|
1929 Crash | Economic Slowdown
| Bennett in Power |
The Ottawa Conference |
Prairie Drought |
Relief |
The Regina Riots |
Alberta & Bible Bill
| Statute of Westminster
| Woodworth & the CCF |
The Union Nationale |
Relief Camps |
Bennett's Conversion |
King's Return |
European Unrest |
Royal Visit
William Aberhart grew up in Alberta
pursuing two things. The first was striving to be the
best teacher he could be and this had lead him into a
position as principal in one of the largest High Schools
in Calgary. The second objective was to bring the word
of god to the people and over the years he had built up
a ministry which used the radio to spread the word.
He had created the
Prophetic Bible Institute and by the early 30's his
weekly broadcasts, drew slightly more listeners the Jack
Benny show, which followed his. Radio had become the
internet of it's day and almost none of his listeners
had meet him personally but they had come to know him
form his sermons and pictures in the newspapers.
The Depression
stimulated a return to faith as people searched for
answers to the terrible plight which had fallen on the
country. As the economic conditions sunk lower and
lower, people were also willing to consider other
options in he realm of political parties. Capitalism was
looking like it was failing and the old rules and
principles of economics were being discarded. In Quebec
the Union Nationale had pushed the Conservative Party
off of the political stage and taken power. The rise of
the left was obvious everywhere and in Alberta people
were open to something new.
In 1932 William
Aberhart read a work by Major C.H. Douglas regarding
Social Credit. The basis of Douglas's economic thesis
was that a slow down in the economy was the result of
not enough currency circulating. Aberhart adopted this
theory and upon reviewing the situation in Alberta felt
that there was a surplus of food, resources, produced
goods, housing and any other basic requirement. What was
lacking was a manner to exchange the items and with
barter a system of the past, for a large developed
economy, the lack of paper money, gold, coins, currency
in general was slowing down the economy. What was needed
was a way of introducing currency or script back into
the system which would get people spending again,
hiring, producing more and hence stimulate the economy.
William Aberhart felt
that the solution would be for Alberta to take control
of it's own monetary system and get money flowing again
and hence stimulate the economy. He proposed that every
person in Alberta, man, women or child, should get $25 a
month and if the Federal Government could not or would
not help in this plan then Alberta should issue it's own
form of script and go it alone.
Aberhart had a first believed he could
promote these ideas on his radio show and through his
congregation but quickly realized that he would have to
take direct political action himself. He made an attempt
to convince the United Farmers of Alberta, the party in
power in Alberta, to adopt his "social credit" policy
but they refused. He hen decided to form and support a
Social Credit Party which would run against the U.F.A.
in an upcoming Provincial election. This proved to be
good timed due to the fact that the both the U.F.A.
Premier John Brownlee and his Finance Minister had both
been involved in scandals concerning mistresses and
divorce.
Aberhart railed against the sin and corruption of the
government and promised each Albertan their $25 a month
to get things going again. on August 22, 1935 the
electorate went to the polls in massive numbers and
voted Social Credit, giving hem 56 of 63 seats in the
Province. Aberhart did not run in the election ran and
was elected in a by-election shortly thereafter, taking
his seat and the office of Premier of Alberta.
Aberhart immediately began to execute all
of his plans and theories but once Alberta began to
print and distribute their own money or script, the
courts intervened and ruled that monetary powers did not
lay with the Provincial governments and that Alberta
could not print it's own money. Although the theories of
Social Credit failed to materialize as a working set of
rules, Aberhart proved to be a popular Premier and the
Depression had ending by the time another election
was called. He died in 1943 and Earnest Manning became
the new Social Credit Premier of Alberta. The Social
Credit movement spread to British Columbia and the part
stayed in power in both provinces for several decades.
(BC until the 1990's and Alberta the 1970's)
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