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1500
First Occupants
They had close ties with nature and lived in harmony with it. Their concept of a collective world was represented by the circle of life, a cyclical version of life and the universe in which all components are interdependent. They place great importance on dreams that they consider a privileged means of communication with the spirits. With an absence of the written word, the use oral tradition to pass on myths and stories. Elders were highly respected for their knowledge and experience. -
1500
Animism
Animism is the religious belief that objects, places and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence. All natives believed that everything held it's own spirit. All individuals, living or not living were treated with respect. -
Period: 1500 to
Culture and Currents of Thought
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Absolutism - King Louis the 14th
The Divine Rights of Kings: The political regime in France was an absolute monarchy granted by divine will; the power of the King (King Louis the 14th) was total. He involved himself in every aspect of life. He thought he was more powerful than God himself. Everything he said went and no one could contradict him. The King oversees cultural events and he exercises control over the church. -
Religion in New France
Like I said earlier, the Church (clergy) infiltrated every aspect of life. The clergy was everywhere in New France: Priests working as missionaries to convert the Natives. Nuns worked in hospitals and in schools. Children were taught about religion and enforced to believe in the Catholic religion. The Church gathered taxes from the people called the tithe. And because of the Influence of the Catholic church most of the people were extremely religious, it was CENTRAL to their lives. -
The Canadian Culture
The Canadian culture was distinct from that of France. This new culture was characterized by the need to adapt to the natural environment and showed sign of Amerindian influence. The Canadians began to travel like the Amerindians and they began to grow vegetables like squash, corn, and beans. Even Canadian education was filled with Amerindian ways of doing things. Cultural facts were passed on orally. There was story telling, legends like the Bewitched Canoe. -
Catholicism
The Catholic church withheld huge power and influence over the society in New France. Catholicism is the influence of Catholic beliefs on a culture. Everyone had to do what the Church demanded or you were excommunicated. The Church infiltrated all aspects of life including health care, education, and social issues. The Church used it influences to suppress multiple forms of artistic expression that didn't comply with rules, standards, or laws of the Church. The church reprimanded dancing,comedy. -
Liberalism under the British Rule (part. 2)
The newspapers in the Province of Québec echoed liberal ideas. Support for political and economic liberalism also grew. The Liberal Ideology proposed democratic solutions. For example Individual freedoms and equality for all the private ownership of property. Then Loyalists and British settlers wanted a Legislative Assembly where citizens can elect their own representative. The creation of a Legislative Assembly marked the beginning of Parlimenarism. -
Liberalism under the British Rule (part.1)
This movement publicly supports or recommends an individual to have freedoms as well and business freedoms. As well as limitations to the governments' role in a society, were his power is less present and where individuals have more rights and freedoms.
Today Canada is a liberal country. Liberal ideas were expressed through newspapers at the time, for example, the Montréal Gazette. The reflection of liberal ideas was also in architecture. -
The Québec Mercury
The Quebec Mercury was a newspaper that represented the ideas that the British representatives wanted. It spoke for the English-Canadian mechants. It promoted the joining of Upper Canada and Lower Canada in order to make the French Canadians a minority as well as the elimination of French civil law. It essentially promoted British values and the English language. -
Ultramontanism under the British rule
The Church infiltrates every aspect of life. The Pope is in charge. Ultramontanists are those who favor the power of the Church and the Pope. They are extremely religious an obey the Churchs' expectations. Advocating for absolute obedience to the Catholic religion. Church seeks to increase and extend its influence in all spheres of life. Social, political, cultural, etc... Ultramontanism affrimed the primacy of spiritual power of the Chruch over the state. -
Anticlericalism Under the British Rule
Anticlericalism is opposed to Ultramontanism. Advocating for the separation of church and state. The removal of the Church in every aspect of life including social, political and cultural. People who were for Anticlericalism were against the power of the Catholic Church. It encourages, the Church to only be in charge of Church affairs and that is all. The separation of the Church and State. Anticlerical ideas were expressed in the newspaper. -
Imperialism under the British Rule
Imperialists are loyal to the mother country. Anyone who believes in imperialism swears allegiance to the mother country. It is when the mother country rules other colonies. it is when a strong nation takes over the weaker nation(s) and dominates it's economic, political and cultural life. The loyalists were imperialists. Imperialist ideas influenced architecture and parliamentary political organization. -
Capitalism during the Contemporary period
Capitalism is when an individual has the ability and the freedom to start his or her own company without the government getting in the way. It is when production, distribution, and exchange of wealth is controlled by private companies more so than the state. It is an economic system and an ideology based on private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. The diffusion of capitalist ideas was through private property like offices and homes, and the press. -
The Cercles Des Fermières du Québec
The Cercles Des Fermières du Québec was a community group which consisted of French Canadian farmers. It permitted rural women to exchange ideas and to obtain technical knowledge using the magazine La Bonne Fermière. -
English Canadian Nationalism
Torn between their attachment to Canada and their loyalty towards Great Britain. These Canadians wanted to develop these differences and affirm their identity as English Canadians, Protestant, and with British institutions and a culture of British nature. They supported Britain but wanted Canada to operate independently. -
Agriculturalism
The Québec clergy tried to ward off the negative effects of industrialization (poverty in the cities, emigration to the United States, etc). Agriculturalism promoted rural life and the traditional agricultural way of life. With Agriculturalism comes: better health because of the fresh country air, no fixed schedules and community life of rural parishes. French Canadians were persuaded to settle in undeveloped regions of Québec. -
French Canadian Nationalism (FCN)
After the Seven Years' War, French Canadians saw themselves as a nation distinct from the rest of the British Colony. They had strong ties to their language, religion, customs, and institutions. As the British and the Americans began to settle in Canada, they felt the need to claim political powers to maintain their culture and identity. French Canadians did not want to support Britain and they wanted to protect only French interests. FCN was spread through newspapers (Le Devoir). -
Feminism
Women were forced to marry at a young age and have many children. They had little education (if they were rich they had a tutor), they usually did the worst jobs, and they were paid less than men. Women demanded the right to vote, equal pay, and the right to the same education as men. WWI opened things up for women. While the men were off at war, women worked in the factories and served as nurses in the army. When the war came to an end, women received the right to vote in the federal election. -
Socialism
Socialism opposed Capitalism. It is a political and economic theory of social organization that advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole. There are no private companies and no one gets to make their own money. -
Laicism
Laicism is a more developed version of anticlericalism, which was introduced during the British rule. Laicism is the belief in the separation of Church and State, meaning that the Church should take no part in the government. Artists and intellectuals denounced the control that the Church exercised over society in the Refus Global in 1948.
For centuries, the Church played a major role in people's lives. The Church controlled education, charities, orphanages, hospitals, etc. -
Americanism
Canadian culture was, and still is, largely influenced by the United States. American culture spread to Canada through television, movies, and the radio. Dances like the charleston and jazz music also originated from America. This displeased the Catholic Church, which tried to spread its own traditionalist ideas through songs and through the media to counter American influences. -
Socialism, Communism and the Cooperatism
Questions capitalism and its principals. These ideologies proposed replacing private property and individualism with collective property and equality for all. With the hostility of the Church and the government, communism and socialism didn't really last. But because these two ideologies were publicly debated, the government was forced to get involved and limit the negatives effects of capitalism. -
Fascism
The idea that a dictator (single person) should control the entire country. They normally rule through the use of propaganda/force. This was adopted in Spain and Italy, but brought to an extreme in Germany by the Nazi’s lead by Adolf Hitler. -
Neoliberalism
Supporting the removal of the state in various spheres of society.
Active opposition to socialist groups wanting to maintain intervention of the state. Neoliberalists support the lack of government. Anyone who is in favor of the government is against neoliberalism. -
Introduction to birth control
The birth control pill was introduced: women are now in control of when they want to get pregnant, so they were free of accidental pregnancies. They could work and get some money instead of staying home pregnant. -
Aboriginalism
The Aboriginal people began demanding their rights as a nation and the recognition of aboriginal identity. Native people fight to maintain their original culture and identity. Aboriginalism encompasses recognition of the distinctiveness of the First Nations people and the attainment of more autonomy (the right or condition of self-government) , especially with education. -
Oka crisis
A golf course wanted to expand onto Aboriginal land, which upset the Mohawk nation. They were fighting for their rights and wanted the federal and provincial government to recognize their rights.