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Democracy in Alberta: Social Credit and the Party System
Book by Macpherson, C.B.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1953
About the author
Crawford Brough Macpherson
16 books23 followersMacpherson was an influential Canadian political scientist who taught political theory at the University of Toronto.
Macpherson was born on 18 November 1911 in Toronto, Ontario. He graduated from the University of Toronto in 1933. After earning an MSc in economics at the London School of Economics where he studied under the supervision of Harold Laski, he joined the faculty of the University of Toronto in 1935. At that time a PhD in the social sciences was uncommon, but some twenty years later he submitted a collection of sixteen published papers to the London School of Economics and was awarded the DSc in economics. These papers were then published in 1953 edition as the book, Democracy in Alberta; the theory and practice of a quasi-party system. In 1956 he became a Professor of Political Economy at the University of Toronto.
Macpherson's best-known contribution to political philosophy is the theory of "possessive individualism", in which an individual is conceived as the sole proprietor of his or her skills and owes nothing to society for them.
Macpherson was born on 18 November 1911 in Toronto, Ontario. He graduated from the University of Toronto in 1933. After earning an MSc in economics at the London School of Economics where he studied under the supervision of Harold Laski, he joined the faculty of the University of Toronto in 1935. At that time a PhD in the social sciences was uncommon, but some twenty years later he submitted a collection of sixteen published papers to the London School of Economics and was awarded the DSc in economics. These papers were then published in 1953 edition as the book, Democracy in Alberta; the theory and practice of a quasi-party system. In 1956 he became a Professor of Political Economy at the University of Toronto.
Macpherson's best-known contribution to political philosophy is the theory of "possessive individualism", in which an individual is conceived as the sole proprietor of his or her skills and owes nothing to society for them.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 21, 2017
C.B. Macpherson writes the seminal account of early Social Credit in Alberta. His conclusions have really driven the academic debate on the subject, as seen by Bell's attempts to refute Macpherson's conclusions. Macpherson takes the stance that the Social Credit Party was primarily a movement of independent farmers and the "petit-bourgeois". This conclusion makes sense through how Macpherson discusses political behavior. His argument that Social Credit blended elements of populism and corporatism is fascinating. Additionally, Macpherson provides one of the best deconstructions of Douglas' Social Credit economic theories.
However, he fails to establish why the Social Credit Party found so much success in Calgary and Medicine Hat for example. Their urban performance demonstrates that clearly, their appeal reached beyond smallholders. This is a potential hole in the theory that Bell exploits in his work. Macpherson's book is an important read for anybody trying to learn more about Social Credit, but it should not be read in isolation without reading some of the competing Social Credit scholarship.
However, he fails to establish why the Social Credit Party found so much success in Calgary and Medicine Hat for example. Their urban performance demonstrates that clearly, their appeal reached beyond smallholders. This is a potential hole in the theory that Bell exploits in his work. Macpherson's book is an important read for anybody trying to learn more about Social Credit, but it should not be read in isolation without reading some of the competing Social Credit scholarship.
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April 23, 2020Why Albertans hate Torontonians.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews