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At the end of the nineteenth century, the socialist movement in Canada began a campaign to create national political organizations and to forge links with the working class, The strongest of these organizations was the Socialist Party of Canada (SPC), which elected several provincial deputies in the West after 1903, and won the affiliation of a number of unions, above all District 18 of the United Mine Workers of America. This article analyzes the socialist project in the coal mining regions of Alberta and British Columbia, 1900-20. Here, mining conditions provoked long and hard working-class struggles, such as the violent strike of non-union miners on Vancouver Island in 1912-4, or the general strike of miners in the Crow's Nest Pass in 1919. Socialist politics had the sympathy of the militants but more importantly, of the mass of electors in these regions. Contrary to the mythology of the frontier, the majority of working-class socialists comprised stable industrial communities. And the Marxist programme of the SPC offered an alternative to each of the great ethnic blocks in the coalfields: European immigrants on the one hand, and English-speaking workers on the other. Be that as it may, the socialists suffered a decisive defeat after 1914. The historical juncture of 1919 created new marching orders for the miners: towards the Communist Party, or the "reformist" socialism of the CCF.
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This article reviews the book, "Class, Culture and Community: A Biographical Study of Social Change in Mining," by Bill Williamson.
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The article reviews and comments on "CPR West: The Iron Road and the Building of a Nation," edited by Hugh A. Dempsey, "Essays in the Political Economy of Alberta," edited by David Leadbeater, and ""The Canadian Prairies: A History," by Gerald Friesen.
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This article reviews the book, "Small Worlds: Provinces and Parties in Canadian Political Life," by David J. Blkins & Richard Simeon. This article reviews the book, "Society and Politics in Alberta: Research Papers," by Carlo Caldarola.
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This article reviews the book, "Prairie Capitalism: Power and Influence in the New West," by John Richards and Larry Pratt.
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In and around the site of the town of Minto lie New Brunswick's only major coal deposits. From the Laurier period to World War II the district experienced a process of industrial development, accompanied by the emergence of a working-class community, dominated at the time of World War I by immigrant mine labour, later, by native-born workers drawn into the industry from the surrounding rural areas. Like colliers in Nova Scotia or the western regions, Minto's workers sought relief from the worst abuses of industrial-capitalist development through trade union organization. This met with fierce resistance from the employers, resulting in major coal strikes in 1920, 1926, 1934, and 1937-38. In Minto, however, a specifically political response, easily observable in other coal-mining regions was largely lacking. Radicalism in particular was weak, the political activity of Minto's workers being mainly confined to attempts to influence the policies and practices of the existing authorities. The paper attempts an explanation of the particular characteristics of Minto's working-class movement through reference to the interaction of local factors of culture and structure, and the evolution of the complex relationships between labour, business, and the state.
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This article reviews the book, "The Nottingham Labour Movement 1880-1939," by Peter Wyncoll.
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This article reviews the book, "Duplessis and the Union Nationale Administration," by Richard Jones.
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This article reviews the book, "Life, Work, and Rebellion in the Coal Fields: The Southern West Virginia Miners, 1880-1922," by David Alan Corbin.
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- Journal Article (9)