Unit 9: The 1960s Flashcards
Final Exam (Post-Confederation)
What is the social and cultural scene in the 1960s?
Secularization
Anti-War Protesters
Youth Protest: “Peace and Love”, Student Revolt, The Role of Universities, Pushing Back on the State (note: First Nations Youth did not enjoy the same liberation)
Population Trends: (Changing Family Patters, Gay and Lesbian Activism)
Civil Rights Movement
Sexual Revolution
Feminism (Women in the Paid Work Force)
The Beatles, Rock n Roll, Drugs
JFK & Trudeaumania
Draft Dodgers
Draft Dodgers and Anti-War Protestors from the US came to Canada, and became professors at Canadian universities. As part of the peace movement, a powerful criticism of American imperialism in Vietnam and the East begins increasing, and certainly dominates the Canadian view.
Civil Rights Movement
In the 1960s, there is an awakening of race and marginalized people. This has some impact in Canada on the African-American community, but especially for the First Nations populations.
The First Nations population has stopped declining. First Nations are not Canadian citizens, and yet they must go fight for Canada, and they return without receiving any thanks or recognition, and are still not recognized as Canadian citizens with rights. They do not have the right to vote yet even in the 1960s.
While we have a black movement going on in the US and to some extent in Canada, we have the red movement going on. At this time, we are decolonizing.
The Women’s Movement: Second Wave Feminism (60s and 70s)
1960-70s: Movement to Second Wave feminism
Moves away from political issues of the right to vote, and is focused more on a liberation movement and an emphasis on gender equality. The major shift is on women in the workforce; it is aimed at gains for women in education at the post-secondary level and omen in the workforce. Women are still seen in genderally-oriented occupations.
This is a Sexual Revolution, too…
The Sexual Revolution
With a focus on the female body, most activists then and now would argue that the birth control pill was one of the most important events for womens.
Early 1970s: Birth Control; becomes rapidly widespread in its use.
Quebec’s history is French Catholic and opposed to change, yet today, is one of the most secular and progressive places in Canada. Why? When did this happen?
The Quiet Revolution: Jean Le Sage and Rene Levesque
The Quiet Revolution: Jean Le Sage and Rene Levesque
In the 1960s, Quebec reforms and becomes a secular society. The 1960s is an era of new nationalisms in Canada, as a search for Canadian identity takes on a certain nationalistic bent.
The traditional “defensive” form of French Canadian nationalism goes back to the days of New France, the conquest, the rebellions, the struggle for the survival of French Canadian culture, Confederation, the Riel rebellion, the schools questions, the Conscription crisis during the wars, and so on). The borders of Quebec became the borders of the French Canadian culture, and Quebec became a nation within a nation. However, Quebec remains held back by this form of defensive French Canadian nationalism; it has not made much progression and often loses the battle. The death of Maurice Duplacy ends this.
During the 1940s and 50s there was emerging French Canadian academia and intelligence. This intelligence sees Quebec being held back by this French Canadian nationalism, that is, grounded in agrarian rural communities that are revolved around the Church. Quebec has not progressed, so from 1960-1965, there is a period of rapid modernization in Quebec. This is not a social revolution in Quebec, but rather, and administrative revolution, and we see changes in the role of the State. For a long time, the Church has not been separated from the State. The Union National is a French Canadian national party defeated in 1959, and replaced by Jean Le Sage.
Union Nationale
The Union National is a French Canadian national party defeated in 1959, and replaced by Jean Le Sage.
Quebecers as a colonized people?
The mentality of French Canadian nationalism has called Quebecers to stay rural and agrarian, and stay out of the big cultural urban cities, since it is the English who rule the province. The big question becomes: how did the conquest in 1763 impact Quebec? There is an argument about class, and that Quebecers are the oppressed lower class in their own society, on their own land. In 1961 anglophones in Quebec made 35% more income than francophones (and francophones ranked 12th of 14 ethnic groups in income levels in the province). The Quebec economy is controlled by anglophones and attendance at Mass in the urban city centres of Quebec has dropped by 50%.
Rene Levesque and the PQ
Becomes one of the major figures in this Quebec government. He breaks away from his party at the end of the Revolution, and breaks away from Liberal Quebec because he does not think Quebec is going far enough to fight against the domination of the English over Quebec. In the late 60s, Quebec begins to take radical actions to make progress. Rene Levesque
establishes his own party, that by the 1970s, becomes the Parti Quebecois (PQ). The PQ emerges from the QR.
Royal Tour
We see aspects of this French Canadian nationalism in the 1964 Royal Tour. Queen Elizabeth visits Quebec, and is escorted by Governor General Vanier in Quebec City, and is greeted by one of the most hostile audiences ever. The people are deeply offended that the English Queen is coming to their colonized province.
Inviting the World to Montreal
At Canada’s 100th birthday in the summer of 1967, Charles de Gaulle (the president of France) delivers his famous speech to Quebecers at Montreal’s City Hall: “Vivre le Montreal, Vivre le Québec, Vive le Quebec libre.” Quebec does not actually have any attachment to French, but it seeks accreditation in its search for an identity. The Canadian government is horrified and ends the tour in Quebec of Charles de Gaulle.
A New Liberal Leader
Pierre Elliott Trudeau becomes PM of Canada on 20 April 1968.
Trudeau
Pierre Elliott Trudeau becomes PM of Canada on 20 April 1968.
He enters politics late in his life, in his 40s, and enters quite late into the federal election. As part of this rise in Quebec intelligencia, he enters federal politics.
He wins an overwhelming majority in the 1968 election. Quebec saw him as a star, and as their next leader
He is given the position of Justice Minister in the Pearson government without having any experience. He is in his 40s, but is seen to be young. He is seen to cultivate the whole American culture of the celebrities, the Beatles, rock n roll, sex, and sexy people. And so we enter into the world of Trudeaumania…
So when he moves to liberalize divorce laws and policies against homosexuality, he is speaking to a generational consciousness of the baby boomers: “The state has no place in the bedrooms of the nation.” Thus we see the rapid rise and popularity of this young Quebecer. In 1968 and 1969, girls screamed for him and threw their panties at him. He becomes close friends with Fidel Castro in Cuba, met John Lennon and Yoko Ono.
He was undoubtedly intelligent, and the most impressive PM in terms of wit and charisma.
He believed that Quebec needs no special system; the federal system has given everything Quebec needs to prosper. The Quiet Revolution has done what it needs to put power back in the hands of Francophones, but no one in Canada needs special treatment or special accomodation. However, he is a huge supporter of bilingualism and biculturalism
BUT, he has no place for the Indigenous peoples of Canada. The position was that Canada was founded by two peoples.
Jean Chretien
Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development at the time of the 1969 White Paper
