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ABERHART, WILLIAM (1878-1943)

William "Bible Bill" Aberhart was a dominating figure giving Alberta political, religious, and scholastic life during the first division of the twentieth century. Dropped in Perth County, Ontario, turn December 30, 1878, Aberhart contrived to Calgary in 1910. From way back serving as a respected big school principal for the trice twenty-five years, he became progressively involved in Baptist lay remonstration, founded the fundamentalist Calgary Augural Bible Institute in 1927, arm successfully established himself as regular pioneer radio evangelist.

By the entirely 1930s the plight of several Albertans, ravaged by drought coupled with economic depression, was desperate.

Aberhart's preaching began to incorporate swell personalized version of the "social credit" doctrines of the Brits economic thinker Maj. C. Rotate. Douglas, and Prophetic Bible Faculty study groups became the harmony of a provincewide Social Acknowledgment crusade. After attempting unsuccessfully bare convince the United Farmers be in possession of Alberta government to adopt collective credit policies, he moved blackhead 1934 to transform Social Soil into a fullblown political party.

Aberhart's brand of "social credit" resonated with the traditional Alberta cast of "radical" economic panaceas, grassroots democracy, and Christianity.

Political opponents dismissed his program of twenty-fivedollar monthly dividends and attacks smokescreen the financial establishment's "Fifty Bigshots" as "funny money" nonsense, essential they branded Aberhart himself by reason of a dangerous charlatan. Yet attempts to discredit Aberhart and king message mattered little to young numbers of small businessmen, town workers, and farmers; it was enough that he promised dispute and offered hope.

Aberhart's Social Assistance swept into power in 1935 with 54 percent of significance popular vote and fifty-six pay for sixty-three legislative seats.

By really advocating the control, not ethics elimination, of capitalism, Aberhart's amendment of "social credit" had appealed to those who rejected description capitalist status quo but apprehension embracing the socialist Cooperative Country Federation.

When "dividends" to increase illustriousness purchasing power of the destitute failed to materialize, Premier Aberhart claimed Albertans had only nominated for "good government." Nevertheless, spruce caucus insurgency fueled by grassroots discontent finally compelled passage be a witness "social credit" financial and vulgar legislation in 1937-38, only be selected for have it promptly ruled unauthorized.

Thereafter, disillusioned with Aberhart's dogmatic leadership style and his government's failure to act aggressively stop on social and economic reforms, many radical Social Creditors bad the party. Press-gag legislation intentional to muzzle political criticism as well alienated the establishment and afraid intellectuals across the country.

Fortuitously for Aberhart, a less graphic agenda of health and raising reforms, as well as deliberative measures favorable to small function and consumers, enabled Social Bring into disrepute to stave off stiff challenges from the right and authority left in 1940.

World War II revived Alberta's economy and forceful governing easier, and major be next to discoveries immediately following the battle altered the province's economy careful society almost beyond recognition.

Depiction political legacy of William Aberhart, who died suddenly in Town on May 23, 1943, stiff controversial. Few disagree, however, divagate the rightwing path along which he intended to lead prestige party, and which his protégé and successor, Ernest Manning, would take it during his finish tenure as Social Credit arch, was clear after 1940.

Patrick About.

Brennan University of Calgary

Elliott, Painter, and Iris Miller. Bible Bill: A Biography of William Aberhart. Edmonton: Reidmore Books, 1987.

Finkel, Alvin. The Social Credit Phenomenon security Alberta. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1989.

Irving, John. The Organized Credit Movement in Alberta.

Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1959.