She was the leader of the Winnipeg Women’s Labor League and a central figure in the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike. She campaigned for unions, a minimum wage and social security, and against conscription.
Helen (Ma) Armstrong.
| Published Online | October 4, 2019 |
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| Last Edited | October 4, 2019 |
Who was the leader of the Winnipeg General Strike?
Workers in cities from Amherst, Nova Scotia to Victoria, British Columbia, walked out in support of the Winnipeg strikers. Some strike leaders, including J.S. Woodsworth, were elected to government. Woodsworth and other former strikers helped found the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation.
What was Helen Armstrongs role in the Winnipeg General Strike?
The Armstrongs were an integral part of the six-week Winnipeg General Strike, with Helen organizing female workers, picketing, managing a strikers’ soup kitchen, signing up new union members, speaking and marching. She was arrested twice, but released quickly.
Who organized the Winnipeg General Strike?
It all happened in Winnipeg, Manitoba 100 years ago in one of the most well‐known and significant labour strikes in Canadian history: the Winnipeg General Strike. Proclamation by Winnipeg Mayor Charles Gray banning parades and public gatherings, June 5, 1919.
Why did workers go on strike in Winnipeg 1919?
There were many background causes for the strike, most of them related to the prevailing social inequalities and the impoverished condition of the city’s working class. Wages were low, prices were rising, employment was unstable, immigrants faced discrimination, housing and health conditions were poor.
What happened June 21 1919?
Learning that the German High Seas Fleet was to be turned over to the Allies, the Germans scuttled their own fleet at Scapa Flow, Scotland, on June 21, 1919. Before the British became aware of what had transpired, the fleet was almost beyond salvage and the German Navy, for all inent, had ceased to exist.
What did Robert Boyd Russell do?
Robert Boyd Russell (October 31, 1888 – September 25, 1964) was a labour organizer and politician in Manitoba, Canada. R.B. Russell, as he was known, was a prominent figure in the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919 and was later the leader of Winnipeg’s One Big Union.
What were the workers fighting for during the Winnipeg General Strike?
Approximately 30,000 workers went on strike. The main goal of the strike was to improve working conditions. The federal government believed the strikers wanted to start a communist revolution. It called in the Royal North-West Mounted Police to stop it.
Who were the specials in the Winnipeg General Strike?
The business community hired and equipped 1,800 special constables to contain strike mobilizations and crack down on public assembly, alongside the Royal North-West Mounted Police, who were brought in to the city. The special constables, or “Specials,” provoked a riot on June 10 after attempting to disperse a crowd.
What is the day of the Winnipeg General Strike that two people died known as?
It was June 21, a defining day of the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike that became known as Bloody Saturday.
Who was the leader of the striking workers Why was dismissed?
Answer: Lech Walesa was the leader of the striking workers in Poland who was dismissed from service in 1976 for demanding higher pays.
What three groups went on strike 1919?
| Steel Strike of 1919 | |
|---|---|
| Methods | Striking |
| Parties to the civil conflict | |
| Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers (AA); American Federation of Labor U.S. Steel Steel companies | |
| Lead figures |
What caused the workers to strike?
Most strikes are about pay and better working conditions. Without the threat of strike action, corporations will be able to make bigger profits, while working conditions will get worse. Strike is part of their bargaining tool.
What is Bloody Saturday Winnipeg?
The final chapter of the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike, Bloody Saturday began as a silent protest led by returning WWI veterans protesting the arrest of strike leaders.
What was the tragic event that happened in the year 1919?
Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, Jallianwala also spelled Jallianwalla, also called Massacre of Amritsar, incident on April 13, 1919, in which British troops fired on a large crowd of unarmed Indians in an open space known as the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar in the Punjab region (now in Punjab state) of India, killing
Why is the year 1919 significant?
The Treaty of Versailles is signed, formally ending World War I.
What did Dr Robert Boyd fight for?
Dr. Boyd used public forums, including Nashville churches, to help the Black public understand the causes, origins, and transmission of tuberculosis, teaching them ways to combat this disease. In 1890, Boyd attended the Postgraduate School of Medicine at the University of Chicago.
What is the Central Strike Committee?
On May 21, the Strike Committee was established, consisting of three members from each of the 95 unions and five members of the WTLC, which added up to 290 members in total (though it was often reported as 300). The Strike Committee proposed and voted on policy decisions and generally directed the strike.
What was the Citizens Committee of One Thousand?
The Citizens’ Committee of One Thousand was a cabal of Winnipeg’s business and professional elite who opposed the General Strike and actively worked to break it.
What was the result of the Winnipeg General Strike?
Winnipeg General Strike was ‘large and difficult defeat’ in 1919 but benefits workers today. The 1919 Winnipeg General Strike ended five days after the violent confrontation on Bloody Saturday, without any concessions being won by the workers and with many facing a bleak future.
What is Bloody Sunday Winnipeg?
On June 21st, 1919, one of the most emblematic moments in modern Canadian history came to a violent head in downtown Winnipeg. On that day—known in history books as Bloody Saturday—thousands of protestors clashed with riot police on the streets of Canada’s then third largest city.