- Title:
- Red Tory: the political ideas and legislative legacy of R. B. Bennett.
- Creator:
- Peacock, Kurt
- Date Created:
- 1999
- Degree Awarded:
- Master of Arts
- Subjects:
- Bennett, R B (Richard Bedford), 1870-1947 Politics And Government 20th Century Progressive Conservative Party Of Canada History 20th Century Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Bank Of Canada History
- Geographical Focus:
- Canada
- Supporting Materials:
- n/a
- Description:
- This study explores the intellectual foundations and abiding political ideas of Prime Minister R.B. Bennett prior to his launching of the 1935 ‘New Deal’. It seeks to associate Bennett's political philosophy with a dynamic strand of Canada’s conservative tradition — popularly referred to as ‘Red Toryism’ —and thus provide a more complete and somewhat revisionist understanding of the motivations behind the Bennett administration. In researching this paper at the National Archives of Canada, extensive use was made of microfilmed copies of the R.B. Bennett papers, as well as the papers of Robert Borden, Arthur Meighen, Max Aitken (Lord Beaverbrook) and the diaries of William Lyon Mackenzie King. A number of Royal Commission transcripts, newspapers, and Hansard debates have also been consulted. This study begins by examining a number of conservative views of the state prior to Bennett’s term in office. It then chronicles Bennett’s early political career and his views on the proper role of the federal state prior to his election as prime minister. The study then examines three specific initiatives launched by the Bennett government: the introduction of significant tariff increases, the establishment of the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission, and the formation of the Bank of Canada. These initiatives suggest that Prime Minister Bennett was not afraid to use the power of the state in the defense of the national collective, despite the limitations placed on state action by the global recession. This study concludes that long before the 1935 ‘New Deal’ broadcasts, Bennett was prepared to, and often did, use the power of the state to intervene in matters of national importance, and that his own views on state activity reflected a Red Tory tradition found within the Conservative party, and were as politically legitimate as a response to the Depression as the ideas of a number of his major political contemporaries. While a great number of Bennett’s political contemporaries have received more sympathetic treatment from Canadian historians, the evidence presented in this study seeks to present a more balanced case, and paint a far more complex political portrait of R.B. Bennett than earlier historical investigations have suggested.
Source
- Preferred Citation:
- Peacock, Kurt. 1999. "Red Tory: the political ideas and legislative legacy of R. B. Bennett.", Department of History, Carleton University
- Link to this page:
- https://cuhistory.github.io/grads/items/hist_197.html
Rights
- Rights:
- Copyright the author, all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.