Figure 1.--This is Jen Claude Carrière he is doing his chores on a family farm in Québec. The photograph was taken by Omer Baudoin in 1961 as part of a project with the Quebec Film Board. Jean-Claude, le fils de M. et Mme Jérôme Carrière, fait boire un veau à la chaudière. Boucherville. /i>

Much of the population of Québec was rural. Gradually the population of Québec became increasingly urban in the 20th century following trends in the rest of Canada and the United States. The rural population was very Catholic and socially very conservative. This changed significantly in the 1960s. A Canadian reader writes, "I beginning in my childhood had many experiences in rural Québec. I lived in Montreal, but weoften traveled into thecountryside to visit family and friends. My wife who lived in Beauce south of Québec grew up on a farm. After 1960, there was something like "a quiet revolution" in rural Québec which significantly changed social attitudes. Good or not? For some, living in the 1940s and 50s was a kind of dark age. After 40 years, I think what I refer to as the Americanization of Québec leads to the [?adverse prediction]. Instead of being Canadians, people became more oriented toward independance like a lot of other countries in the world. It is a big debate in Canada still now. Those who made the quiet revolution in the 1960s are not so anxious to blame Church Institutions. I think Québec became a success story without bloody wars and guerilla like in South America, But many think that we sold our soul to devil when we became part of the wider North American consumer society."

Created: January 4, 2003
Last updated: January 4, 2003