Citizen Trudeau : an intellectual biography, 1944-1965 / Allen Mills.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mills, Allen George, 1945- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Trudeau, Pierre Elliott--Philosophy.

Trudeau, Pierre Elliott.

Trudeau, Pierre Elliott--Political and social views.

Trudeau, Pierre Elliott--Knowledge and learning.

Prime ministers--Canada--Biography.

Prime ministers.

Intellectual life.

Political and social views.

Philosophy.

Canada.

Prime ministers--Canada--Intellectual life.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

482 pages, 2 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Don Mills, Ontario, Canada : Oxford University Press, [2016]

Summary:

Pierre Elliott Trudeau, in many respects the creator of modern Canada, was a man of deep intellect, strongly held philosophy, and bold-if not occasionally audacious-personality. As a young man, he sought education far and wide, meditating about the tangled problems of the postwar world. In fact, as this beautifully written intellectual biography reveals, Trudeau's political ideas emerged from much thoughtful reflection on his part before he entered federal politics in 1965. In this fascinating new biography, Allen Mills paints a colourful, multilayered portrait of a complex man. Arguing that Trudeau understood clear, careful thought to be a prelude to pragmatic, morally informed action, Mills explores how Trudeau's political roadmap became established in the years before Trudeau engaged with the business of governing Canada. Looking at a range of sources, from Trudeau's private papers to his articles in the political journal Cite Libre, Mills maps out the evolution of Trudeau's thinking in a variety of areas. Far more than a simple chronology, Mills's biography examines the big themes-including Quebec and French Canada, religion, the state and economics, international affairs, federalism and the constitution, and party politics. Mills's biography shows us that understanding Trudeau the thinker is key to understanding Trudeau the politician. Readers-whether supporters or critics of the man and his policies-will undoubtedly gain a deeper appreciation for Trudeau as a cool political thinker whose belief in the power and relevance of human ingenuity and agency is as inspiring today as it was in his time. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 A Portrait of the Activist as a Young Man 9

2 Trudeau Agonistes 26

3 Mounier, Maritain, and Laski: Getting an Education 58

4 Trudeau's Profound Moralism: The Matter of Quebec 115

5 Church and State 175

6 Socialism and Economics 207

7 Trudeau Abroad 247

8 Federalism and Nationalism 320

9 To the Liberal Station: Trudeau's Surprising Terminus 381

10 Afterword 430.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 442-472) and index.

ISBN:

9780199005963

0199005966

OCLC:

925399384

Online:

Contributor biographical information

Publisher description