Seeing Reds

At the end of WWI, Canada was on the brink of revolution. At least, that is what many Canadians, inspired by the Russian Revolution, hoped and others dreaded. Seeing Reds tells the story of this turbulent period in Canadian history, when a fearful government led by Prime Minister Robert Borden tried to suppress radical political activity by branding legitimate labour leaders as “Bolsheviks” and “Reds.” Canada was in the grip of a widespread Red Scare promoted by the government and the media in order to discredit radical ideas and to rally public support behind mainstream political and economic policies. The story builds toward the events of the Winnipeg General Strike in May–June 1919 when the authorities, believing that the expected revolution had begun, sent soldiers into the streets to put down with force a legitimate labour dispute.