[lbo-talk] Why Richard Hofstadter Is Still Worth Reading but Notfor the Reasons the Critics Have in Mind

[Michael Hoover]

On 10/11/06, Marvin Gandall <marvgandall at videotron.ca> wrote:
> Canadian history provides a good example of how populism is a contradictory
> phenomenon which "can go either way".
> The forerunner of Canada's social-democratic party was the CCF - for
> Cooperative Commonwealth Federation.
> Elected in Saskatchewan
> The growth of CCF, however, was also paralleled by the rise of Social
> Credit, a competing right-wing populist movement based largely on the same
> rural constituency in neighbouring Alberta
<<<<<>>>>>

re. ccf, inquiring lboster minds who have not yet done so will, no
doubt, want to rush out and read seymour martin lipset's very first
book _agrarian socialism_ (basis of which was his doctoral
dissertation, at columbia, i think)...

re. social credit, those same curious minds - along with numerous
others - are surely thirsting for c. b. macpherson's initial book
_democracy in alberta_ as well...

lawrence goodwyn's book _democratic promise_ is good read and
important contribution to late 19th century u.s. populism but it
suffers from romanticism characterizing a good bit of late New Left
historiography, extrapolating from a specific texas case study he
overstates positive features, robert mcmath's _american populism_ is
more 'balanced' treatment
of movement's complexities and contradictions...

as for some of the contradictions, gerald gaither's _blacks and the
populist revolt_  presents detailed critique of notion that southern
populism represented bi-racial coalition...
mh