(855) 4-ESSAYS

Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

Winnipeg General Strike 1919

            The Winnipeg General Strike has been one of the most intensively studied episodes in Canadian History. It was an important development in the building of the democratic socialist movement in Canada. In the larger sense this seemingly isolated event had been building for many years and a wide set of circumstances contributed to the strike ranging from international stresses to local fustrations. Internationaly the European situation was a stressor, the Great War had only just ended and the revolution in Russia was still occurring. The situation at home had been altered by the war experience. The workers purchasing power had been weakened due to inflation and profiteering. The employers had attempted degrade craft skills. The discontent with the governments elitist attitude all led to a surge of labor militancy. The labor movement more than doubled in size between 1916 to 1919 (Bumstead, 1994). With most of the workers unhappy with the relative conservativism of the Trades and Labor Congress, which that at the time primarily consisted of craft unions, the dissidents formed the One Big Union in March of 1919. The One Big Union had been inspired by the Russian Revolution and with a solid socialist leadership was quickly able to claim the majority of the western Canadian and Northern Ontario labor movement within its ranks. .
             Throughout 1917 and 1918 anti-alien sentiment continued to grow. The Conscription Crisis, the Wartime Elections Act and the Dominion Election of 1917 significantly demonstrated the differences between the Anglo-Canadian and foreign elements in Canadian society. In Winnipeg, both the Telegram and Free Press supported the disenfranchisement of enemy alien voters to ensure the forces of "justice and democracy" would emerge triumphant from the Dominion Election (Bercuson, 1974). Growing industrial unrest particularly in western Canada provided an additional reason for the Anglo-Canadians to demand greater control of the alien community.


Essays Related to Winnipeg General Strike 1919

1. The Winnipeg General Strike

The Winnipeg General Strike began promptly at 11:00 a.m., Thursday, May 15th, 1919 during this time between 30,000 to 35,000 Winnipeg workers (in a city of 200,000) walked out on a general strike, although over half were not union members. ... The Winnipeg General Strike would last six weeks until the tragic events of Bloody Saturday brought it to an abrupt end. The Winnipeg General Strike caused nothing but hatred and hard feelings between employees and employers in the short term while union workers did see some slight improvements in the workplace over the course of the years. ... The ...

  • Word Count: 963
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

2. The Winnipeg General Strike of 1919

The people of Winnipeg had had enough, so on May 15th of 1919, public and private workers worked together to reduce most services in the city. ... But what really caused the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919? ... Therefore, poor working conditions and low wages caused the Winnipeg General Strike. ... Therefore, negotiations between unions and management breaking down caused the Winnipeg General Strike. ... Therefore, the Winnipeg General Strike was caused by WW1 soldiers not having jobs to come back to. ...

  • Word Count: 926
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

3. The Winnipeg General Strike

In the Canadian labour movement's long and continuing history of struggles to establish its trade-union rights, no episode was more spectacular, explosive or meaningful than the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919. ... They are "cataclysmic events [and] by their nature, unlikely to be created in a day."1 The Winnipeg General Strike had many roots, including class polarization, working conditions and socialist ideas. ... On May 15, 1919, the labour conflict reached its climax as the whole productive life of the city ground to a halt and thousands of workers joined the union members in walking ...

  • Word Count: 1993
  • Approx Pages: 8
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

4. The Winnipeg General Strike: Businessmen Unite

At 11:00 AM, May 15, 1919, the metalworker and builders union walked out. ... All told, 30 000 people joined the Winnipeg General Strike. ... But the Winnipeg strike was not a communist revolt; it was an attempt by the workers to gain better working conditions and hours that they felt they deserved. ... Not Winnipeg though. ... This was the case even before the strike of 1919. ...

  • Word Count: 2550
  • Approx Pages: 10
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

5. The 1920's, Were They Really Roaring

Black people were also discriminated against as well, the were forced to work as general labourers, janitors, waiters, barbers, and porters, and the job of security guard was only to be filled by a black person. ... In May 1919, labour unrest climaxed in Winnipeg. Metal workers, with over thirty thousand supporters held a six week strike in Winnipeg and was duplicated with dozens of other strikes throughout Canada. On June 17, 1919, Bloody Saturday, the strike turned violent, demonstrators stopped a streetcar near city hall and set it on fire, after streetcar workers returned to work. ... The...

  • Word Count: 1149
  • Approx Pages: 5

6. Canada - The Maturity of a Nation

Canadian workers had to face a lot of violence and many strikes to attain the rights they have now. ... Firstly In May 1919, the Winnipeg Trades and Labor Council called for a general strike which would lead to more attention given to workers and their rights. ... The strike ends June 25, but not before "Bloody Saturday" when the RCMP charge a group of strikers, resulting in 30 casualties and one death. James Shaver Woodsworth was a Protestant minister and social activist who joined the strike, he stated that " In reality the strike has nothing to do with revolution. ...

  • Word Count: 2050
  • Approx Pages: 8
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

Got a writing question? Ask our professional writer!
Submit My Question