Significance of the Depression Riots
The Great Depression of the 1930s and the ensuing riots of 1932 are of historical significance to New Zealand society.
The Depression was a worldwide event, with many countries being significantly affected by the economic downturn. New Zealand was no exception to this, and our reliance on other countries as an exporting nation meant that New Zealand society was severely impacted by the effects of the Great Depression. All sectors of society were exposed to the Depression, with the working class being worst affected. A contraction in spending in the economy lead to rampant unemployment and shopkeepers being forced to shut their stores. The government cut expenditure in order to correct the fiscal imbalance, and established a relief scheme where men had to work in order to receive sustenance payments. These actions were met with public resentment, due to the widespread belief the the government was not doing enough to combat the issues at hand. Relief work schemes meant that many men were sent to stay at work camps in rural areas away from their friends and family. The work was hard labour and the living conditions were poor. Disturbances in the four main centres of New Zealand occurred as a result of these frustrations.
The Depression was a worldwide event, with many countries being significantly affected by the economic downturn. New Zealand was no exception to this, and our reliance on other countries as an exporting nation meant that New Zealand society was severely impacted by the effects of the Great Depression. All sectors of society were exposed to the Depression, with the working class being worst affected. A contraction in spending in the economy lead to rampant unemployment and shopkeepers being forced to shut their stores. The government cut expenditure in order to correct the fiscal imbalance, and established a relief scheme where men had to work in order to receive sustenance payments. These actions were met with public resentment, due to the widespread belief the the government was not doing enough to combat the issues at hand. Relief work schemes meant that many men were sent to stay at work camps in rural areas away from their friends and family. The work was hard labour and the living conditions were poor. Disturbances in the four main centres of New Zealand occurred as a result of these frustrations.
The riots of 1932 involved many of the unemployed around the country, who were dissatisfied with how they had been treated under government regulations. Thousands of people took part in these riots, both as initiators of the disorder and as spectators who were inspired to become involved. The protests were met by a harsh response from the authorities, and people were often injured as crowds dispersed. Some of the rioters were hospitalised as a result of their injuries, some of which were caused by the batons wielded by police and Special constables. As well as multiple injuries, a lot of the rioters were arrested and given heavy prison terms, such as Jim Edwards who was given two years imprisonment with hard labour after supposedly initiating the Auckland riots.
The need for Special constables was met by a large number of students. Their generally middle class backgrounds meant that they were not as heavily affected by the Depression as those in the working class and they did not have much knowledge regarding the working class and labour relations. When they began to enlist as Special constables many of them found the job distasteful and developed a sympathy for the workers. The students became enlightened toward the world economic situation and the opinion developed that "students had held themselves aloof from world affairs for too long". |
The Depression riots were significant in developing a sense of unity within the working class. The trend of socialism, which can also be identified in the Waihi strikes of 1912 and 1913, emerged again during the Depression as people wanted to overcome the social inequalities that they were experiencing. Groups such as the Unemployed Workers Movement united the unemployed and provided them with a place to discuss their concerns. The socialists gained greater influence during this era as a class-consciousness developed, which ultimately lead to the success of the Labour Party in the 1935 election. Social welfare as a safety net for capitalism was given greater importance, which lead to the Social Security Act of 1938, a legislation based on previous relief systems that strengthened the welfare state.
The newspaper articles from the Evening Post and Auckland Star appear to represent a relatively conservative middle class point of view. They criticize the actions of the rioters and lay the blame on the Unemployed Workers Movement and the Communist Party. The articles that I have looked at defend the actions of the authorities and idolize their actions against the rioters, while other sources such as Jim Edwards' biography claim that the police acted unjustly and aggressively. These sources convey the seemingly low importance that was given to the concerns of the working class during this era, which was a key source of the frustrations. Secondary sources written more recently take a more balanced approach to the events, taking into consideration the opinions of the working class. This could be due to the fact that in the years following the Great Depression New Zealand became more focussed on the social welfare state, resulting in the Social Security Act under the Labour Government in 1938. While the primary sources were useful for collecting evidence of the situation at the time, the secondary sources have created a more accurate and rounded perspective of the events. Recent secondary sources have also come to suggest that New Zealand was not as heavily impacted by the Depression as other countries were, and that the origins of the economic downturn stemmed from the end of the war rather than the Wall Street crash as is generally reported.
The newspaper articles from the Evening Post and Auckland Star appear to represent a relatively conservative middle class point of view. They criticize the actions of the rioters and lay the blame on the Unemployed Workers Movement and the Communist Party. The articles that I have looked at defend the actions of the authorities and idolize their actions against the rioters, while other sources such as Jim Edwards' biography claim that the police acted unjustly and aggressively. These sources convey the seemingly low importance that was given to the concerns of the working class during this era, which was a key source of the frustrations. Secondary sources written more recently take a more balanced approach to the events, taking into consideration the opinions of the working class. This could be due to the fact that in the years following the Great Depression New Zealand became more focussed on the social welfare state, resulting in the Social Security Act under the Labour Government in 1938. While the primary sources were useful for collecting evidence of the situation at the time, the secondary sources have created a more accurate and rounded perspective of the events. Recent secondary sources have also come to suggest that New Zealand was not as heavily impacted by the Depression as other countries were, and that the origins of the economic downturn stemmed from the end of the war rather than the Wall Street crash as is generally reported.