Canadian History Readings Understanding Direct and Indirect Causes
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- THE UNION NATIONALE
THE SOCIAL CREDIT PARTY Leader: William “Bible Bill” Aberhart Founded: 1932 in Alberta The Social Credit Party believed that the key problem during the Great Depression was that people did not have enough money to buy the goods produced. Aberhart’s solution was to give each citizen $25 a month. This would get the economy going again. THE UNION NATIONALE Leader: Maurice Duplessis Founded: 1935 in Quebec The Union Nationale gained power by appealing to the French Canadians of Quebec. Duplessis felt that the problems of the Depression were caused by the fact that English people controlled Quebec. He claimed that the federal government should have less control of events in Quebec. Generally, the Union Nationale party was able to control the government of Quebec until Duplessis’ death in 1959. Riot at Christie Pits Text of commemorative plaque at Christie Pits Park: On August 16, 1933, at the end of a playoff game for the Toronto junior softball championship, one of the city's most violent ethnic clashes broke out in this park (then known as Willowvale Park). Toronto was a predominantly British and Protestant city struggling through the Great Depression, and youths in several neighbourhoods were harassing those they considered 'foreigners'. Widespread prejudice against Jews made them particular targets. Two nights earlier, on August 14, fans of the predominantly Jewish 'Harbord Playground' team were provoked by local 'Pit Gang members with a makeshift swastika, a symbol made familiar by the recent rise to power of the Nazi party in Germany. At the end of the game on August 16, another large swastika was displayed. Jewish fans attacked its bearers. As word of the fight spread, reinforcements - including Italian friends of Jewish youths - rushed to the area. The resulting five-hour riot involved baseball bats and iron bars, and spilled onto the streets. Though no one was killed, Torontonians were shocked by the violence. Mayor Stewart questioned the inadequate response of the Chief of Police to early warnings of impending violence, and stated that anyone displaying the swastika emblem would be liable to prosecution. 
Photo taken by Globe and Mail photographer. Excerpt from National Post article: “We’re guessing that no more than 200 or 300 people actually took part in the violence, and there may have been a couple of thousand spectators.” The story goes like this: The first summer after Hitler came to power in Germany, Toronto temperatures blasted past the thermometer’s 100 F mark for many, many days as Canada suffered through the deepest moment of the Depression. Many Jews in Toronto, most working in stifling warehouses near Spadina Avenue’s garment district, were deemed not welcome by resorts in Northern Ontario, and thus made a weekend routine of shooting eastward along the Queen Street streetcar to cool relief at the shores of Kew Beach. The locals complained that the Jewish visitors were littering orange peels. The locals complained they were changing into their bathing suits in the open air. And, soon, the locals more menacingly expressed their displeasure by taking a cue from the headlines they would have read about Hitler, and founded their own “swastika clubs.” The only thing that prevented a riot from happening along the shores in those days of the swastika clubs was the swift action of a few police officers, and an agreement brokered by the mayor that “officially,” but certainly not effectively, disbanded the swastika clubs. So when the all-Jewish Harbord Playground baseball team took the pitch against the non-Jewish St. Peter’s team for the city’s semi-finals in the coming weeks, the swastika supporters and those they aimed to intimidate were there in force and ready to scrap. The first game on Aug. 16, 1933, came and went amidst catcalls, pushing, shoving, and a shirt waved around with a swastika sewn into the back. But it wasn’t until the second game, after St. Peter’s caught the ball for the final out of the game, that local anti-Semitic thugs, part of a group called The Pit Gang, stood up on a small hill behind the field and unfurled a bed sheet painted with a black swastika. Jewish supporters rushed the toughs holding the sheet. Nazi supporters rushed the Jews. Residents around the park (who, census statistics show, were overwhelmingly WASPs) spilled out of their homes and into the street armed with broom handles. And so began the six-hour riot. This is where the newspaper reports start to diverge, and urban myth takes over.
People grabbed whatever they could find — a brick, a pipe, brass knuckles, a pool cue — and ran north to become a part of the swarm in the park. Some say there were hundreds. Or else thousands. Or else tens of thousands there that night. And the legend, according to Dr. Levitt, says it was the first time Toronto’s Jews stood up for themselves. http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/toronto/archive/2008/08/15/the-christie-pits-riot-and-the-birth-of-multicultural-toronto.aspx#ixzz13zR3JhNP The Baby Boom The Second World War had interrupted life for Canadians. Those who had served overseas were eager to return home, get married, and start a family. As the country’s economy began to grow, so did the size of Canadian families. During the baby boom, annual births in Canada rose from an estimated 300 000 in 1945 to over 400 000 by 1952. It seemed like babies were everywhere. In 1941, children under 5 made up 9.1 percent of the population. By 1951, they made up 12 percent. By the mid-1960s, more than half of Canada’s population was under 25. When Canadian soldiers returned home from overseas, women were expected to return to the home. They were seen as the natural guardians of the family. During the war, they had taken part in the workforce. Social attitudes towards women however, had not really changed. 1944 Gallup poll indicated that 75 percent of Canadian men and 68 percent of women believed that men should be given preference in employment. Dorise Nielson, an MP from Saskatchewan, said sarcastically, “Well, girls, you have done a nice job; you looked very cute in your overalls… but just run along to home.” Married women were once again barred from the civil service. They would not return until 1955. The Cold War The Cold War was the hostile relationship between the Soviet Union (also called the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics: USSR) and the United States. The United States and the Soviet Union had been allies during World War II. But they had never really trusted on another. They had united to defeat Hitler. But each side had different plans and policies that suited its own interests. Unfortunately, what one side viewed as legitimate policy, the other viewed as a threat to its interests. Both the United States and the Soviet Union wanted to expand their political and economic systems into different parts of the world. They both wanted greater influence in Europe and Asia. The relationship between the Soviet Union and the United States was unfriendly or cold. Their economic and political systems were very different. The United States thought that the Soviet Union was wrong to follow communism. The Soviet Union thought the United States was wrong to follow capitalism. Their relationship stopped just short of actual war. This is what “Cold War” means. The Soviet Union was a member of the UN Security Council. It had the power of veto. This made it difficult for the UN to stop Soviet expansion: the Soviet Union could just vote “No” to any action that the United Nations wanted to take. If the Soviet Union did start a war, Canada might need the protection of a strong country like the United States. People in Europe were also worried about the Soviet Union. The possibility of another war was very frightening. In 1949, the Soviet Union announced that it had discovered the secret of the atomic bomb. The United States was no longer the only nuclear power. In Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, the world had already seen what atomic bombs could do. Britain, France, and eight other European countries formed alliance to protect themselves against Soviet expansion. But they knew that they had very little chance of success against Soviet attacks without the strength of the United States. Canadian Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent had a solution. He persuaded the United States to join an alliance. In this alliance, all the partners were equal. The military and economic links between Europe and North America were in place. Canada had a stronger voice in world events. The United States agreed to join. In 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was formed. Each country agreed to help the others: an attack against one was an attack against all. In 1950, an integrated armed force for Europe was started. Each member country contributed to this military force. The formation of NATO angered the Soviet Union. To protect itself the Soviet Union formed an alliance of its own with its neighbours in Easter and Central Europe. This alliance was called the Warsaw Pact. The two opposing sides in the Cold War were now in place. (Source: My Country, Our History) The Korean War The United Nations had failed to stop Soviet expansion Easter Europe. The Soviet Union controlled Eastern Europe. Then, in 1950, there was in international crisis in Korea: North Korea invaded South Korea. North Korea had a Communist government and was support by the USSR. There was reason to believe that the Soviets were responsible for the attack. The UN Security Council condemned their actions. The UN agreed to provide military support to South Korea. The vote passed because the Soviets were not there to veto it. They were staying away from the meetings of the UN to show their anger over an American veto on another matter. Within a few days, a UN force, under U.S. command, was on its way to defend South Korea from the Communist armies of North Korea and, later, China. The North Korean and Chinese armies were supported by the Soviet Union with weapons and money. Canada quickly raised a volunteer force to send as part of the UN forces. UN forces stopped the North Korean invasion but the country remained divided between North and South. By the time the Korean War ended in 1953, 22 000 Canadians had fought in Korea. This new was effort had helped Canada’s economic boom even more. Industries produced supplies for the war effort; this resulted in more jobs, and more spending by Canadians. Canada and other UN members who had sent soldiers had done their share to keep the Soviet Union from expanding its control. But the future did not seem hopeful. By the end of 1953, both the United States and the Soviet Union had developed the much more powerful hydrogen bomb. Both sides of the Cold War had the power to destroy the whole world! (Source: My Country, Our History) The Suez Crisis In 1956, a new crisis threatened world peace: the Suez Crisis. The Suez Crisis split Canada’s allies. Britain and France were on one side. The United States was on the other. It all started in Egypt. The Suez Canal ran through Egypt, linking the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. The canal had been built by the French and opened in 1869. It was owned and operated by a British-French company. Ships paid a fee to use the canal. The company became very rich because the canal was a much shorter way to transport goods between Europe, India, and Asia. In 1956, the Egyptian president, Gamal Abdul Nasser, decided his country should control the Suez Canal. He nationalized it. The Suez Canal became the property of the country of Egypt. Britain and France were very angry. They asked the UN Security Council to take action, but nothing happened. Neither the United States nor the USSR wanted to get involved. Finally, Britain and France decided to attack Egypt and take back the Suez Canal. Israel joined them. Israel wanted to push Egyptian military forces back from its western borders. Egypt was attacked on several fronts, but bravely resisted. The USSR threatened to help Egypt if Britain and France did not withdraw their armies. At the same time, the USSR took the opportunity to crush an anti-Communist uprising in Hungary, one of the Warsaw Pact countries. The United States was angry with Britain, France, and the USSR. The situation became very tense. Canada and most Commonwealth countries did not agree with Britain’s invasion of Egypt. Canada’s Minister of External Affairs was Lester Pearson. He suggested that the UN send and emergency force to Egypt to supervise a cease-fire. Both the UN and the countries involved agreed. Some English Canadians were upset that Canada had not supported Britain. Other Canadians were happy that the UN was able to stop the war. Pearson had proved that a middle power like Canada could play an effective role in the world. In 1957, he received the Nobel Peace Prize for helping to resolve the Suez Crisis. (Source: My Country, Our History) The Avro Arrow Canada's greatest aeronautical achievement was the CF-105 jet fighter, and the subsequent cancellation of the project in 1959 still remains a story of political intrigue and controversy. The CF-105, or Avro Arrow as it was known, was a supersonic jet interceptor developed by A.V. Roe of Canada. Faster and more advanced than any other comparable aircraft, the Arrow was designed to carry air-to-air nuclear-tipped missiles to destroy Soviet bomb attacks over the Canadian North. But the costs of development kept mounting - the original production estimate of $2 million per aircraft rose to $12 million. At the same time, demand for the interceptors fell as the world entered the age of the long-range missiles. Prime Minister Diefenbaker was under pressure from the US to join their defence plan by acquiring the American Bomarc missiles. Faced with the skyrocketing costs, and the inability to sell the Arrow to Europe or the US, Diefenbaker cancelled the project on February 20,1959. An angry A.V. Roe immediately fired his 14,000 employees, and the government ordered all plans and prototypes destroyed. Cancelling the Arrow made good economic sense, but the effects were felt throughout Canada. Most of the scientists and engineers involved in the project moved to the US, and Canadians bemoaned the devastation of the Canadian aircraft industry. Negative public reaction marked the beginning of the decline of Diefenbaker's popularity, and led to his eventual defeat. Source: http://www.histori.ca/minutes/minute.do?id=10220 Tommy Douglas: The Mouse that Roared! Tommy Douglas (1904 -1986) was one of Canada's best known socialists. He was a man of many talents and, being involved in politics since 1936, he is renowned for various reasons. The "Mouseland" story is a small sample of the wit and humour many people knew him for. Some people saw Tommy Douglas as a true democratic socialist, someone who placed human rights and needs above the mere pursuit of profits and power. He felt that a social minded government would plan the economy of the country to allow all people to share in the country's wealth and have equal access to such basic needs as health and education. Others saw Tommy as a great politician whose natural speaking, story telling and debating abilities helped bring social change to the country. Tommy was first elected to the House of Commons in Ottawa in 1936. He later switched to provincial politics and it was during his years as Premier of Saskatchewan that Medicare was first introduced to North America. Before Medicare, health care services were only available to those who could pay the price. When the C.C.F. (Co-operative Commonwealth Federation) was renamed the New Democratic Party in 1961, Tommy Douglas was chosen as the Leader of the New Party until he resigned in 1971. Tommy Douglas relates his message of social democracy in such a fashion that any audience can understand even the most complicated issue and be well entertained at the same time. To social minded people everywhere, Tommy Douglas remains a constant source of inspiration. (Source: http://www.saskndp.com/history/mouseland.html) 
Conscription: An Issue of War A major source of conflict between English and French Canadians was Canada’s ties to Britain. When Britain declared war on Germany, most English Canadians supported the decision. Most English Canadian volunteers had either been born in Britain or felt strong ties to their parents’ homeland. French Canadians did not have these ties to Britain. Their parents’ homeland was not Britain or France; it was Canada. They did not feel the need to defend Britain. Fewer of them volunteered. English Canadians thought that French Canadians were not doing their part to support the war. This conflict became very tense in 1917. In April, the number of men who were killed or injured was higher than the number of young men who were joining the army. English Canadians blamed the low rate of enlistment on the French Canadians. Actually, fewer people in all parts of Canada were enlisting. To make matters worse, Borden promised the British government that he would increase the size of the Canadian forces. Borden thought that a large Canadian contribution to the war effort would earn the respect of other countries. Canada would gain a stronger voice in international matters after the war. Borden decided to force Canadian men to join the army through conscription. Many English Canadians supported conscription. It would force French Canadians to support the war effort. French Canadians opposed conscription. They believed that they were being punished for not volunteering. Some workers also opposed conscription. They felt that they were doing their share for the war at home. Because of the war, their jobs were more secure and better-paying. They did not want to go to war. They wanted to work and earn money. The farmers, too, opposed conscription. They need their remaining sons to help on the farm. The government had asked them to produce more food, and they had. Many of their sons had already gone to the war and had not returned. The farmers thought that the government was asking too much. Source: Hux, Allan D., et al. My History, Our Country. (Don Mills: Pippin Publishing Corporation, 2006) pp. 26-27. How was the conflict over conscription resolved? Prime Minister Borden was afraid he would lose the 1917 election. He asked the Liberal Party to join his Conservative Party to form a Union government. He hoped that Liberals from non-French-speaking areas would support his plan of conscription. He also gave the right to vote to women who had relatives fighting the war. Borden was sure that these women would support conscription because it would mean that their husbands and sons would get help from other soldiers. The government also took away voting rights from immigrants from “enemy countries” who had not become citizens before 1902. Borden planned well; he won the 1917 election. He quickly started conscription. Many French Canadians still opposed the idea and were angry. Borden had promised the British government he would supply more men. However, conscription did not produce many more fighting men. Many men who were conscripted were given exemptions because they were farmers’ sons. Only 24 000 conscripts were sent to Europe. Only a few of these soldiers went to the trenches before the war ended. The arrival of 1 million American soldiers on the Western front reinforced the Allied side in 1918, and helped it to win. Source: Hux, Allan D., et al. My History, Our Country. (Don Mills: Pippin Publishing Corporation, 2006) pp. 28. The Last Hundred Days By the spring of 1918, Germany’s leaders realized a crisis had come. The policy of unrestricted submarine warfare had not forced Britain to surrender. Now the United States had entered the war. Germany’s allies, Austria-Hungary and Turkey, were on the point of collapse. The only hope for Germany was to launch a mighty offensive on the Western Front before the United States army could arrive in Europe in large numbers. Thousands of German soldiers poured into France They were stopped only 80 km from Paris. Canadian forces participated in one final sweep against the German attack. This Allied effort that finally broke the back of the German military was called the “Hundred Days”. On 8 August, Canadian troops spearheaded the Allied attack. Supported by tanks and aircraft, the troops swept north and east toward Germany. Fresh American troops with tanks had also arrived and were a great encouragement for the Allies. Tanks were now better armed and more reliable than earlier models. Aircraft, using new tactics, blasted German trenches with bombs. The Germans fought hard, but they fell back steadily. The Allied advance moved a staggering 130 km. This was a far cry from the earlier gains of only a few kilometers at a time. For six weeks, the Canadians were on the forefront of the Allied advance. Eventually the Allies won back France and then Belgium. By November the Allies had reached the frontiers of Germany. On 11 November 1918, at a predawn ceremony, Germany formally surrendered. Hostilities ceased at 11:00 that morning. Five minutes before 11:00, a sniper killed George Price, the last Canadian to die in World War I. For some Canadian troops, the war ended on the streets of the Belgian town of Mons. The Belgians flew flags that had been hidden for four years while their country was occupied by German forces. Grateful Belgians shouted, “Vive les braves Canadiens!” Source: Cruxton, J. Bradley & W. Douglas Wilson, Spotlight Canada Fourth Edition. (Don Mills: Oxford University Press, 2000) p. 100. 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