Dynasties and Interludes - by Lawrence Leduc & Judith I McKenzie & Jon H Pammett & André Turcotte Paperback

About the Book

A comprehensive and unique overview of elections and voting in Canada from Confederation to the recent spate of minority governments, this book examines changes in the composition of the electorate, as well as the technology and professionalization of election campaigns.

Book Synopsis

Dynasties and Interludes provides a comprehensive and unique overview of elections and voting in Canada from Confederation to the recent spate of minority governments. Its principal argument is that the Canadian political landscape has consisted of long periods of hegemony of a single party and/or leader (dynasties), punctuated by short, sharp disruptions brought about by the sudden rise of new parties, leaders, or social movements (interludes).

Changes in the composition of the electorate and in the technology and professionalization of election campaigns are also examined in this book, both to provide a better understanding of key turning points in Canadian history and a deeper interpretation of present-day electoral politics.

Review Quotes

"The book is full of sensible accounts of past elections and includes a treasure-trove of more than 100 figures and tables which are truly illuminating. Pack this for the campaign trail."

"The book is full of sensible accounts of past elections and includes a treasure-trove of more than 100 figures and tables which are truly illuminating. Pack this for the campaign trail."

About the Author

Lawrence LeDuc is a political science professor at the University of Toronto and is co-author (with Jon H. Pammett) of Absent Mandate: Political Choice in Canada.

Jon H. Pammett is a political science professor at Ottawa's Carleton University and is the co-editor of several studies of Canadian elections, including, most recently, The Canadian Federal Election of 2008.

Judith I. McKenzie is a political science associate professor at the University of Guelph and is the author of Environmental Politics in Canada: Managing the Commons into the 21st Century.

André Turcotte is an assistant professor in communication at Carleton University and was a contributor to The Canadian General Election of 2006.