A Short History of Canada

Many Americans know little about the history of their northern neighbour (for example, how many of you knew that Newfoundland was a British protectorate until 1949?). This volume shows how Canadian history transpired from the nineteenth century to the turn of the twenty-first century. The author examines economic, political, and social events, as well as foreign policy--he presents a Canadian perspective on the U.S. Civil War, World War I, World War II, and the Cold War. Morton goes into detail about Canadian elections down to the breakdown of seats by party in Parliament, and the author shows how many of the social trends in America in the latter half of the 20th century also took place in Canada. Those who wish to get a basic understanding of Canadian history would do well to read Desmond Morton's informative history.

A Short History Of Canada is an excellent choice for one who wishes to gain knowledge of both Anglo and Franco Canadian history. It's extremely interesting for Americans, as it juxtaposes American and Canadian History, showing how each country dealt with major world events. The author is also extremely witty, and adds in just the right amount of humor so that the book does not sound like a textbook. If you are an American, the sentence structure will seem odd. However, you get use to it by the third or forth chapter. Overall, the book is a great introduction to Canadian History. I would highly recommend it.

Morton achieves very well what he sets out to do - to write a short history for someone with only a small commitment to the subject, a reader looking for the once-over lightly in order to grasp the major moments and recognize the greatest actors. Over 70 per cent of the book concerns events after 1867. There are no footnotes or bibliography. He doesn't implicate any fellow historians in the foreword. He is writing it from the perspective of the students he has encountered in the large urban universities he has worked in. Morton's style is breezy and witty. He refers to Louis St. Laurent as being "used only one more time" in the 1957 federal election, as if he were a piece of old furniture, which is figuratively not far off the mark. Regarding John Diefenbaker's opposition to arming Canadian missiles with nuclear warheads in 1962, claiming they were just as effective without them, Morton observes that "only the innocent and the resolutely unmilitary could believe him. In Canada, such people were numerous." I found one error of fact in my edition: the GST was "awkwardly in place" by January 1, 1991, not in 1990 as stated in the 3rd revised edition (1997). Overall, A Short History of Canada will give readers many good reasons to want to explore the dynamic story of our country in more depth when they have more time.