The Second World War was a turning point in Canada’s attitude towards human rights policies impacting poorness, adult females, wellness, First Nations, race, and in-migration. To what extent do you hold with this statement? Defend your reply.
World War II broke out in 1939 for Canada, and waged on for six annihilating old ages. The universe had experienced hideous events such as the Holocaust and the atomic bombardment of Hiroshima and Nagasaki ; it was in demand of alteration. World War II had brought important alteration in Canada’s attitudes towards certain human rights policies. The Second World War had been a turning point for adult female and Canada’s in-migration policy, yet it had none to small impact on racism. The war had besides affected some human rights policies insignificantly. For illustration poorness, wellness, and attitudes toward First Nations were non important in the manner that there was non much alteration and did non play a major function in the war.
Before the eruption of World War I adult females could seldom acquire occupations, the function of a adult female was to remain place and take attention of her hubby and kids. It was when World War I broke out, that working adult females became a normal sight [ 1 ] . Unfortunately when World War I was over, adult females were expected to return and restart their function of taking attention of their household. Then the Great Depression broke out and adult females were still expected to remain at place, even though it would hold been advantageous for them to be working with their hubbies. When World War II broke out adult females were one time once more called upon to work in mills, and merely like the terminal of World War I, returning veterans wanted their occupations back [ 2 ] . It was still non accepted by the bulk of Canadian work forces for adult females to work. Job facets were looking down for adult females, by 1946 the rate of adult females ‘s engagement in the labour force had dropped to Depression degrees [ 3 ] , but since women’s part in World War II had been so impactful, a feminist motion started to happen ; married adult females began come ining the labour force in such Numberss, that by the sixtiess, they made up tierce of the labour force and represented 55 % of the labour-force growing [ 4 ] . Even though adult females were acquiring occupations now, it was merely because employers could pay them less than their male opposite number. In 1961, net incomes of adult females employed full-time, year-around, were 59 % of the net incomes of work forces in the same classs [ 5 ] . This was partially due to favoritism and restrictions in federal statute law regulating equal wage [ 6 ] . Besides adult females were being locked into “female” businesss, chiefly clerical [ 7 ] . Canadian society’s attitude towards adult females had changed in the manner that adult females were now able to acquire occupations and this was a great spring in the feminist motion. Womans were no longer the mean homemaker.
Society’s positions had changed on the function of adult females ; nevertheless society’s positions on racism stayed really much the same. Racism was really outstanding before and during World War II. The racial groups that were targeted earlier and during World War II included: the Judaic, Japanese-Canadians, First Nations, and African-Canadians. There were besides groups such as the Ku Klux Klan and the Nazi Party of Germany that would perpetrate utmost Acts of the Apostless of racism. The Nazi Party of Germany under Hitler’s regulation, in peculiar, had targeted Jews. Jews persecuted in World War II by Nazi Germans were sent to internment cantonments. In Canada it was chiefly the Japanese-Canadians that were persecuted. They were mistreated in society and by the authorities. The Canadian authorities gave them two options ; be sent to internment cantonments, where they would be kept until the war was over, or return to Japan. Many Japanese-Canadians were non given a opportunity to travel to school and had a tough clip seting to school when they returned, particularly if they lived in B.C. because they could non return to their places at that place until 1949 [ 8 ] . It was non until 1948 that Japanese-Canadians receive the right to vote in federal elections. Yet anti-sentiment towards Japanese-Canadians still lasted [ 9 ] and was reflected in literature such as Gloria D. Miklowitz’s “The War Between the Classes” . Life had become difficult for anyone that had come from any of the Axis states because of the staying bitterness from the war. Finally the authorities made racism illegal, but that was a more recent statute law. Canadians had accepted racism before the Second World War and still accepted racism in the post-war old ages ; research shows that antisemitism is even more popular today [ 10 ] .
Unlike racism, Canada’s attitude towards in-migration changed greatly after the Second World War. Pre-World War II, Canada wanted immigrants that could be assimilated into mainstream Canadian society and non present a menace to Canadians’ occupations. During the Great Depression occupations were scarce and it was difficult plenty acquiring occupations without the haste of immigrants that were flying Nazi Germany. The authorities came up with a policy that any immigrant could be deported if they got into problem or no longer held a paying occupation [ 11 ] . Between 1930 and 1935, an estimated 30,000 immigrants were deported, mostly for being a public charge [ 12 ] . Then when the Second World War broke out, the inundation of Judaic refugees increased, yet Canada would non alter its in-migration constabulary. “None is excessively many” was Frederick Blair’s, the manager of Canada ‘s Immigration Branch from 1936 to 1943, response when asked how many Judaic refugees should be allowed into Canada [ 13 ] . Another celebrated illustration of Canada declining entree to refugees was the MS St. Louis, a ship transporting Judaic refugees that was refused entree into Canada [ 14 ] . However when World War II was over, there was a menace that the freshly invented atomic bomb could be used on any state. This new menace changed the economic demands of Canada ; the state now needed extremely skilled, educated, immigrants who would do an of import part to the technological revolution taking topographic point [ 15 ] , therefore Canada changed its attitude toward in-migration. Canada started increasingly altering their in-migration policy [ 16 ] , leting more and more immigrants to go Canadians.
The Second Great War had brought major alterations to Canada. For adult females it was now feasible to hold a occupation, even though they were still topics of favoritism and were considered inferior to work forces, it was a large spring frontward from being an mean homemaker. It became a common sight to see a adult female working at an office. The war had been supported by a strong anti-semitic sentiment, which would be expected to hold ended with the war, yet it is stronger than of all time today. Attitudes toward racism had non changed significantly due to the war, particularly if you had emigrated from an Axis state. Canada’s in-migration policies nevertheless did alteration. The innovation of the atomic bomb demanded for states to maintain up with the latest engineering. Canada realised the benefit of holding immigrants and bit by bit started opening its doors towards them. The war had helped Canada alter its attitudes to some extent towards human rights policies and set Canada on the route to going the state it is today.