The Great War is over.

What are people thinking and feeling after four years of turmoil?

Cubism – fragmented images, angular lines

Modern Art - Artists tried to capture new perceptions of reality

The Lost Generation felt betrayed by their leaders, their culture, and their institutions.

•They asked themselves “How could all this death and destruction have been allowed to happen?” •They felt helpless, and lost. •They despaired for the future. •Where once they had trusted, now they did not. It appeared that Good had lost the battle against Evil.

The Workers Revolt-Canada after the Great War

After four years of war, the world had changed. Boundaries of Europe changed creating new

nations. Revolution in Russia

– new communist government

– the communist army wins the civil war and establishes itself as the undisputed government

U.S. Role in the world increased

– considered a major power

For many of those who fought in Europe,the end of the First World War meant the beginning of a new society. The years which followed the was brought some of the worst crises in Canadian history.

Returning soldiers at Union Station in Winnipeg,

1919

The End of the War World War I ended in 1919. Times were hard for the

Canadian worker.

1)Jobs were hard to find.

With the armistice, the munitions plants were shut down. Suddenly, a quarter of a million workers had to hunt for jobs.

350,000 vets returned to Canada

No pensions or medical assistance

2) Anger over Profiteering - People were angry that corporations had made huge profits during the war while others suffered.

3) Inflation - Prices were rising much faster than

wages.- wages often didn't cover food &

rent.

4)The government made organizing hard for unions and radical groups by keeping wartime orders limiting free speech and assembly.

Some left-wing organizations were

made illegal.

–These measures were prompted by a fear of communism.

Although communism never spread to Canada, the idea of workers joining together to demand improve working conditions did. In Canada in 1919, workers had no unemployment insurance, compensation for injuries on the job, or pensions.

- Unemployment was high (40-60%)

- Strikes and Labour disputes were common.

Calgary,March 1919

Union leaders met + formed One Big Union (OBU)

Goal – The union was

seeking better wages

and working conditions

for workers in all Canadians

cities.

The union began to organize workers across Canada.

Building and metal workers tried to become unionized, but management refused to negotiate. The workers decided to strike for better wages and union recognition.

The Winnipeg General Strike

May15,1919 – 30,000 Winnipeg workers – union members and unorganized workers – went on strikes. They shut down Canada's third largest city for six weeks. Workers went on strike for recognition of their unions and the right to bargain collectively for their wages and working conditions. Factories, stores,restaurants,offices,public transportation, fire departments,newspapers,garbage collection,telephone,postal system – everything stopped.

The Winnipeg General Strike was the most complete general strike in North American history. Thousands of war veterans demonstrated in support of the strikers. Many strikers and demonstrations took place in other cities across Canada.

f war veterans demonstrated in support of the strikers. Many strikes and demonstrations took place in other cities across Canada.

Again, fear of a communist uprising “Red Scare”

Government and Business Owner’s Response:The government and businesses saw the strike

as the beginning of a worker revolution and took steps to stop protest:

Winnipeg business people organize the “Citizens Committee of 1000” to oppose the strike.

Winnipeg officials banned all parades and demonstrations.

Any person born outside of Canada and who was suspected of trying to cause a revolution could be arrested and deported without a hearing or trial.

The government promised to use all resources, military, financial, and legislative, to crush the strike. Armoured cars, troops, and machine-gun units were moved to Winnipeg. The strike leaders were arrested and threatened with deportation.

Bloody Saturday

June 21st . 1919 – violence erupted in Winnipeg A huge crowd gathered to watch a parade

protesting against the arrest of the strike leaders. The crowd overturned a streetcar and set it on fire.

The police violently attacked a peaceful Winnipeg parade of strikers and war veterans – one man was killed, 30 were injured and hundreds were arrested. The strike was smashed.

Results:

In a way, the Winnipeg General Strike failed:

Workers gained little + lost much Unions nearly destroyed Money lost

But in other ways, the strike succeeded: In the years that followed, many of the workers

demands became law. The government realized that there were serious labour issues it had to address to avoid future unrest.

Many strike leaders were elected to provincial + federal government

*J.D.Woodsworth – founded the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) in 1933

- This political party would later on become the NDP