Comparative Essay Sample: 2020s vs. 1920s

📌Category: Contemporary history, History
📌Words: 888
📌Pages: 4
📌Published: 02 April 2022

Even though 2020 started off with a strange start, I think 2020 is a more positive decade than 1920s in Canada. I think this because in this decade there is more attention to ethnicity, workers getting paid more and women’s got the right to vote.

In 1920, most ethnicities were treated differently. Chinese Canadians weren’t welcome. The Chinese Canadians were known for building the railways. But after they were almost done building the railway, the Chinese Canadians were not welcomed and they were also paid less. The Canadian Sources Investigated 1914 to the present textbook stated that “When the railway was almost finished, many Canadians began to pressure the government to stop Chinese people from coming to Canada and to deport those who already lived here.” In 1923, the Canadian government made a new law that was trying to ban or limit Chinese immigrants by bringing up the “Head Tax”. The Head tax was meant to discourage Chinese Immigrants to Canada. By this, we can tell how Candians attitude was towards the immigrants. The Canadians were being selfish and tough towards the immigrants. After many years, the government finally apologized to the Chinese Immigrants. It wasn’t only the Chinese Canadians that were being treated differently, the black Canadians were being treated differently as well.

Not only, but most ethnicities were also treated differently in 1920, workers were not getting supported by the government. On page 40 in  The Canadian Sources Investigated 1914 to the present textbook it has been stated that “1920 saw much conflict between workers and business owners. Owners often had government support”. This quote is telling us the workers for the businesses are not paying them how much they need to get paid. Miners, Fishers in Nova Scotia went on strike because they didn’t have enough money to live on. The strike went on for months. While doing the strike many workers were starving and the leaders were put in jail. During the strike a winner, David Day was killed. 2020 started with many things and the most important one it started with was covid.  The  Canadian Sources Investigated 1914 to the present textbook also stated that “Between 1920 and 1926, the Maritimes lost 42% of its manufacturing jobs, and the region’s coal mining industry was badly hit by a shift away from coal to oil and electricity.” People who lost their jobs, couldn’t live properly. They wouldn't be able to buy proper food for their entire family. They wouldn’t be able to have the life they imagined. Not only that but in The Canadian Sources Investigated 1914 to the present textbook it says that “In 1921, 55% of Canadians lived outside cities; by the end of the 1920s, just over half lived in cities.” This shows most of the Canadians didn’t have enough money to live in the city. Most of the time living in the city is more expensive than living outside the city.

During Covid, some businesses and some workers were laid off and at the beginning of the pandemic, the government did not do anything about it. Once the situation was getting worse, the government decided to give some money to them so they can survive in bad situations.  At one point during the pandemic, the government decided to increase the working wage as well. When Doug Ford gave increased the work wage, people were really happy and some people had enough money to buy proper food, clothes and all the things we need to live. When we went into lockdown, small businesses went down and when they opened up again they didn’t have enough money. For example, restaurants struggled the most because there was a lockdown and when they opened up they didn’t have enough money to buy ingredients. But thankfully, the government gave money to small business owners which helped a lot to bring up their business. When you look at this case, you can see this decade we live in is better than 1920.

For a really long time, women didn’t have the right to vote but in 1920 the government decided that women had the right to vote. According to the textbook, it states that “With this movement, women in the 1920s took some important steps toward equality—politically, socially, and economically.” So this means that women did not get the right easily, they had to do a lot of work to get the right they wanted. In 1920 women were allowed to vote but not all women were allowed to vote. In the textbook, it also stated that “Not all women were given the vote. First Nation women could not vote, nor could Chinese and Japanese women”. This statement is explaining that only Canadian women were allowed to vote but not Frist Nations, Chinese or Japanese women. Everyone’s voices weren’t heard properly. Women’s thought the future was only in men's hands. According to the History Uncovered, The Canadian Scrapbook, it says that “ I believe the preservation of the home as an institution in the future lies almost entirely in the hands of the men.” At one point in women’s lives, they thought men was going to control their life. Women’s thought they would only go to work and come back home and their voices won’t be heard.  7Not everyone’s voice is heard today as well but now it’s better. Like now every woman that is 18 and has Canadian citizenship can vote. Also nowadays we have more rights and the rights that 1920 had developed.

In conclusion, the decade we live in right now is better than 1920. 2020 is better than 1920 because different ethnicities are getting treated properly, workers gets paid more and not only that but women’s gets the right to vote.

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