The Roaring 1920s
Economy, Culture, and Society
Post War
Economy
Canada began the
1920s in a state of
economic
depression, but the
economy improved
by the mid decade
Canadian Exports
Wheat remained important
main export but there
was also growth in the
exploitation of natural
resources and
manufacturing
- Pulp and paper
- Mining copper, silver,
lead, zinc
- Used to make radios and
home appliances
Demand for Cheap
Energy
Expanding forestry and
mining industries
increased demand for
hydroelectric power
several hydro electrical
stations created to keep
up with the demand for
cheap energy
Changing Economy
• Before the war, Canada
traded mainly with
Britain
- After the war Britain in
serious dept
US Emerged as the
world’s economic
leader
- Majority of the war
involved lending money
and producing supplies
- War profiteering?
Changing Economy
Us invested in
Canadian natural
resources
- Majority of resources
sent to the US
• US set up Branch Plants
- Avoided tariffs by making
products in Canada
• US Benefited more than
Canada
Increased Mobility
• Henry Ford’s
Model T
- The most popular automobile
- Made travel easier and
promoted road development
• Airplanes made
Northern Canada
more accessible
Improved Communications
• Widespread use of radio
aided communication
and entertainment
- Smaller Canadian stations
competed with Big American
stations
• Telephone became a
standard household
appliance
- Yet lines shared by many
neighbours AHH!
Prohibition
• the act of prohibiting
the manufacturing,
storage in barrels,
bottles,
transportation and
sale of alcohol
including alcoholic
beverages.
Women’s Christian
Temperance Union
Actively campaigned
for prohibition in the
1900s
-Argued liquor was
the root cause of
family breakdown
and poverty
Bootlegged Alcohol
• Demand created a
larger crime problem
• Alcohol sales skyrocket
despite law
- Speakeasies
• Liquor Unsafe
- Moonshine!
• By 1921 most
governments regulated
rather than outlawed
Fashion
• Women’s fashion
changes mirrored
social changes
• An era of
entertainment and
prosperity
Emily Carr
• Artist and writer
• Born in 1871 Victoria
BC
• Inspired by the Group
of Seven
• Painted themes of
Canadian wilderness,
nature, and First
Nations Culture
Group of Seven
• Painters in tune with
Canada’s post war
confidence
• Ignored the realistic
classical style and
interpreted Canada's
rugged landscape as they
saw it
- Broad stroke and brilliant
colours
Film
• Rivalled Radio for most
popular entertainment
- At first movies were
silent
- Orchestra played the
music
• Talkies began in 1927
• Canada could not
compete with Hollywood
Music
• All that Jazz!
• Most popular style of
music as it influenced
- Society
- Poetry
- fashion
• Jazz music also
exacerbated the racial
tensions in the post war
period