The German Canadians in Saskatchewan with Particular Reference to the Language Problem, 1900-1930
Date
1978
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
ORCID
Type
Degree Level
Masters
Abstract
Today multi-culturalism and multi-lingualism are encouraged by
legislation and government agencies both federally and provincially. In
Saskatchewan the Department of Culture and Youth has been charged with the
task of getting the varied ethnic groups to work together to provide a
sense of community without at the same time causing any individual group
to make undue sacrifice. This conviction that the language and culture of
the various ethnic groups is worthy of preservation is not new; it was
held when thousands of immigrants were welcomed to Saskatchewan at the
turn of the twentieth century. Special concessions were made to enable
the immigrants to retain and to exercise their language and culture.
Thousands of Germans were attracted to Saskatchewan because of
the prospect of being able to retain their Deutschtum (Germanism) and the
availability of fertile and inexpensive land. The majority of Germans
came from countries other than Germany but they had maintained their
language and culture for many decades. Upon arriving in Saskatchewan these
Germans began to organize themselves again so as to maintain their Deutschtum.
In spite of serious obstacles such as denominational divisions and a
lack of ethnic self-consciousness, the Germans were able to achieve considerable
success in retaining their language prior to the outbreak of
World War 1.
.
The war had serious implications for all ethnic groups in Saskatchewan.
However, the Germans were affected most since they spoke the language
and appreciated the culture of the enemy. By the end of the war
virtually all activities designed to foster Germanism had ceased and the
language rights the Germans had enjoyed for years had been removed through
legislation. These were crippling blows to das Deutschtum in Saskatchewan.
Even more critical, though, was the distrust and hatred shown the Germans
during the war, especially in the "English only" controversy and through
propaganda campaigns. This instilled a sense of fear into many German
Canadians, aroused feelings of resentment and completely intimidated those
Germans who had given leadership.
As a result, for many years after the war the Germans were indeed
"the quiet in the land." The German community began to reorganize and
initiate steps to strengthen their Deutschtum with great reluctance. However,
by 1930 the Germans had once again made considerable gains in their
attempts to maintain their language in Saskatchewan.
Description
Keywords
Citation
Degree
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Department
History
Program
History