History of Newfoundland and Labrador

History Of Newfoundland And Labrador

The History of Newfoundland and Labrador is the story of the peoples who have lived in what is now the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The first brief European contact came about 1000 AD when the Vikings briefly settled in L'Anse aux Meadows. Around 1500 European explorers and fishermen from England, Portugal, France and Spain and Basques began exploration. Fishing expeditions came seasonally; the first small permanent settlements appeared around 1630.

Newfoundland resisted joining Canada and was an independent dominion in the early 20th century. Fishing was always the dominant industry, but the economy collapsed in the Great Depression of the 1930s and the people voluntarily relinquished their independence to become a British colony again. Prosperity and self-confidence returned during the Second World War, and after intense debate the people voted to join Canada in 1949.

The "golden era" came in the early 20th century. Since then poverty and emigration have been the main themes, despite efforts to modernize after 1949. Most efforts failed, and the sudden collapse of the cod fishing industry was a terrific blow in the 1990s. The historic cultural and political tensions between British Protestants and Irish Catholics faded, and a new spirit of a unified Newfoundland identity has recently emerged through songs and popular culture.