The rise of agrarian democracy

"The Rise of Agrarian Democracy is a work detailing one of the greatest agrarian and mass democratic movements in North American history. It describes the events leading to the formation of the United Farmers of Alberta in 1909 and explores the UFA's development over the next decade as farmers built a distinct 'movement culture, ' organized a large membership, and established the Untied Farm Women of Alberta. A path is laid from the farmers' inherited ideas and common experience, gender assumptions, class opposition, and agrarian ideals to a collective sense of responsibility, co-operation, and confidence. We follow the growth of a grassroots movement whose astonishing political success culminated in the election of the United Farmers of Alberta in 1921 and in their governing the province for over a decade." "More than an institutional study, this book examines an elemental period in Canadian democracy within the cultural, social, and community context at the core of the movement's inception. It contributes significantly to our understanding of the evolution and politicization of the Alberta farmers' movement and as such is an important investigation in western and agrarian history and economics." "This work is of interest of those studying co-operative movements worldwide. Brad Rennie provides insight into both reform movement and gender history in Canada."--Jacket.