Modern Life Due to the Depression u2#01-04/10/14
It is clear that the Great Depression changed people's lives in the nineteen thirties. Before the crash of the stock market in 1929, people were making a great amount of money and spending it on luxuries such as cars, nicer clothes, and other new technologies. However, people who decided to continue gambling their money in the stock market during 1929 lost everything and the quality of their lives took a plunge down the drain. Obviously, the Depression resulted in many problems and the Canadian Government played a major role in it because they worked on solutions to solve these problems and to improve the lives of the people. Unfortunately, coming up with solutions was not an easy task which is part of the reason the depression lasted so long. However, some of the solutions that the government came up with were effective and those that were successful continue taking a significant role in our lives today.
To begin, the Great depression pushed Canada's government towards the socialist side of the political spectrum. It was obviously not changed into a communist political system, Canada still had elements of a capitalist society, but the government started taking a much bigger part in people's lives. First of all, the people needed the government and they showed this by protesting and sending many letters that begged the government for help. In return, the government usually sent them around five dollars to help them purchase the necessities that they needed. Moreover, the government built relief camps to help single men who did not have money to pay for food, water, and a shelter and although life in these camps was not easy, it still provided all of these essentials. Even today the government provides people in need such as newcomers with money and there are shelters available for those in need of one.
To begin, the Great depression pushed Canada's government towards the socialist side of the political spectrum. It was obviously not changed into a communist political system, Canada still had elements of a capitalist society, but the government started taking a much bigger part in people's lives. First of all, the people needed the government and they showed this by protesting and sending many letters that begged the government for help. In return, the government usually sent them around five dollars to help them purchase the necessities that they needed. Moreover, the government built relief camps to help single men who did not have money to pay for food, water, and a shelter and although life in these camps was not easy, it still provided all of these essentials. Even today the government provides people in need such as newcomers with money and there are shelters available for those in need of one.
However, there was not only change in the involvement of the government in peoples lives, but also the structure of the government itself. Since the political system at the time was not working out so well, they decided to try something new and different, which is why many new political parties were born in the nineteen-thirties. Although not all of their ideologies were the same, all of them had different ways of dealing with the depression because they had to convince the citizens to vote for them, and dealing with the Depression was what the citizens cared about the most. Of the three new political parties, the only one that exists today is the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) and they are now known as the New Democratic Party. However, the parties that existed before the depression, the Liberals and the Conservatives, also had plans for dealing with it. The Conservative Party included health and unemployment insurances and they introduced the idea of minimum wages. They obviously did more than just that, but these were their most effective ways of dealing with the depressions and these methods still exist in Canadian society today. I believe that if it was not for the great depression, the world we live in today and the services it offers would be completely different, in a bad way. This also makes me agree with the idea that history shapes the future and the world that I live in is based on the world that my ancestors once lived in.
The Struggle of Adolf Hitler u2#02-04/20/14
I have always believed that no one is born evil. What can make the destructive wolf inside of people emerge are all the negative experiences they go through, others they interact with, and many other things that leave a psychological impact. With that being said, new born babies are always innocent, and if they grow up and become psychopaths like Hitler, it is because of their depressing past.
When people look at pictures of Adolf Hitler during his years as a political leader, it is common to believe that he came from a rich and powerful family and that he lived an enjoyable life as a child. However, believing in such rubbish is pure ignorance. First of all, Hitler did not come from a wealthy or a powerful family. He had many siblings and very complicated relationships with his parents who both passed away when he was young. Adolf and his father did not have a friendly relationship and his mother, who he was very close with, died of breast cancer which greatly impacted him emotionally. Before the twenties when he became leader, he was very poor, his dreams of becoming a painter were crushed, and he was very lonely. Everything he went through as a child and a young man shaped him to become a ruthless lunatic as an adult. However, Hitler eventually gained power, and when an irrational psychopath holds power in society, very disappointing things can happen.
When people look at pictures of Adolf Hitler during his years as a political leader, it is common to believe that he came from a rich and powerful family and that he lived an enjoyable life as a child. However, believing in such rubbish is pure ignorance. First of all, Hitler did not come from a wealthy or a powerful family. He had many siblings and very complicated relationships with his parents who both passed away when he was young. Adolf and his father did not have a friendly relationship and his mother, who he was very close with, died of breast cancer which greatly impacted him emotionally. Before the twenties when he became leader, he was very poor, his dreams of becoming a painter were crushed, and he was very lonely. Everything he went through as a child and a young man shaped him to become a ruthless lunatic as an adult. However, Hitler eventually gained power, and when an irrational psychopath holds power in society, very disappointing things can happen.
Because of everything Hitler when through, he had reasons to hate several groups of people.For example, the doctor who took care of his dying mother was Jewish, and one of the directors of the art school where he was not accepted was also a Jew. As Hitler became more powerful, the life of Jewish citizens in Germany became much worse and Hitler took his hatred to an extreme extent. Nevertheless, this shows that Hitler took advantage of his power. As leader, he is supposed to care for his people and nation more than anything. However, his violent acts against Jews, Gypsies, and homosexuals were all personal and did not have a positive affect on Germany's citizens what so ever. It is always clear that a leader abuses their power when they do things that satisfy only themselves, and that is exactly what shows that Hitler took advantage of his position in the German government.
Many people believe that if it was not for Adolf Hitler's birth all the crises that he was responsible for would never have happened. Of course, that is true but I do not believe that Hitler's birth was a significant cause of World War Two and the Holocaust. If Hitler would have had an easier and better life as a child and a young adult, his choices and actions as an adult would have been very different. However, my opinion on why people can become evil does not change my opinion on Hitler what so ever and I still believe that he is the horrible monster who killed many of my Jewish ancestors. He deserved a lot more suffering, pain, and a much more brutal death than the quick suicide he committed to end his life without feeling anything.
Many people believe that if it was not for Adolf Hitler's birth all the crises that he was responsible for would never have happened. Of course, that is true but I do not believe that Hitler's birth was a significant cause of World War Two and the Holocaust. If Hitler would have had an easier and better life as a child and a young adult, his choices and actions as an adult would have been very different. However, my opinion on why people can become evil does not change my opinion on Hitler what so ever and I still believe that he is the horrible monster who killed many of my Jewish ancestors. He deserved a lot more suffering, pain, and a much more brutal death than the quick suicide he committed to end his life without feeling anything.
The Home-Front's Most Powerful Weapon u2#03-05/03/14
No matter how effective the weapons of an army are, or how strong the nation is, it is close to impossible for a country to fight a war effectively without the help of its citizens. Not only does the government need their people to enlist in the army, but it also requires support in many other areas such as the quantity of military supplies, the lives of soldiers fighting at war fronts, the money that goes to the government, and many more. To accomplish support from the citizens in those areas during a war, the government releases the home-fornt's most powerful weapon, propaganda.
Although many lies are told through propaganda, I still believe that is extremely effective because so many people believe it and are appealed to it emotionally. Although the image to the left is an example of propaganda from World War One, it is still proof that propaganda can be full of lies and exaggerations. First of all, the soldier displayed in the photograph does not look anything like the average soldier fighting in the fronts. They were not cleanly shaven, they had many missing teeth, they rarely smiled unless they won a battle, and their faces were full of blood.This is also an exaggeration because the soldiers might get a little better if they have a little more to eat, but it still will not make them appear like the soldier in the poster. However, the reason this poster is so effective is , just like all other propaganda posters, that it appeals emotionally to whoever sees it. It gives people the idea that if they ration, they make the lives of those fighting better and they are putting a smile on their face. Many of those at the home front had no idea what war was like, which is why they believed propaganda like the one above.
Although many lies are told through propaganda, I still believe that is extremely effective because so many people believe it and are appealed to it emotionally. Although the image to the left is an example of propaganda from World War One, it is still proof that propaganda can be full of lies and exaggerations. First of all, the soldier displayed in the photograph does not look anything like the average soldier fighting in the fronts. They were not cleanly shaven, they had many missing teeth, they rarely smiled unless they won a battle, and their faces were full of blood.This is also an exaggeration because the soldiers might get a little better if they have a little more to eat, but it still will not make them appear like the soldier in the poster. However, the reason this poster is so effective is , just like all other propaganda posters, that it appeals emotionally to whoever sees it. It gives people the idea that if they ration, they make the lives of those fighting better and they are putting a smile on their face. Many of those at the home front had no idea what war was like, which is why they believed propaganda like the one above.
In my opinion, using political figures of an enemy country in propaganda is another genius method of emotional appeal. First of all, propaganda during the Second World War used people such as Adolf Hitler, Emperor Hirohito, and Benito Mussolini. However, the objective was to make them look like complete idiots by exaggerating many of their facial and body features, but to also show the monsters they were. If I were a Canadian citizen during World War Two and I saw these methods of propaganda, I would hate the enemy countries even more. Moreover , the nationalist inside of me would come out and my pride of being a Canadian would increase. The fact that this is how most people exposed to these posters reacted during this time shows how effective it was and it inspired many to enlist, ration, and buy victory bonds.
For the reasons above, propaganda is was so effective that if America, Canada, and the rest of the allies would not have used it in World War Two , the Axis Power would have won without a doubt . If, god- forbid, Canada takes part in a war during the future, I can expect to see a lot of propaganda that is very similar to that of the Second World War and I know that it will have the same impact on people.
For the reasons above, propaganda is was so effective that if America, Canada, and the rest of the allies would not have used it in World War Two , the Axis Power would have won without a doubt . If, god- forbid, Canada takes part in a war during the future, I can expect to see a lot of propaganda that is very similar to that of the Second World War and I know that it will have the same impact on people.