The Statute of Westminster, passed in 1931, was a pivotal moment in Canadian history, granting legislative equality with Britain and moving Canada closer to full independence. Canada'
The drought started in 1928 when there was
significantly less rainfall than usual. By 1931 vast
areas of farmland had been hit by drought, dust
and higher temperatures. This cuased farmers to
have no source of income and many abandoned
their farms,
Dust storms
Dust storms were partially a result of the drought.
The wind would pick up the dust and blow it all
over and it cover everything. Once the winds died
down the locust came along
Locust
In the depression Locust infestation was a big
problem. The locust came through and ate
everything. This caused the farmers to have no
crops which meant that they had no source of
income. This contributed greatly to the dpression.
Farmers
Wheat inflation
Before the 30s the wheat prices had gone up a
lot. Along with the wheat inflation other countries
placed tarrifs on grain imports to protect their
farmers.
Pumping Underground water during Drought
As a result of the drought the farmers pumped
water from the water reserves in the ground.
This system was called the Ogallala Aquifer.
Bumper crop of wheat
In 1929 there was a bumper crop of wheat. It was
so bad that the farmers had to burn some of it.
This contributed to the inflation of wheat and the tarrifs.
Social
People and Government relief
The Government relief was not very good. The one
cartoon showed a guy in a suit putting a drip of
relief in the famillies bowl. The welfare back then was
like a ticket that you would take to the groccery store
and cash it in for some potatoes or turnips or other
foods like that but you couldn't buy things like clothes.
People Survivng During the Depression
During the depression people were trying any way
they could to survive. There was on man who was
the only one who had a house in that subdivition
and every night he would bring home two pieces
of the sidewalk to burn in their fire place so that
they could keep warm. Another person's husband
died from carrying coal for people to burn. There
was someone who would buy 12 bus tickets and
use a razor blade to split them and would have 24
tickets. There were also people who would rafle
their paycheck. Many people did many things like
that.
Relief Camps
The relief camps were Government funded camps
that provided single men with 20 cents a day,
clothes, and food. It was run by the military so it
was very harsh, the food was bad and the work
was hard. The men did road construction and
maintenance and other stuff like that.
Political
How The Government responded
King wanted to let the people figure things out
on their own but Bennet said that the relief was
not a federal issue but provincail and federal.
Bennett got credit for a lot of dumb inventions like
the Bennett Buggy which was a car with no motor
being towed by a horse or the Bennet Blanket which
was newspaper.
Japan and Military Dictatorship
In Japan their leader stepped down from power
and the military took over. It was a very bad
situation. They were essentially a military dictatorship
by the 1930s.
Fascist Leaders
The Fascist leaders gave easy solutions to large
issues, promised food on the table and jobs,
promised to protect from the other, and to
restore a nations lost glory. Germany, Spain, and
Italy had Fascist leaders. Germany had Hitler,
Spain had Franco, and Italy had Mussolini.
Independance of Canada
Canada Declares War on Germany
When Canada declared war on Germany it was
a big step towards its independence. This was
because Canada did not automatically go to war
when Britain did. Canada waited. They held a
vote and 7 days after Britain Canada declared
war on Germany.
The Satute of Westminster
The Statute of Westminster was a British law that
passed on December 11 1931. This was the all but
achievment of independence for Canada. This law
also gave Canada and the other Commonwealth
dominions legislative equality with Britain.
Economic
Inflation
The value of money drop durastically. People were
using it to start fires, kids were playing with it, people
were even putting it on their walls. This was a result
of the stock market crashing.
Labor unrest
During this time there was a lot of problems regarding
labor. People were losing their jobs, getting pay cuts,
working conditions weren't fair. There was a lot of
issues like that.
Stock Market crash
The crash of the stock market is believed to be
the most immediate cause of the depression.
people had been investing in the stocks right to
the crash because people were being led to believe
that it was secure or sound. On Oct 4 1929 the
Toronto stock exchange lost $200 million in value.
On the 24th 400 000 shares were traded on the
Montreal stock exchange. On a normal day 25 000
shares sell. On the same day in New York 12 million
shares were sold. On the 28 the value of shares fell
$1 million a minuite on the Toronto stock exchange.
The next day was Black Tuesday when the prices of
stocks everywhere continued to drop.
