The Great Depression
On October 24, 1929, the collapse of the United States stock market was the catalyst for the beginning of The Great Depression. Bank failures, a steady decline in prices for most consumer goods, massive wage cuts, and unemployment were all symptoms of the stock crash that plagued America and would eventually affect Canada. The stock market crash was not the cause of the Depression but it triggered a series of events. The 1920’s had been one of Canada’s most prosperous decades, factories were booming and farmers were receiving high prices for their wheat. The Great Depression, also known as the “dirty thirties” fell upon Canadians without remorse. Mass unemployment left Canadians struggling to survive in a world without unemployment insurance, health care, and very little social assistance. Between 1929 and 1933 the Gross National Expenditure declined by 42% and by the latter year 30% of the labour force was unemployed and 1 in 5 Canadians became dependant upon government relief for survival. (Struthers) Though both eastern and western provinces were suffering equally, the inability to communicate effectively over long distances to each other only served to further exacerbate growing tensions between the East and the West. T
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1202
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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