The Prairie Populist - by J F Conway (Paperback)

About the Book

"George Hara Williams was the most successful of the early leaders of the CCF in Saskatchewan. But his role in the party was undermined by Tommy Douglas and M.J. Coldwell, and now he is largely forgotten. The populist who mobilized farmers of the province to support a socialist platform, Williams was one of five MLAs elected in the 1934 election, becoming Leader of the Opposition. He firmly supported socialists participating in the struggle against fascism, including military action, a position not held by everyone in the party. While Williams was serving overseas, a campaign to replace him as leader, led by Coldwell and Douglas, was successful. Until now, the full story of Williams's role in building the CCF and bringing it to the threshold of power, and his defeat as leader, has never been told."--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

The story of a socialist who led a populist movement of farmers in Saskatchewan, and went on to form the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation

George Hara Williams was the most successful of the early leaders of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) in Saskatchewan. But his role in the party was undermined by Tommy Douglas and M. J. Coldwell, and now he is almost forgotten.

The populist who mobilized farmers of the province to support a socialist platform, he was one of five MLAs elected in the 1934 election, becoming Leader of the Opposition. He firmly supported socialists participating in the struggle against fascism, including military action, a position not held by everyone in the party. While Williams was serving overseas, a campaign to replace him as leader, led by Coldwell and Douglas, was successful.

The full story of Williams' role in building the CCF and bringing it to the threshold of power, and the party machinations leading to his defeat as leader, has until now, been never fully documented.

Review Quotes

"Why did a socialist party emerge in Saskatchewan, and how did it become so deeply entrenched in an overwhelmingly agricultural province? Why did Saskatchewan become Canada's CCF province?.... In this important book, Conway argues... that the CCF in Saskatchewan at its heart was a rural phenomenon. Its radicalism was rural; it was the farmers who turned to democratic socialism. And, John Conway shows that George Hara Williams was at the centre of what occurred." --Labour / Le Travail

About the Author

J.F. Conway is a professor of sociology at the University of Regina. Over the years he has published extensively on agrarian populism and the emergence of the CCF in Saskatchewan and the Social Credit movement in Alberta. He lives in Regina, Saskatchewan.