Canada: 1920’s and 1930’s

How Canadian Men Stayed Clean During the “Dirty” Thirties The twenties were a time of flappers, bobs, and jazz with nothing but buying exorbitant goods in between. However, these careless times were short- lived and the “dirty” thirties began a few years later. Society was affected on a large economic scale which in turn put a strain on the familial bonds of those trying to survive the drastic transition between these two decades as men went to drastic lengths to support their families, as seen in the film Cinderella Man.

Canadian citizens of the 1920s lived in a hazy dream where money was as easily gained as it was spent. Canadians were facing a time of prosperity, where wages were high and unemployment was low. Such prosperity created a sense of monetary and economic security within Canada and the more Canadians earned, the more they wanted to gain. Canadians were willing to make risky decisions and so, many saw excitement and a quick- rise to wealth in the stock markets. Companies would sell stocks, or shares, in their business to investors. In return, investors were entitled to a share of any profits a company earned.

In order to increase profit, many began to buy on margin. To elaborate, they would purchase a stock with a small down payment and borrow the rest based on the value of the stock as collateral from banks. Most citizens thought that the prosperity of the twenties would last far into the future and would allow for a luxurious and care- free life where no one would have to pay attention to possible future issues. In contrast, the 1930s saw the end of prosperity as depression quickly set in. On October 29, 1929, better known as Black Tuesday, the stock market had reached its peak.

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Those with many shares and an excess of cash began to sell their stocks. Thus, the “cattle heard” effect began and those at the bottom of the stock market pyramid began to follow the precedent and quickly sold their stocks all at once. In a single day, the value of stocks on the world’s major market stock exchanges dropped by 50%. Almost every Canadian citizen lost their investments as well as their previous profits as banks began to repossess everyone’s belongings as compensation for the numerous loans almost everyone had taken in order to invest in the stocks.

It was during the thirties that Canadians began to realize that perhaps a plan for future problems would be extremely helpful- of course citizens had to suffer quite a bit before these realizations were made. As a result of the drastic shift in wealth, citizens of the thirties became increasingly desperate and were willing to do do laborious and tedious work for a mere $0. 20 at most in contrast to the relaxing and languid investments that brought quick wealth in the twenties. During 1933, Canada’s unemployment rate was nearly 30%- not including farmers and fishermen.

Meaning, if a man was able to find a job he was extremely lucky and was very unlikely to be given the same chance the next day. Thus, very few had the good fortune to turn down any form of work as physically draining as it was. To illustrate, in Cinderella Man, James Braddock pushes himself beyond physical weaknesses to work at a dock where work is laborious and almost unbearable. He is willing to suffer the pain of a broken hand and gain a limited amount of pay simply because the docks were his only method of obtaining decent pay- after his loss of a boxing license.

For most Canadians, there was only one method of obtaining money and it was often tiresome, tedious, and grueling but, it was the only way to bring in some form of support for their families. Beyond the physical labour, Canadian men of the thirties were forced to conquer their pride and accept charitable donations and relief aid from the government in order to support their families. In the movie, Cinderella Man, James Braddock is forced to accept relief in his desperate attempt to keep his family together though he admitted it was a shameful act for any man during the Depression.

Barry Broadfoot, a relief worker, described the appearance of these men, “... as though they were signing away their manhood, their right to be a husband and sit at the head of the table and carve the roast. ” In admitting to needing the government’s support, men felt that they had let down their families and had become unfit as head of the family as society expected a man to be able to work and provide full support to his family during the 1900s. Many men, in the hopes of finding some way to support their families, left their homes and travelled West in search of work. Many “rode the rails” nto British Columbia and found only more charities. As a result, the government set up relief camps to rid the province’s streets of the desperate men in search of unattainable work. Over 200 000 men lived in these camps during 1933 and faced a life similar to that of prison. The only benefit was that at lest a few cents were made each day- a small but necessary sum of money in the face of the Depression. However, Canadian men soon protested the terrible conditions in the relief camps. The chaotic riots and protests directed towards Canada’s government, such as the Regina riot and On-to-Ottawa Trek, led R.

B. Bennett to create the “New Deal” which established minimum wages and unemployment insurance among other policies which resulted in a small victory for future Canadians who would face Depression as the business cycle continued its circulation. In conclusion, the lives of Canadians differed drastically as the carefree times of the twenties abruptly ended- plummeting Canada into a Depression within a matter of days. The men of the time had been terribly effected and the carefree dream of the twenties had left Canadians bitter and cautious after the reality of the thirties touched them.

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