1 / 13

Politics in the 1920’s

Politics in the 1920’s. The King-Byng Affair. Prohibition. What is prohibition? It is a “law forbidding the sale of alcoholic beverages.” In 1924, it was pretty much a lost cause in Canada. Why? Quebec never supported it Prohibition was unpopular with voters

shay
Télécharger la présentation

Politics in the 1920’s

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Politics in the 1920’s The King-Byng Affair

  2. Prohibition • What is prohibition? • It is a “law forbidding the sale of alcoholic beverages.” • In 1924, it was pretty much a lost cause in Canada. Why? • Quebec never supported it • Prohibition was unpopular with voters • The government could make money by taxing the sale of liquor

  3. Prohibition (cont’d) • However, the US maintained prohibition until 1933. • Lots of liquor flowed into the US from Canada; illegal runners of alcohol were sometimes called “rumrunners”. • Prohibition did reduce alcohol consumption by about 80 percent. • However, it caused tension between US and Canada, as well as a wave of crime.

  4. 1925 Election • In 1925, William Lyon Mackenzie King was Prime Minister. • King was leader of the Liberal party. • 1925 was an election year. The two other parties were the Conservatives, led by Arthur Meighen, and the Progressive Party. • The election was held on October 29, 1925. What were the results?

  5. 1925 Election (cont’d) • Liberals – 99 seats • Conservatives – 116 seats • Progressives – 24 seats • The Liberals had the support of the Progressives. Consequently, King was still Prime Minister, but he only had a minority government.

  6. King Loses Progressives • In 1926, the Conservatives accused the Liberals of taking bribes from rumrunners. • The Progressives withdrew their support for King. • On June 25, 1926, King went to the Governor-General.

  7. Byng • No, not that Bing. • Julian Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy Bing?

  8. The Controversy • King asked Byng to dissolve the government, so there could be another election. • Byng said, “No.” • King sent a letter to Byng, saying that he would resign if Byng refused his request. • Byng still said, “No.” • So, King resigned. • Who became the new prime minister then? • This guy!

  9. Meighen’s reign • On June 29, 1926, Arthur Meighen became Prime Minister. • Meighen lost a vote in Parliament, however, and Byng dissolved the government, forcing an election. • The Progressives were behind King again, and on September 25, 1926, the Liberals won a majority government.

  10. The King-Byng Wing Ding • At the time, much was made of Byng’s controversial decision to refuse King. • Many historians now agree, however, that Byng did the only thing he could have. • When King asked Byng to dissolve the government, it had only been 8 months since the last election. • When Byng left Canada 5 days after the election (Sept. 30, 1926), he was well respected.

  11. The End Or is it???

  12. Timeline of Events • 1924 – Prohibition is all but gone in Canada • 1925, October 29 – General election held in Canada where the Liberals win a minority government • 1926 – Conservatives accuse the Liberals of taking bribes from rumrunners • 1926, June 25 – King goes to Byng and asks him to dissolve government, but Byng says no. • 1926, June 29 – King resigns in protest, and Arthur Meighen becomes Prime Minister. • 1926, September 25 – Another election is held, and the Liberals win a majority government, and King becomes prime minister again. • 1926, September 30 – Byng leaves Canada and returns to Britain. • 1933 – Prohibition ends in the United States

More Related