Metropolitan Thesis in Canadian History
- Metropolitan Thesis in Canadian History
The Metropolitan Thesis, also known as the Laurentian thesis, is one of the dominant schools in Canadian historical thought. The basic argument of the school states that the driving force in Canadian History has been the nation's metropolitan areas. These originally included Paris, London (after 1763), and finally Montreal and Toronto in the modern era.
Intellectual Origins
The roots of the metropolitan thesis are found in the writing of Harold Innis, one of Canada's most respected historians. Innis' The Fur Trade in Canada [Innis, Harold (1927). "The Fur Trade in Canada." Toronto: University of Toronto Press.] , as well as his work on the Canadian Pacific Railway [Innis, Harold (1923). "A History of the Canadian Pacific Railway." Toronto: McClelland and Stewart] , put forward the idea that geography, commerce, and resource-exploitation were the driving forces of Canadian history. The urban centres of Montreal and Toronto provided the impetus for the growth and formation of the Canadian nation.
After Innis, Donald Creighton in his The Empire of the St. Lawrence [Creighton, Donald (1956). "The Empire of the St. Lawrence." Toronto: Macmillan.] argued that the massive waterway of the St. Lawrence River and its connections across the continent "became the basis of an extensive communication system around which Canada itself took shape." [Careless, J. M. S (March 1964) "Frontierism, Metropolitanism, and Canadian History" The Canadian Historical Review 35 No 1 pp. 14] The common trend in the historical roots of the metropolitan thesis is its opposition to the Frontier Thesis put forth by Frederick Jackson Turner to explain the forces behind American History.
The Metropolitan Thesis
The first articulation of the metropolitan thesis occurred in 1954, with an article in the Canadian Historical Review by historian J. M. S. Careless entitled "Frontierism, Metropolitanism, and Canadian History". Careless argues that the developing eastern centres of commerce and industry controlled and oversaw the development of the Canadian nation. The metropolitan school studied "the effects of the East on the West, and largely regarded businessmen and conservative urban political elements as agents of national expansion who might well be more far-sighted in their outlook than were their agrarian opponents." [Careless, J. M. S (March 1964) "Frontierism, Metropolitanism, and Canadian History" The Canadian Historical Review 35 No 1 pp. 16]
References
Wikimedia Foundation.
2010.
Look at other dictionaries:
Metropolitan thesis — The metropolitan thesis, also known as the Laurentian thesis, is one of the dominant schools in Canadian historical thought. The basic argument of the school states that the driving force in Canadian history has been the nation s metropolitan… … Wikipedia
History of Venezuela — Infobox Country native name = República Bolivariana de Venezuela conventional long name = Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela common name = Venezuela official languages = Spanish demonym = Venezuelan capital = Caracas latd=10 |latm=30 |latNS=N… … Wikipedia
History of brassieres — The history of the bra is inextricably intertwined with the social history of the status of women, including the evolution of fashion and changing views of the body.At various times since recorded history women have used a variety of garments and … Wikipedia
Frontier — This article is about the political and geographic term. For other uses, see Frontier (disambiguation). A restored pioneer house at the National Ranching Heritage Center in Lubbock, Texas. A frontier is a political and geographical term referring … Wikipedia
Harold Innis — Infobox Person name = Harold Innis caption = Harold Innis in the 1920s birth date = November 5, 1894 birth place = Otterville, Ontario death date = November 8, 1952 (aged 58) death place = Toronto, Ontario other names = known for = The Fur Trade… … Wikipedia
London, Ontario — London City City of London Downtown London skyline … Wikipedia
Geschichte Kanadas — Die Geschichte Kanadas reicht mehr als zwölf Jahrtausende zurück.[1] Um diese Zeit boten sich den frühen menschlichen Bewohnern des heutigen Kanadas durch das Ende der letzten Eiszeit günstigere Lebensmöglichkeiten.[2] Dabei entwickelten sich in… … Deutsch Wikipedia
First Nations — This article is about the indigenous peoples of Canada. For other indigenous peoples, see Indigenous peoples by geographic regions. First Nations … Wikipedia
Harold Innis and the fur trade — Harold Adams Innis (November 5, 1894 ndash; November 8, 1952) was a professor of political economy at the University of Toronto and the author of seminal works on Canadian economic history and on media and communication theory. He helped develop… … Wikipedia
List of Canada-related articles — Articles (arranged alphabetically) related to Canada include: 0 9 * 51st state A * A few acres of snow * Aboriginal peoples in Canada * Abortion in Canada * Acadia * Access copyright * Act Against Slavery (1793) * Act of Union (1840) * Aulneau,… … Wikipedia
