HIST 203 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Girdle, Joual, Richard Riot
May 18th, 2017
Lecture 11
• Outline
o A Quiet Revolution or a Noisy Evolution?
o Leading up to the Lesage Government
▪ Duplessis government
▪ Asbestos Strike of 1949
▪ Intellectual and Cultural Revolution
o The Lesage Government
o Francophones Outside Quebec
▪ The Other Quiet Revolution in New Brunswick?
o A Political Revolution or a Social and Cultural one?
• Study questions
o Were the 1960s really a good time to be young in Canada?
o What did it meant to be Canadian in 9?
• La Grande Noirceur Great Darkness // La Revolution Tranquille Quiet Revolution)
o Darkness of Duplessis era ends with lightness of Lesage era
o This look limits the Quiet Revolution to just politics, which is not what it was
o Question to consider for paper: Narratives, and how they can be challenged
• A Quiet Revolution or a Noisy Evolution?
o Noisy evolution = state-directed and democratic
▪ Three targets
• Chatholic Chuch
• English economic elite
• Federal government
▪ Trend toward secularization, economic and social modernization, and greater political
autonomy
• Periodization
o Brian Young – behind Duplessis rhetoric, Quebec was actually embarking on process of
modernization and people were becoming more aware of class and ethnic diversity
o World War II = turning point
o Caused by increased population, as well as increased urbanization
o Urban way of life (greater possibilities, more chance of mobility, etc.) replaced the ideal rural life
o Instead of movement between urban centers and rural areas, there was a great migration to
urban areas (doubled in Montreal)
o Radio and television introduced new ideas
• Duplessis’ Government
o Supported by traditional elites
o Emphasized religious values and respect for the established order
o Anti-statism
o In theory, defender of French-Canadian interests and merits of rural Quebec
o )n practice, condoned the domination of Quebec’s economy by Anglo-Saxon interests
o While Quebec was becoming more in line with rest of NA (modernization and industrialization),
Duplessis emphasized its differences (the French Canadian flag)
▪ Sending message that Quebec was a separate, distinct place
• As social demographics changed, so to did the labour movement
o More militant, not at all docile
• Asbestos Strike of 1949
o The key that unlocked the Quiet Revolution?
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