The Impact Of The Quiet Revolution

To call this era of drastic change the ‘Quiet Revolution’ is a vivid, and yet, paradoxical description. The Quiet Revolution was a time of intense socio-political and socio-cultural change in Quebec, which extended beyond Quebec’s borders because of its influence on contemporary Canadian politics. As a result of the effects of the changes that occurred during this Quiet Revolution, most Quebec provincial governments since the early 1960s have maintained political and social orientations based on the core concepts developed and implemented during the Quiet Revolution. As such, there is no doubt that the Quiet Revolution had a significant impact in Canadian History. This impact can be characterized by the prelude to the Quiet Revolution; the demographic evolution of Quebec; the social educational reforms that were put in place; the economic reforms and their impact; the rise of nationalism; and finally, the cultural changes that occurred.
The image most often associated with Quebec’s French-Canadian people during the 1940s and 50s was that of a church-ridden, agricultural society outside of the mainstream urban-industrial way of life. The period before the Quiet Revolution was called the ‘Duplessisme’. Under the era of Maurice Duplessis, the premier of Quebec and leader of the Union Nationale; Quebec was characterized by traditionalism, conservatism, and a general rejection of contemporary ways (Belanger). Consequently, the province had fallen behind and lived through ‘les