Suchergebnisse

During the mid-1960s, the governments of the United States and Canada each declared "war" on poverty. The former venture has received far greater scholarly attention, and for obvious reasons: its high-profile inception, the broader spirit of Great Society liberalism that it embodied, the profound crisis of American society and politics within which it soon became embroiled, the rapidity with which its prescriptions and hopes were extinguished. By comparison, the Canadian War on Poverty seems an unimportant venture, and one that lacks the stuff of which drama is made. It has, accordingly, been neglected by scholars on both sides of the 49th parallel.

Compares the respective "wars" on poverty declared by the US (the New Frontier-Great Society) & the Canadian government (Canadian liberalism) during the mid-1960s, & discusses the roles of federalism & public sensibilities concerning welfare. The effect of US policy, publicized by media coverage, on the Canadian movement is given particular attention. It is argued that the policies of both countries were driven largely by factors other than poverty -- in the US, by racial strife, changing party alignments, & the increasing power of the federal government; & in Canada, by the effects of minority government, reactions to policy in the US, & the upheaval in Quebec. 1 Table. W. Mills