This study examines the emergence and evolution of the United Farmers and Farm Women of Alberta (UFA/UFWA) through three stages: the “movement forming,” the “movement building,” and the “movement policizing.” It argues that the UFA/UFWA developed a “movement culture” of two ideologies and several core elements that helped push farmers through those stages. The core elements, products of farmers' inherited ideas and their class and movement experience, included a belief in education; feelings of community; a sense of class opposition; gender assumptions; commitment to organization, co-operation, and democracy; a social ethic; religious convictions; a sense of citizenship responsibility; agrarian ideals; and collective self-respect and self-confidence.
In the movement forming stage, which spanned the three decades to 1909, farmers questioned the status quo and acquired a nascent movement culture which prompted them to create several farm associations. Organizational rivalry led to the final act of “movement forming”—the formation of the UFA. In the second stage, the “movement building” stage, the organization gained a substantial membership base, established a women's section, built its culture, and moved toward independent political action. In the third stage, the “movement politicizing,” farmers committed themselves to direct politics, were confirmed in this decision by their interpretation of events, created political structures, and entered the 1921 elections.
This dissertation shows how agrarian education, co-operative enterprise, community relations, and a non-wheat economy were crucial to this movement development. It also sees the post-war UFA/UFWA social and political philosophy, including group government, as an expression of the movement culture. / Graduate
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uvic.ca/oai:dspace.library.uvic.ca:1828/8704 |
| Date | 19 October 2017 |
| Creators | Rennie, Bradford James |
| Contributors | MacPherson, Ian |
| Source Sets | University of Victoria |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | Available to the World Wide Web |
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