Quebec in the 1930s and the rise of the Parti national

Patrice Dutil discusses the politics of the Liberal Party and Maurice Duplessis’s Union Nationale in Quebec in the 1930s with Alexandre Dumas, the author of Les quatre mousquetaires de Québec, published by Septentrion. The conversation focuses on four politicians (René Chaloult, Oscar Drouin, Ernest Grégoire and Philippe Hamel) as they join forces with Conservative Party leader Maurice Duplessis to form the Union Nationale Party and win the elections of 1936. All four men quickly fall out of favour, however, prompting them to launch a rival party in 1937. The discussion examines the politics of these men, bringing to light the conservative progressivism of their ideas. It also situates them in the evolution of political thought in Quebec during the 20th century. This podcast was produced by Jessica Schmidt. This podcast is also available in a French version on Témoin d’hier.

If you like our work, please consider supporting it: https://bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.