UNIT 3 INTERWAR PERIOD

Winnipeg General Strike 1919

Guideposts to Historical Significance

Events, people, or developments have historical significance if they resulted in change. That is, they had deep consequences, for many people over a long period of time.
  • thestrike had deep consequences or impact (positive and/or negative)
  • the union movement suffered a serious setback in its attempt to bargain collectively with employers/management
  • some of the leaders became involved in social reform such as J.S. Woodsworth (who was arrested during the strike) who established a new political party called the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) which later became the New Democratic Party (NDP)
  • perception communism and unions are associated would continue and fuel the Red Scare

Events, people or developments have historical significance if they are revealing. That is, they shed light on enduring or emerging issues in history or contemporary life.
  • even though unions today are more accepted and have achieved collective bargaining and workers have gained rights the strike reveals workers continue to face adversity in improving working conditions
  • it also reveals that workers must continue to fight for better working conditions and the use of the strike continues to be the most powerful weapon workers possess to achieve it

Historical significance is constructed. That is, events, people, and developments meet the criteria for historical significance only when they are shown to occupy a meaningful place in a narrative (story).
  • History is not everything that happened in the past. Instead, history consists of the meaningful stories or narratives that we tell about what happened in the past.
  • Historians establish historical significance of events, people, or developments through a story the historian constructs.
  • The Winnipeg General Strike is historically significant because it resulted in change and it is revealing. The story or narrative tells what happened in the strike and establishes historical significance.

Historical significance varies from time to time and from group to group.
  • Historical significance varies from time to time because our views change over time. At the beginning of the 20th century historians were not writing gender relations, homosexuality or the environment.
  • The issues of contemporary life and culture shifts over time and therefore historical significance cannot be fixed and unchanging as it must shift over time as well.
Example:
  • Between 1910-1999 the Globe and Mail newspaper mention the battle of Passchendaele 95 times. This suggests that the battle of Passchendaele was not considered significant. However, after the film Passchendaele was released in 2008 the number of mentions regarding the battle increase to 1016 between 2000-2009. Apparently, Passchendaele became an historically significant event.
  • Every author of history will bring his or her perspective, knowledge and concerns and so historical significance will vary depending on the perspective of different groups.