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History Russia & The Former Soviet Union

1945

The Year That Made Modern Canada

by (author) Ken Cuthbertson

Publisher
HarperCollins
Initial publish date
Oct 2021
Category
Russia & the Former Soviet Union, Post-Confederation (1867-), Human Geography
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781443459365
    Publish Date
    Oct 2020
    List Price
    $11.99
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781443459341
    Publish Date
    Oct 2020
    List Price
    $34.99
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781443459358
    Publish Date
    Oct 2021
    List Price
    $22.99

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Description

It was a watershed year for Canada and the world. 1945 set Canada on a bold course into the future. A huge sense of relief marked the end of hostilities. Yet there was also fear and uncertainty about the perilous new world that was unfolding in the wake of the American decision to use the atomic bomb to bring the war in the Pacific to a dramatic halt.

On the eve of WWII, the Dominion of Canada was a sleepy backwater still struggling to escape the despair of the Great Depression. But the war changed everything. After six long years of conflict, sacrifice and soul-searching, the country emerged onto the world stage as a modern, confident and truly independent nation no longer under the colonial sway of Great Britain.

Ken Cuthbertson has written a highly readable narrative that commemorates the seventy-fifth anniversary of the end of WWII and chronicles the events and personalities of a critical year that reshaped Canada. 1945: The Year That Made Modern Canada showcases the stories of people—some celebrated, some ordinary—who left their mark on the nation and helped create the Canada of today.

The author profiles an eclectic group of Canadians, including eccentric prime minister Mackenzie King, iconic hockey superstar Rocket Richard, business tycoon E. P. Taylor, Soviet defector Igor Gouzenko, the bandits of the Polka Dot Gang, crusading MP Agnes Macphail, and authors Gabrielle Roy and Hugh MacLennan, among many others. The book also covers topics like the Halifax riots, war brides, the birth of Canada’s beloved social safety net, and the remarkable events that sparked the Cold War. 1945 is the unforgettable story of our nation at the moment of its modern birth.

About the author

KEN CUTHBERTSON is a veteran journalist with more than thirty years’ experience writing for newspapers and magazines in Canada, the US and the UK. His family origins are deeply rooted in Nova Scotia, the home of his maternal ancestors, who settled there in the early 18th century. He is the author of four books, including Inside: The Biography of John Gunther (shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Non-fiction) and A Complex Fate: William L. Shirer and the American Century. Ken Cuthbertson lives in Kingston, Ontario, with his family.

Ken Cuthbertson's profile page

Editorial Reviews

"A fascinating read." — Toronto Star

"...informative and highly readable... Cuthbertson has an eye for this kind of detail." — Winnipeg Free Press