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summer of 1936, it was the longest and hottest summer. Temperatures
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reached one hundred degrees Fahrenheit regularly and also caused a
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few deaths. The drought and high winds caused desert-like
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conditions to spread over the Prairies. "In May and June of 1937
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the weather ended up being hotter, drier, windier and dirtier than
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the year before." 5
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Impact of the dust storms reduced visibility to a few feet,
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lakes went dry and farmers had to cut Russian Thistle to feed the
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starving cattle since there were no crops.
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As situations got worse, some settlers started to leave the
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land. In 1935 R.B. Bennett and his government introduced the
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Prairie Farm Rehabilitation to help out people who were
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experiencing tremendous hardship.
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The social impact of the Great Depression on the Prairies had
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psychological implications. There was frustration for those who
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stayed and for those who abandoned their farms. Since there was
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not enough money for gas, people used their horses to draw their
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cars and called them "Bennett Buggies". Some people were going
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quite crazy and often did not really care what consequences they
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would have to face. A description of the state of turmoil:
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Only those who lived through it could realize what it meant to
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travel for miles over a wasteland, with the dust and Russian
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thistle blowing across the fields and piling up on the fences;
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to see cattle and horses dead in the fields because they had
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become so hungry that they ate the Russian Thistle that tore
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their intestines apart and they died in agony. 6
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It was difficult for women, since the men always saw each
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other, once in a while when they met in town with other men. The
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women stayed at home, isolated and so they could only listen to the
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radio. Radio was the only medium that gave people in the Prairies
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contact with the outside world. Some women went to mental
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hospitals since they suffered from mental depressions.
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Schoolhouse dances were an event where people could get
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together. People read quite a lot since there was nothing else to
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do. They borrowed these books from the library. The provinces
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lacked high schools and the children had to go out of town to
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attend one usually somewhere in the United States. The medical
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facilities were atrocious as people had to pay one week's payments
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in advance and they did not have enough money but needed treatment.
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During the 1930's fine art was created during idle time. Portraits
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made were of "still lives, landscapes, depiction of people at work
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and portrayed of rural and urban buildings." 7 Home entertainment
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was provided by popular radio programs, dance bands and hockey
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broadcasts, as all these provided cheap entertainment. Also there
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was participation in sports, picnics, dances and church socials due
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to shortages of cash.
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The immigration and birthrate of people drastically reduced
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during the 1930's. The growth of the population was very low.
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European Jews who fled Nazi Germany were denied entrance into
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Canada. In Saskatchewan, the rural population grew faster than its
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urban population.
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Henry Jacobson, a 78 year old said," The depression took away
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my wife, my home, a sector of good land back in Saskatchewan and
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left me with nothing." 8 The worst area hit was the Palliser
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Triangle in Saskatchewan. In the Palliser Triangle, farmers saw
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their land erode away. The topsoil suffered as it was blown by the
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heavy wind. The crops were frozen, damaged from grasshoppers, or
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burned during the summer. This condition forced people off their
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own land.
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By the tens, hundreds, thousands right across the West, they
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left the farms, following the path of neighbors gone north to
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Peace River or the cool and green Fraser Valley of British
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Columbia. There had been no crops for three, maybe five
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years. No money for petroleum, clothes or even food. 9
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People were so worse off that they did not have a job, money,
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enough food and only ripped clothing to wear. Only some
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individuals were quite well off as they had fixed salaries and
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lived comfortably. The teachers and the ministers were two groups
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of people who really found the Great Depression a struggle:
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People who really affected from social effects of the Great
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Depression were school teachers and religious leaders.
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Teachers saw gifted students be forced to leave school due to
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the lack of funds. Ministers saw sickness, malnutrition, want
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and poverty without power to do more than comfort and sustain.
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10
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People during the 1930's revealed through their music their
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feelings, explanations and effects that the Depression had upon
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them. Local radio programs as well as recording in studios and
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other forms of entertainment replaced music which was formerly
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popular.
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These songs are united in their concern for interpreting the
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bizarre events of the 1930's, trying to offer solutions,
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scapegoats, courses of action, and perhaps dreams that helped
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people survive this trying time. 11
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Religion during the 1930's in Prairie Canada was aiding people
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with their troubles. People realized that situations were not
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good. They turned to an almighty being for guidance and
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assistance. Lloyd C. Douglas a minister of St. James United Church
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(1929-1933) had a message which said, "Religion works: it provides
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the key to success, peace of mind and a worthwhile life" 12
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There was an overproduction of wheat and industrial goods.
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The war had created changes in the structure in the economy as well
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as damage in the international trade. Wages were always falling
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behind.
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Economic theories of John Maynard Keynes were helpful and
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suggested that if private investment failed to produce full
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employment, the state must initiate public investment through
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deficit spending to create jobs.
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Keynesian economics became part of the government policy, and
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it was due to the large sum of state expenditures necessary for the
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war which helped to reduce unemployment. "Prairie wheat economy
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$1.60 a bushel price in 1929 - .38 in 2 and a half years" 13
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The hardest hit area was Saskatchewan "Per capita income fell from
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$478 in 1929-29 to $135 in 1932 - a 71% decrease" 14 People could
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not afford to purchase products produced because there was a lack
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of purchasing power. Also the wages were not sufficient to buy
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products because producers had to consider prices for overhead, the
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high cost of credit and the profits into the sale price of the
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product. In some areas, prices dropped to almost zero.
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Wheat was being sold for 35 cents a bushel, butter was sold
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for 10 cents a pound, big turkeys for $1 and small turkeys
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for 50 cents. 15
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In the late 1920's the farmers created the wheat pools. These
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pools had some problems in the marketing system because there was
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only one economic investment and a single crop to export. Instead
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of yielding the farmers profits the wheat pools made the farmers
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poor. In Alberta, economic depression was the worst with the
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combination of prices, debts, and interest. It got so bad that the
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Social Credit Revolution of 1935 was formed.
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Partly Canadian collapse in prices that followed Wall Street's
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Black Thursday was the high cost of mechanization, exorbitant
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interest rates and boom-bust grain prices. 16
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Employers were particular about who worked for them. Some of
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them would prefer to have a person work for them at a lower wage.
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These employers would fire their employees as soon as they could
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offer a lower wage to somebody else to do the same job. They
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squeezed every possible amount of labour out of the employee for
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the least amount in wages. Other employers felt sad when people
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had were laid off.
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People also set up employment agencies to help everyone get a
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job. "In Canada ten to twenty five percent of the labour force was
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unemployed throughout the Depression." 17 Before the Depression it
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was different, since anyone who was dissatisfied with his job could
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leave the existing company and go to work for another one. Since
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women worked for less than men, they didn't have to go on relief
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programs since employers would fill their job openings with women.
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Since local governments refused to help single homeless men
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during the years 1932 and 1936, the federal governments established
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Unemployment Relief Camps. These camps were run by the Department
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of Defence. The camps paid the men 20 cents a day for heavy work
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such as construction.
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In 1935 there was a protest in Regina against the conditions
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of the camps. It was called the Regina Riot. It was one of the
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most violent events of the 1930's and included 130 people being
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arrested, many men injured and one policeman killed.
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The camps did help as the men did not starve to death and had
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a little bit of food in their stomachs. For some men support
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through the relief camps meant total humiliation as they were
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fathers and had been hard working wage earners a couple of years
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ago. The camps served the purpose of feeding the men, clothing
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them, and paying them 20 cents a day. The relief camps "kept them
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in the hills, in the mountains, far from civilization and far from
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communists." 18 Some of the duties the men would perform would be
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to clean park areas, help with building of bridges, clean up hiking
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trails, learn work habits and to keep out of trouble. Some of the
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men were grabbed from the streets and forced into these camps. The
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conditions of the camps meant for the workers a monotonous life,
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dirty conditions to cope with, and non-productive work to do. One
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explanation of the treatment in camps: "In relief camps we weren't
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treated as humans, we were treated as animals and we were just
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statistics." 19
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Other forms of aid were given by the volunteer agencies. The
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churches helped distribute clothing, bedding and fed the hungary
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and the homeless. Canadian Red Cross was another agency who
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contributed by supplying clothing, blankets and bedding as well as
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collected money for medical care. In 1935 the Prairie Farm
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Rehabilitation Association was formed to help out the worst areas
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of the agricultural economy.
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The homeless rode the boxcars from one city to another,
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begging for food and clothing. In labour camps the men received
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shelter, three meals a day, worked 48 hours per week and had to
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deal with conflicts. Anyone who tried to protest faced expulsion
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and this may have led to explosive riots.
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"Political effects of the Depression were that capitalist
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system failed." 20 Prime Minister R.B. Bennett introduced
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unemployment insurance and minimum wages after he was defeated by
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W.L. Mackenzie King, when it was too late. Both Bennett and
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Mackenzie King refused to give work to the jobless and insisted
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that the provinces should be responsible for them, which resulted
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in insufficient care for the homeless.
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In 1934 Bennett helped establish the Bank of Canada. The
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Canadian Wheat Board was established in 1935 which helped promote
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minimum price for wheat. In 1940, the federal government
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introduced Unemployment Insurance. Among the reform movements
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which took place during the depression were:
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The Social Credit theories of Alberta Premier William
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Aberhart, and democratic Socialism of J.S. Woodsworth as well
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as the New Democracy movement of W.D. Herridge. 21
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R.B. Bennett extended raw material processing and the use of
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tariffs and trade preferences to protect and encourage employment.
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In 1939, there was a Prairie Assistance Act, which gave tremendous
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protection to the small producers as well as an insurance plan
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against crop failures. In 1930, R.B. Bennett promised to end
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unemployment, but did not. Prime Minister Bennett developed the
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Farmers Creditors Arrangement Act which "cleared more than $200
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million in farm debts to banks and mortgage companies, and business
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who joined the reconstruction Party in 1935 to try and reorganize
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our chaotic enemy." 22
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R.B. Bennett tried to help out with the unemployment problem
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through higher tariffs and unemployment benefits. This still did
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not work because the jobless rate kept increasing. Bennett thought
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the problem of the 1930's was a seasonal and temporary one.
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Bennett also believed that sharply boosting the protective
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tariff would stimulate confidence, create jobs by reducing
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reliance upon imports and force other nations to lower their
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trading barriers against Canadian exports." 23
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The first priority of government was to reduce the deficit so it
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couldn't create jobs.
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His unemployment policy included eliminating the deficit,
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balancing the federal budget, and keeping expenditure on the
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jobless down to a low level. His government would pay only
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one third of the cost of direct relief in any town or city
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and contribute nothing to cost of administration. 24
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On September 1, 1939, Adolf Hitler gave orders to start World
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War Two. On September 10, 1939, Canada declared war and so everyone
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was at work for the next 6 years. Great Depression ended with
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World War two, "courtesy of Adolf Hitler" 25
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Among all the hardships during the Great Depression, "People
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were more united than any time in the past" 26 This is because they
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helped each other out during this period of struggles and
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tribulations.
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The Great Depression was as Barry Broadfoot claims:
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10 years that were the most traumatic in our nations history,
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the most deliberating, the most devastating and the most
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horrendous. 27
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Starting with the New York Stock Market Crash in 1929 until World
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War II began in 1939, the Prairie provinces experienced many
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changes which had a crushing impact upon the people and economy.
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The Great Depression in the Prairies was of extreme importance as
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it affected the entire region until World War II began.
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