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The Great Depression of the 1930s in Canada

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The Great Depression of the 1930s in Canada

The Great Depression of the 1930's is a benchmark for all depressions and recessions in the past and in the future. In the booklet "The Great Depression of the 1930s in Canada" , Michiel Horn gives an intellectual dissection of the events that occurred during the Great Depression. Michiel Horn's approach leaves the reader with a foul taste for the Dirty Thirties. This essay will summarize Michiel Horns key points as well as discuss the ability of Michiel Horn to report his findings.

Michiel Horn is currently the Chairman of the History Department at York University. His interests in the Great Depression revolve around the history of taxation. Therefore, he is interested in making …show more content…

As people were having fewer children at this time, the population growth of Canada slowed. In an effort to keep jobs for Canadians, the government decided that it would reduce immigration. The first group targeted was the Jewish people. Some Canadians even decided to go to the United States in search of "greener pastures" . The movement of people from the country to cities also slowed. This was because it was easier for people to subsist in the country where they could chop their own firewood and live off the land. Life on the farm was actually not much better than in the city, as a drought cost many farmers, particularly those in the west, their crops.

The political scene was dominated by a Liberal party that would not "commit a five cent piece towards the cost of unemployment relief" . This eventually led to their defeat in the summer of 1930. The winner of the election was the Conservative party. Their goal was to get Canada back up and running. In an effort to do so, they raised tariffs on imports and tried to protect national interests. This actually had the opposite affect on the economy and pushed the country further into economic hardship. The government around this time was also trying to balance the budget. In order to balance the budget, they increased taxes which also had a detrimental affect on the economy. After five years, the Conservatives were defeated due to unorganized leadership. The Liberals won the election in 1935. Although

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