profile 1929
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Personal Profile in Canadian Society: 1929-45 Real Name: ____________________________ 1] Age in 1929: ______ 2] Social layer: _____ 3] Ethnicity: _____________________ 4] The province you live in? ___________ 5] Disabled during WWI? _______ 6] How many children do you have by 1929? ____. What are their ages? _______ 7] What is your (or your spouses) occupation? ____________________________ 8] Were the 1920s “roaring” or “unroaring” for you and your family? __________ Why? ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ 9] The event that came to be viewed as the dividing line between the “roaring twenties” and the Great Depression was the “Stock Market Crash” of October, 1929. The Great Depression took Canadians by surprise. The real leaders of their country, its captains of industry and finance, had assured them that their “prosperity was so broad, so sound, and so hopeful for the future” that they could have “a new confidence in their country”. “The volume of our international trade will soon rise to new and unprecedented levels,” said Herbert Holt, president of the Royal Bank. But, on “Black Tuesday” October 29, 1929, over 850,000 shares were dumped on the Montreal and Toronto exchanges. The Toronto Star’s index of 16 key Canadian stocks fell $300,000,000 – a million for every minute that the markets were open for trading. Industrialist Cyrus Eaton was rumoured to have lost a million; former Prime Minister Arthur Meighen took severe losses; young bandleader, Guy Lombardo watched $60,000 disappear! [Source: J.H.Will Thompson, Decades of Discord, pp. 193-194.] 1929: yourCanada family1922-1939: be devastated by the(1985), “Crash of 29”? Your fate: YES: NO: [If your family is in social layer #1 and you picked “yes”, you drop one social layer. If you’re in social layer #2 and #3, you drop two social layers and if you are in social layer #4, you drop one social layer. Finally, if you are in social layer #5, you likely didn’t have any extra money to invest in the market during the twenties.] 10] What is the main concern/difficulty/fear you and your family is faced with in Canadian society during the winter of 1929-1930? Why? ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ 11] By 1932, the devastating impact of the Great Depression was being felt in most communities across Canada. The national unemployment rate was 26%: in some communities over half of the wage-earning population was unemployed! Many veterans remembered those terrible trenches and what they had been told they were fighting for in 191718: a new society and a new social order because the war was “a step toward a better, more democratic world”. An unkind joke! As well, there was no unemployment insurance in 1932. The Prime Minister, R.B. Bennett, said that would sap an individual’s initiative to find a job. Unemployment Rates in Canada: 1919-1939 (%) 1919: 3.4 1920: 4.6 1921: 8.9 1922: 7.1 1923: 4.9 1924: 1925: 7.0 1926: 4.7 1927: 2.9 1928: 2.6 1929: 4.2 1930: 1931: 17.4 1932: 26.0 1933: 26.6 1934: 20.6 1935: 19.1 1936: 1937: 12.2 1938: 15.1 1939: 14.1 [Source: J.H. Thompson, Canada 1922-1939: Decades of Discord, (1985), p.350.] 7.1 12.9 16.7 1932: Will you [or your spouse] lose your job? Your fate: YES: NO: [If you are in social layer #1 or #2, you are very fortunate; you will have sufficient savings and forms of security to protect your family from the ravages of the Great Depression. For all others, you must depend on the charity and compassion of your neighbours and your community and you drop down the social ladder by one layer! 12] How do you respond to the high unemployment rate? Why do you think it is so high? Who is to blame? ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ 13] By 1933, the brutal reality of the Great Depression was striking families in a heart-breaking manner. For most Canadians, the availability of hospital and medical care was based on a family’s ability to pay and not on their need. Given the economic and social realities caused by the Great Depression, many Canadian families suffered the death of a child as a result of a curable illness or disease! Children of families in social classes #5, #4, and #3 were especially vulnerable. Some professional, religious and political groups in Canada at that time called this situation utterly deplorable and tragic; they argued that health care should be the right of all citizens – especially the very young. Nevertheless, Prime Minister Bennett denounced public health care as the “beginnings of bolshevism in Canada”. In general, the medical profession supported his stand. 1933: Will you lose a grandchild to sickness or disease because your family can not afford proper hospital/medical care? Your fate: YES: NO: [If you are in social layer #1 or #2 and you picked “yes”, flip a coin. You may be fortunate.] Should medical care be funded by the government? If you said no explain why not. If you answered yes explain why. ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ 14] A once-in-a-lifetime Summer Vacation in the 1930s? July, 1934: Will your family have the opportunity to vacation at either the Banff Springs Hotel in Alberta or Bigwin Inn in Muskoka, Ontario? [Summer vacations can be a wonderful time for the family, even during the Great Depression. Given the features of your “personal profile” and the nature of your family’s “journey”, determine whether your family has the ability to take this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to vacation for a month at one of Canada’s top summer resorts during the 1930s. “In that hot summer of 1935 [& 1934], there was plenty of evidence of the staggered economy across Canada and the U.S., but surprisingly, things seemed to be better in Muskoka than elsewhere. Tourism was strong even then. The wealthy could afford to vacation in their Muskoka hideaways, and their good fortune was passed down to the rest of the district; tourism sheltered Muskoka from the strongest winds of the depression. The Muskoka Lakes Highway (to Port Carling) was paved in the spring of ‘35. The Bigwin Inn Road was improved with calcium chloride treatment to keep dust off visitors’ cars.” [John Challis, “Huntsville in the Great Depression,” The Huntsville Herald, June 19, 1985, pp.B4.] Your once-in-a-lifetime Summer Vacation, July 1934 1) You family’s preference: Banff Springs Hotel: Bigwin Inn: 2) Number of individuals in your family (2 or 4):_____ 3) Where does your family live in 1934: . 4) The location of the nearest rail terminal: . 5) Your Family’s approximate yearly income: __________________. 6) Your Family’s approximate weekly income (#5 divided by 52 weeks): __________. 7) Given your social layer estimate the weekly cost per week for a ‘family budget of staple foods, fuel, lighting and rent’ in 1934 1934: $ ______ x4 social layer 1, x3 social layer 2, x2 social layer 3) =$ ________ 8) The $ize of your family’s weekly surplus:$ . [subtract your weekly total budget (#7)from your estimated weekly income (6)] 9) Given the size of your family, calculate the cost by railway of a return-trip to your preferred vacation destination: ________Train Ride x 2 (return trip) x ____ (people) = total train cost: $__________ 10) Given the size of your family, calculate the cost of staying at either the Banff Springs Hotel or Bigwin Inn for four weeks during the month of July: Hotel Cost: _____ x 4 (weeks) x ____ (people) = total hotel cost: $___________ 11) Train Cost (#9) + Hotel Cost (#10) = Total cost of Trip: $_______________ 12) Trip Cost (#11) divided by Weekly Surplus (#8) = ___________ weeks you would need to save all your surplus money in order to pay for the trip 9) Given the information you have gathered, can your family afford the “once-in-a-lifetime summer vacation” in July, 1934? * Your family’s fate: Yes: No: Explain your position. _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ 15] The On-to-Ottawa Trek, April-July 1935. A] Who were the trekkers? _________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ B] What were the some of the “demands” of the trekkers? 1)_____________________________________________________________________ 2)_____________________________________________________________________ 3)_____________________________________________________________________ 4)_____________________________________________________________________ 5)_____________________________________________________________________ 6)_____________________________________________________________________ C] Why did the Canadian government, under Prime Minister R.B. Bennett, fear the “Trek”? _______________________________________________________________________ D] What happened in Regina, Saskatchewan, on July 1, 1935? What was the end result? _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ E] Given your “personal profile”, how do you respond to the On-to-Ottawa Trek and the Regina Riot of 1935? Explain the reasons for your answers. _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ 16] Many Canadians during the 1930s wrote to Prime Minister Bennett to express their feelings towards his response to the Great Depression. In a brief letter, write to the Prime Minister and tell him what you feel about his policies, actions, and attitude towards the Depression. Date: __________. Location: ______________________ Dearest: ___________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Sincerely: _________________________________ 1] Your age in 1939? _________ 2] Your social layer #: _________ 3] Your ethnicity: ________________ 4] In which province do you live: _______ 5] Were you/your spouse disabled during WWI? _________ 6] How many grown children do you have by 1939? _____ Their ages: _________ 7] What is your/your spouse’s occupation in 1939? ________________________ 8] What impact did the Great Depression have upon you and your family? Describe. ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ 9] Do you agree with the Canadian government’s decision on September 10, 1939, to declare war on Nazi Germany? (yes or no): ________. Why or why not? Describe your position. ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ 10] Which branches of the armed forces (army, navy, or air force) and which theatres of war did your son/daughter/nephew serve in. Describe their participation in the war. 1] ________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ 2] ________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ 11] 1940: Will you lose a son - or nephew - who enlisted in the RCN for convoy duty on the North Atlantic and, is lost at sea when his ship is torpedoed by a German submarine during the first year of the Battle of the Atlantic? * Your family’s fate: Yes: No: _ _ _ _ 12] 1941: Will a daughter - or niece - who is working in the war industries be selected _ _ as the “Bren Gun Girl-of-the Year”?! _ _ _ _ * Your family’s fate: Yes: _ No: _ __ __ _ __ _ Explain your response to more women working in war industries _ _ and more women __ serving in the military. __ __ __ ____________________________________________________________________________ __ __ __ _ __ _ ____________________________________________________________________________ _ __ _ _ __ _ ____________________________________________________________________________ _ __ _ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ 13] 1941: Will a son - or nephew - who is a member of a 2,000-man Canadian Army contingent sent to Hong Kong in October, become a POW in the Far East with the fall of Hong Kong to the Japanese on Christmas Day? * Your family’s fate: Yes: No: __ __ __ __ Do you believe it was necessary to help Great the island of Hong Kong? __ Britain defend __ Explain your decision. __ __ __ __ __ __ ____________________________________________________________________________ __ __ __ __ ____________________________________________________________________________ __ __ __ __ __ decision in __ 14] Do you agree with the Canadian government’s early 1942 to place 20,000 __ in British Columbia __ Japanese- Canadians into internment camps and Alberta? (yes or __ __ no): ________. Why or why not? Describe your position. __ __ __ __ ____________________________________________________________________________ __ __ __ __ __ __ ____________________________________________________________________________ __ __ __ __ ____________________________________________________________________________ __ __ __ __ __ __ 15] Will you vote for or against conscription during the referendum on April 27, 1942? Explain __ __ your decision. __ __ __ __ ____________________________________________________________________________ __ __ __ __ __ __ ____________________________________________________________________________ __ __ __ __ 16] 1942: Will your son or nephew be captured during the ill-fated Dieppe Raid on the __ __ French coast, August 19th , and become__a POW for the __ rest of the war. (nearly 2,000 Canadians were taken prisoner) __ __ __ __ __ __ Your Fate: Yes: No: __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ Comment on the end __ result of the Dieppe__ Raid and whether or not it served any purpose. __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ____________________________________________________________________________ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ____________________________________________________________________________ __ __ __ __ __ __ ____________________________________________________________________________ __ __ __ __ 17] 1943: Will your son or nephew die during the Battle of Ortona, Italy during __ __ Christmas. (nearly 2,339 Canadians were __ __killed, 16,000 were evacuated because of sickness or battle fatigue) __ __ __ __ __ __ Your Fate: Yes: No: __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ Describe how you think the Canadians are performing in Italy. Do you believe they are working well as an army? Explain why. ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ 18] Describe how the war (1939-1944) has affected the lifestyle of you and your family here in Canada on the home front. Your answer must include such things as the availability of consumer goods, rationing, wage and price controls, jobs in war industries, women in the workplace, types of entertainment, types of government restrictions. 1] __________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ 2] __________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ 3] __________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ 19] 1944: Will your son or nephew die on June 6th during the Allied invasion of Normandy. (of the 15,000 Canadians, 1074 were killed or wounded during D-Day) Your Fate: Yes: No: __ __ __ __ Explain your reaction__ to the Normandy invasion and the advance of the Allied armies? __ __ __ __ __ ____________________________________________________________________________ __ __ __ __ ____________________________________________________________________________ __ __ __ __ 20] How does your family react __ to VE-Day on May __ 8, 1945? __ __ __ __ ____________________________________________________________________________ __ __ __ __ ____________________________________________________________________________ __ __ __ __ __ 21] Were the Allies justified __ in their nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki? __ __ __ __ ____________________________________________________________________________ __ __ __ __ ____________________________________________________________________________ __ __ __ __ __ Germany and Japan __ 22] How should the Allies treat as far as any peace treaty is concerned? __ __ __ __ ____________________________________________________________________________ __ __ ____________________________________________________________________________ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
