1919

The social unrest that follows World War I in Italy leads to il biennio rosso (the Two Red Years) which lasts from 1919 to 1920. Massive social protest, strikes and the occupation of factories and land are sparked by high unemployment and inflation.

It was really because of my strong sense of patriotism. I remember the disorder that reigned in Italy at the end of World War II. The country was paralyzed by strikes, farmers spread over the countryside snatching up land, the trains didn’t arrive on time, Italy had fallen in the clutches of socialists who were at the root of our social problems.

Internee Gentile Dieni on why he became a fascist, Fascism and the Italians of Montreal: An Oral History, 1922-1945

1919

Begun as a strike by city workers, the resulting labour unrest known as the Winnipeg General Strike becomes the largest general strike in Canadian history. On May 15, 1919, most of the working population of Winnipeg, around 30,000 workers, walks off their jobs. Local, national and even international coverage of the strike describe the agitators and strikers as foreigners, communists and anarchists intent on the overthrow of the Canadian government. Fearing the spread of the strike action to other cities, the Canadian government intervenes. On June 21, 1919, police violently engage the crowd assembled at Market Square. In addition to numerous arrests, many strikers sustain injuries and one dies. The demonstration ends with federal troops occupying the city streets. Workers return to their jobs on June 25, 1919.

1919

The right to vote in a Canadian federal election is extended to all women in the Act to confer the Electoral Franchise upon Women.