The Hand of God: Claude Ryan and the Fate of Canadian Liberalism, 1925-1971 (Carleton Library Series) (Volume 243)

A magisterial biography of a major Canadian and Quebec public intellectual. A magisterial biography of a major Canadian and Quebec public intellectual. This Is The First Comprehensive Biography Of Claude Ryan Based Upon His Published Writings And Personal Papers. Set Against A Background Of Intense Religious And Cultural Change And Tensions Over The Meanings Of Nationalism And Federalism In Both Quebec And Canada, This Book Traces The Emergence Of Ryan's Vocation As A Public Intellectual, In Which A Merging Of Catholic Religious Fervour And New Currents Of Social Analysis Enabled Him To Escape His Roots In The Poverty-stricken Neighbourhoods Of Depression-era Montreal. This Book Reveals The Ways In Which This Enabled Ryan To Speak To A Postwar Generation Of Committed Young Quebecers, Thus Assuring His Surprising Ascension To The Position Of One Of The Most Influential Voices In Canadian Liberalism And Federalism In The 1960s. In Rich Detail, This Biography Presents The Development Of Ryan's Ideas On Religion, Politics, And Society, Which Marked Him As Both As A Major Figure Seeking The Transformation Of Roman Catholicism In The 1950s And 1960s, And A Key Canadian Exponent Of A Current Of Liberalism At Odds With That Espoused By Pierre Elliott Trudeau. Through Analysis Of Ryan's Personal And Intellectual Dealings With Both Trudeau And René Lévesque, This Book Will Contribute To A Significant Rethinking Of The Relationship Between Liberalism, Nationalism, And Federalism. It Contains Compelling New Material On The Breakdown Of Social And Cultural Consensus In Quebec In The Late 1960s, And Provides A Strikingly New Interpretation Of The Motives Of The Key Players In The October Crisis Of 1970-- The New Christendom : A Poor Knight's Quest, 1925-1945 -- The Bishops' Man : Forging A Nation Of Youth And Taming Catholic Action, 1945-1951 -- I Must See Rome Also, 1951-1952 -- Diagnosing French Canada's Spiritual Schizophrenia : The Travails Of A Catholic Intellectual In Late Christendom, 1952-1958 -- Are We Pagans? : Diagnosing French Canada's Spiritual Crisis, 1958-1962 -- Deus Quod Operatus In Claudio Ryan : Springtime In Church And State, 1962-1964 -- The Dawn Of A New Political Spring : Biculturalism And The Spirit Of Federalism -- Between Christendom And The New Gods : The Search For A Stable Society, 1964-1966 -- We Choose The Canadian Hypothesis : Defining The Ethics Of Federalism, 1964 -- There Have Always Been Some Bridge-men : Navigating The Shoals Of Federalism And Nationalism, 1964-1967 -- Anger Rumbles Over The City : The Unravelling Of The Quiet Revolution, 1967-1969 -- This Bewildering Ambivalence : The Dissolution Of French Canada, 1967-1969 -- The Prophetic Charisma Of The Christian Journalist : Disclosing The Meanings Of The October Crisis. Michael Gauvreau. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Issued Also In Electronic Format. Set against a background of intense religious and cultural change and tensions over the meanings of nationalism and federalism in both Quebec and Canada, Michael Gauvreau's The Hand of God traces the emergence of Claude Ryan as a public intellectual. This is the first comprehensive biography of Ryan based on his personal papers and extensive writings as a social commentator, editorialist, and director of the newspaper Le Devoir. At a time of Catholic religious fervour and new currents of social analysis, Ryan spoke for a postwar generation of young Quebecers, assuring his surprising ascension as one of the most influential voices in Canadian liberalism and federalism in the 1960s. In rich detail, Gauvreau describes Ryan's ideas on religion, politics, and society, which assured his importance both as a major figure seeking the transformation of Roman Catholicism in the 1950s and 1960s and as an advocate of a type of liberalism that was often at odds with Pierre Elliott Trudeau's. He presents compelling new material on the breakdown of social and cultural consensus, a detailed analysis of Ryan's personal and intellectual dealings with both Trudeau and René Lévesque, and a strikingly new interpretation of the motives of the key players in the October Crisis of 1970. A significant rethinking of the relationship between liberalism, nationalism, and federalism in Quebec in the twentieth century, The Hand of God uses biography as a lens to explore and shed new light on questions central to postwar Quebec and Canadian cultural, political, and intellectual history. Cover Copyright Contents Acknowledgments Abbreviations Illustrations Introduction: Becoming a Public Intellectual in Postwar Quebec 1 The New Christendom: A Poor Knight's Quest, 1925–1945 2 The Bishops' Man: Forging a Nation of Youth and Taming Action catholique, 1945–1951 3 "I Must See Rome Also," 1951–1952 4 Diagnosing French Canada's "Spiritual Schizophrenia": The Travails of a Catholic Intellectual in "Late Christendom," 1952–1958 5 "Are We Pagans?": Coping with French Canada's Religious Crisis, 1958–1962 6 "Deus Quod Operatus in Claudio Ryan": Springtime in Church and State, 1962–1964 7 "The Dawn of a New Political Spring": Biculturalism and the New Spirit of Federalism 8 Between Christendom and the "New Gods": The Search for a Stable Society, 1964–1966 9 "We Choose the Canadian Hypothesis": Defining the Ethics of Federalism, 1964 10 "There Have Always Been Some Bridge-men": Navigating the Shoals of Federalism and Nationalism, 1964–1967 11 "Anger Rumbles over the City": The Unravelling of the Quiet Revolution, 1967–1969 12 "This Bewildering Ambivalence": The Dissolution of French Canada, 1967–1969 13 "The Prophetic Charisma of the Christian Journalist": Disclosing the Meanings of the October Crisis Epilogue Notes Index