PROHIBITION AND THE ROARING 20S

1920S ECONOMY By 1924, the economy recovers and there is a lot less discontent in society• Canada enters a period of post-war prosperity• People begin to have money in their pockets again to spend on luxuries • One thing they aren’t supposed to be spending it on is alcohol. The 1920s in Canada is a “dry” era. Prohibition: a law that banned the

making, selling or drinking of liquor, came into effect in Ontario in 1916 and all of Canada was dry through the 1920s

PROHIBITION• Alcohol became a big social issue during the war. Canada held a referendum on

prohibition in 1878 under Wilfred Laurier.• All the provinces voted in favour of it except for Quebec who were 81.2%

against it.• Laurier never introduced prohibition at the federal level, he left it up to each

province to make their own legislature prohibiting alcohol instead. Alberta and Ontario enacted prohibition in 1916 (until 1927). Quebec tried it in

1919 but it was repealed quickly because of public opposition• PEI started in 1901 and lasted until 1948!• Prohibition was in effect in the US from 1919 to 1933.

Why prohibition?For Prohibition: Why? Against? Why?

Women Affecting families (spousal abuse)

Politicians Loss of tax money!

Women Christian Temperance Union

Not moral, anti-violence Loss of votes!

United Farm Women of Alberta

Men Alcohol is a privilege they didn’t want taken

away.

Results of Prohibition:• Illegal Speakeasies• Bootlegging and Smuggling • Gangsters!

NEW SOCIAL ATTITUDES With the economic boom came new carefree social attitudes

The United States and foreign investors were putting money in Canada’s economy. This gave people more money to spend

One new thing that emerged was the use of “credit” or borrowed money• People were happy the war had ended and so had many hardships

• Because of the war, there was a feeling of victory in Canada that helped re-unite the provinces.

WHAT DID THEY SPEND THEIR MONEY ON?• Technology became a big part of the 1920s.

Henry Ford wanted to make automobiles that people could afford. In his factories, he invented the first assembly line system which led to the concept of mass

production• Other inventions included the radio, soon followed by motion pictures, the

telephone and the airplane Radio: the radio made everyone more aware of the world by broadcasting

advertisements which helped with the creation of a mass market This was the first sign of early consumerism

FADS As well as inventions, the roaring 20s were known for their

popularization of fads.• Flappers were the most memorable fad of the 1920s Flappers were women who rebelled against the typical portrayal of

a woman. They cut their hair short and wore skirts with a hem line above the knee (scandalous!)

In the winter they wore galoshes with the buckles unfastened to create the loudest possible flap

They also behaved “unladylike” by wearing a lot of makeup, drinking, smoking, driving cars and treating sex in a casual manner

• They often went to speakeasies to listen to jazz music and dance

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FADS People also became interested in new dances (like the Charleston), fashion, games, and

sports. These fads were inspired by the new social attitudes. Everyone happy, feeling good,

social events became so much more popular. • Long races and contests of every kind also became incredibly popular. Non-stop talking,

kissing, eating, drinking, and rocking-chair marathons were some of the contests in which people tried to establish records.

• Dancing became a real rage where dancers competed for prizes of thousands dollars. Couples dragged themselves around the dance floor with blistered feet and aching

backs. One man dropped dead on the dance floor after 87 hours of continuous dancing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYMbCKnHFFc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVuORtaBO_8 Ch

LINGO Another REALLY popular fad was the use of unusual language and expressions• Some of them we still use today, like: • the bee’s knees• Hooch• Crush• Gold Digger• Baby• Heebie-jeebies• Whoopee!• Beat it!

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