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History General

A Prophet in Politics

A Biography of J.S. Woodsworth

by (author) Kenneth McNaught

introduction by Allen Mills

Publisher
University of Toronto Press
Initial publish date
May 2017
Category
General, Political
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781487522346
    Publish Date
    May 2017
    List Price
    $43.95
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9780802084279
    Publish Date
    Dec 2001
    List Price
    $49.95
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9780802035554
    Publish Date
    Dec 2001
    List Price
    $86.00
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781487516888
    Publish Date
    Jun 2017
    List Price
    $33.95

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Description

In this elegant and rigorously researched work, Kenneth McNaught details the life, work, and principles of J.S Woodsworth and shows the powerful moral and political force that the pacifist, Methodist thinker exerted on Canadian politics.

Woodsworth first went to the House of Commons in 1922, and became leader of the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation at its formation in 1933. A socialist to the end, he exhibited his anti-war convictions to Parliament, when, in 1939, he alone spoke out against joining the war in Europe. Woodsworth's ideas and strong social conscience helped to shape the development of the welfare state in Canada, and have left an intellectual legacy in both socialist and liberal circles.

A Prophet in Politics marks the progress of socialism in Canada, as well as the economic and political conditions in the first half of the twentieth century. McNaught, who died in 1997, is himself an important figure in Canadian history, having fought as a professor of history for academic freedom and having brought the scholarly discussion of national politics into the public sphere. At the time of its original publication, Globe and Mail reviewers called it 'a definitive biography that in drama and organization ranks with the best books about the makers of Canada.' This edition, presented in the 'Reprints in Canadian History' series, includes a new introduction by Allen Mills.

About the authors

The late Kenneth McNaught finished his career as a professor of history at the University of Toronto. He was appointed an Officer in the Order of Canada in 1997.

Kenneth McNaught's profile page

Allen Mills is a graduate of Western University and has taught Political Science at the University of Winnipeg since 1971. He has observed Manitoba politics since the by-election in Wolseley constituency in 1972. He is the recent author of Citizen Trudeau; An Intellectual Biography, 1944-1965.

Allen Mills' profile page