The League for Social Reconstruction

Intellectual Origins of the Democratic Left in Canada, 1930-1942

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Politics, History & Theory, International
Cover of the book The League for Social Reconstruction by Michiel Horn, University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Michiel Horn ISBN: 9781487590253
Publisher: University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division Publication: December 15, 1980
Imprint: Language: English
Author: Michiel Horn
ISBN: 9781487590253
Publisher: University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division
Publication: December 15, 1980
Imprint:
Language: English

In 1931-2 the first organization of Canadian left-wing intellectuals was founded. Led by historian Frank Undergill of the University of Toronto and law professor and poet Frank Scott of McGill University, the League for Social Reconstruction was critical of industrial capitalism and called for basic social and economic change through educational activity and parliamentary and constitutional channels. In the first history of this unique organization Michiel Horn outlines the League's aims and accomplishments and its ideological influence on the CCF and the NDP.

Initially, the LSR avoided the term 'socialism' and remained uncommitted to any political part, although its choice of J.S. Woodsworth as honorary president made its sympathies clear. When, not long after the LSR's establishment, the CCF was founded, many League members joined it. An attempt to link the LSR openly with the CCF failed, but the League soon became known as the CCF's 'brain trust,' and the manifesto and programme adopted by the party in 1933 clearly reflected the influence of the LSR members. The League's own democratic socialist ideas were most fully stated in Social Planning for Canada (1935), Democracy Needs Socialism (1938), and in the pages of the Canadian Forum, acquired by the LSR in 1936.

With the disillusionment of the later 1930s, the distraction of the war, and, most of all, the increased support enjoyed by the CCF after 1940, the LSR disappeared as a formal organization, but its ideas shaped a political tradition which found expression in the CCF and later the NDP.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In 1931-2 the first organization of Canadian left-wing intellectuals was founded. Led by historian Frank Undergill of the University of Toronto and law professor and poet Frank Scott of McGill University, the League for Social Reconstruction was critical of industrial capitalism and called for basic social and economic change through educational activity and parliamentary and constitutional channels. In the first history of this unique organization Michiel Horn outlines the League's aims and accomplishments and its ideological influence on the CCF and the NDP.

Initially, the LSR avoided the term 'socialism' and remained uncommitted to any political part, although its choice of J.S. Woodsworth as honorary president made its sympathies clear. When, not long after the LSR's establishment, the CCF was founded, many League members joined it. An attempt to link the LSR openly with the CCF failed, but the League soon became known as the CCF's 'brain trust,' and the manifesto and programme adopted by the party in 1933 clearly reflected the influence of the LSR members. The League's own democratic socialist ideas were most fully stated in Social Planning for Canada (1935), Democracy Needs Socialism (1938), and in the pages of the Canadian Forum, acquired by the LSR in 1936.

With the disillusionment of the later 1930s, the distraction of the war, and, most of all, the increased support enjoyed by the CCF after 1940, the LSR disappeared as a formal organization, but its ideas shaped a political tradition which found expression in the CCF and later the NDP.

More books from University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division

Cover of the book Interviews With Northrop Frye by Michiel Horn
Cover of the book Residential Water Demand by Michiel Horn
Cover of the book Musical Canada by Michiel Horn
Cover of the book In the Midst of Alarms by Michiel Horn
Cover of the book Tennyson's Language by Michiel Horn
Cover of the book Renaissance Comedy by Michiel Horn
Cover of the book Indigenous Methodologies by Michiel Horn
Cover of the book Recovering Canada by Michiel Horn
Cover of the book Race on Trial by Michiel Horn
Cover of the book The Law Society of Upper Canada and Ontario's Lawyers, 1797-1997 by Michiel Horn
Cover of the book Sonnets of Louise Labé by Michiel Horn
Cover of the book Essays on Eddic Poetry by Michiel Horn
Cover of the book The Political History of Newfoundland, 1832-1864 by Michiel Horn
Cover of the book Jews and Magic in Medici Florence by Michiel Horn
Cover of the book Creating Legal Worlds by Michiel Horn
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy