Dossier 4 – What currents of Thought have Influenced Quebec since 1867 Chapter 3 Mr. Wilson - History 404

What was the big event throughout the Contemporary Period?

Industrialization In Canada, from end of the 19th century to the mid 20th century. The working world was transformed. Urban populations grew, rural populations shrunk. Between WWI, the Great Depression and WWII = Capitalism and Economic liberalism were saved! (more on that later…)

After World War II The standard of living started to improve, which increased consumption and recreational spending. Mentalities also started to change: blind Catholicism was gone as the church slowly lost its credibility. Entertainment also changed – people stopped entertaining themselves and started to depend on things like the Radio or Television. Newspapers, films, music = everything seems to come from the USA.

Larger Movements Ideological movements Secularized society Feminism The Nationalist Movement (Quebec) After the 1960’s culture suddenly became the driving force behind social change! Artist started to take a fresh look at society – where the artist could criticize and demand.

Important Currents of Thought With industrial development, two main ideologies dominated the contemporary world: Capitalism Economic Liberalism Both would be challenged in the 20th century. Catholicism remained a powerful forced until the Quiet Revolution of the 1960’s.

Agriculturalism As industrialization set in, many people moved to the cities in search of work. But in many cases, this led to a more poverty in the cities. The Clergy and the government tried to promote rural life and a traditional agriculture way of life as a possible solution. This led to the settlement of the Laurentians, the Lanaudière and the Lac-St-Jean regions.

Agriculturalism The Government supported the idea, with the creation of specific groups and magazines related to the agricultural life. Agriculturalism also pops up in the literature from that time: Un Homme et son Péché by Claude Henri Grignon. Agriculturalism was especially popular through the Great Depression.

Liberalism and Capitalism Liberalism and Capitalism were hugely popular ideas in the West by the end of the 19th century. Newspapers, newsletters, government officials, business owners - all championed these ideologies. Individual rights, freedoms and the private ownership was a big deal.

Liberalism and Capitalism In Montreal, the wealthy business class lived in a neighbourhood called the Mille Carré Doré. Luxurious mansions were built, the English Bourgeoisie was thriving. The French had a similar area – but it was less luxurious and further East.

Socialism, Communism and the Cooperation The events of 1929 brought the issues of Capitalism and Liberalism to a halt. New ideologies started to be explored – more specifically the ideas of Communism, Socialism and the Cooperation. In response to poor working conditions, ideas like private ownership were replaced with things collective property, equality and Unions.

Capitalism? Capitalism is based on the idea of private ownership with NO GOVERNMENT intervention of any kind. The economic principle is that if the market is left alone, prosperity will follow.

Communism? Karl Marx believed that systems like Capitalism led to internal struggle between the classes. This could only be rectified through a more socialist approach. So he came up with the idea of Communism.

Socialism? Socialism is a pretty much the exact opposite of Capitalism. Believes in direct worker ownership, with equal access to resources and compensation based on labour expended.

Cooperation? The idea that a company can share its profits with its workers. The best example of a cooperative in Quebec is the DesJardin Banking system.

Union? A Union is a more socialist idea, where the interests of the workers are protected by a Union. Through Unions, workers can put lots of pressure on their employer for things like wages, working conditions and benefits.

Socialism, Communism and the Cooperation Although hotly debated, these ideas did force some change but were never wholly embraced in Canada or Quebec. The Government did have to step in in order to control many markets during the Depression: agriculture, unemployment insurance, family allowances, pensions, etc. This Neo-Liberalist movement led to the creation of Hydro-Quebec and the Welfare state of the 1960’s.

Socialism, Communism and the Cooperation Cooperatism was the only ideology that really made some change in Quebec. The basic idea is that instead of one single owner, or a public corporation – the workers have a stake in the future of the company. This is achieved through replacing the wage system with a redistribution of company profits amongst the owners and workers.

Catholic Ideology The Catholic church was very active during the first part of the contemporary period. The Church promoted Catholic values through many newspapers, radio broadcasts, literature and even art. It was only at the beginning of the 20th century that ideas began to move away from the Church – especially with regards to education.

WORKBOOK (pages 129-131)

Liberation Movements The first major Quebec movement involved he secularization of the Church and the State. Although many government officials believed in traditional Catholic values – liberalist intellectuals felt let down. The main goal was to remove the Church’s influence on education and hospital care.

Maurice Duplessis

Liberation Movements Throughout the 1950’s and the 1960’s the debate would continue: The Church’s authority on censoring books The patriarchal society and the submission of women. The Church’s influence on learning and the poor quality of learning. During the time the Church lost a lot of followers (see tables 3.23 and 3.24)

Liberation Movements The Church was essentially removed from having any influence over the government. But by losing its control over the schools, it also lost its moral authority over the population – and so religious belief as a whole began to decline. Free from the Church, art began to change – moving away from traditional subjects towards new original styles.

Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986)

Liberation Movements The next major movement was the Feminist movement. Gaining momentum at the end of the 19th century, especially from the British Suffragettes (1903-1918), Canadian women set out to obtain equal political rights and access to education. At first, feminism was not very demanding, but by the end of WWII all that would change.

Liberation Movements During WWII, many women had to help with the war effort – working in factories no less! When the war was over, and the men came home – the real question was “if we can do the same thing as you – why can’t we get paid the same as you?” Although they had the right to work and vote, women were still treated as inferior.

Liberation Movements Women were still being paid less then men and women were unable to apply into certain University programs that were considered “male.” By the 1960’s, Feminist groups were fighting against violence, discrimination and injustices towards women. By the 1970’s, Feminism was much more radical – featuring the right to abortion, available childcare, remuneration for women who choose to stay home and pay equity.

WROKBOOK (134-136)