Democracy in Alberta: Social Credit and the Party System

Democracy in Alberta was the first book by the hugely influential political scientist C.B. Macpherson (1911-1987). In this study, Macpherson examines the distinctive quasi-party political system that emerged in Alberta in the first half of the twentieth century, represented by the United Farmers of Alberta and Social Credit governments and the movements behind them. The author presents the UFA and Social Credit, which grew independently of federal politics, as having produced a new species of democratic governance in Canada and he develops an innovative theory of the party system in the context of national politics at the time he wrote the book in 1953.

In addition to offering an original analysis of the party system and Alberta’s political structures and institutions, Democracy in Alberta presents a fascinating micro-history of the social and economic characteristics of Alberta. An introduction by Nelson Wiseman contextualizes the original publication and discusses the unique characteristics of Alberta politics still evident to this day.