The Enduring Riddle of Mackenzie King
A giant of Canadian history. A hapless bachelor who practically worshipped his mother. A racist and anti-Semite typical of his generation. A devoted occultist. An astoundingly effective Liberal Party leader. The Enduring Riddle of Mackenzie King explores the character, thoughts, and actions of Canada’s longest-serving prime minister.
In his lifetime, Canadians often dismissed William Lyon Mackenzie King as a meritless interloper, yet numerous scholars have since ranked him as the best prime minister ever. Patrice Dutil leads a who’s who of political historians to discuss why King deserves that estimation – or why not. Many particularly admire King’s management of the Canadian war effort. At the same time, he has been condemned for racist immigration policies, the incarceration of Japanese-Canadians, and his indifference toward Indigenous peoples. King often headed minority governments and was sometimes personally defeated in elections. Yet his political accomplishments are unmatched: he presided over the nation during the expansionist 1920s and part of the Depression, kept Canada whole during the Second World War, and established the welfare state.
This fresh, full assessment forms a new take on how King may – or may not – be the greatest of all Canadian prime ministers.
The Enduring Riddle of Mackenzie King unwraps an enigma for scholars, students, and general readers interested in political history, Canadian history, and the history of the Second World War.
King, an abundantly flawed individual, has long been a controversial figure. Revealing hitherto largely unexamined layers of a complex man, this eclectic collection offers a refreshingly balanced perspective that is neither an apologia nor a condemnation of the man.
With superb contributions from leading political, social, and cultural historians of Canada, The Enduring Riddle of Mackenzie King provides compelling new evidence of King’s historical importance, synthesizing existing research while contributing fresh insights based on original primary research, most notably King’s rich private diary. A truly impressive achievement.
Patrice Dutil is a professor in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at Toronto Metropolitan University, a senior fellow of the Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International History at the University of Toronto, and a senior fellow of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute. He is the author of Prime Ministerial Power in Canada: Its Origins under Macdonald, Laurier, and Borden and Devil’s Advocate: Godfroy Langlois and the Politics of Liberal Progressivism in Laurier’s Quebec. Among his many edited books are Statesmen, Strategists and Diplomats: Canada’s Prime Ministers and the Making of Foreign Policy and The Unexpected Louis St-Laurent: Politics and Policies for a Modern Canada.
Contributors: Pierre Anctil, Stephen Azzi, Raymond B. Blake, Robert Bothwell, Mark Bourrie, Colin Campbell, Christopher Dummitt, John English, David L.A. Gordon, J.L. Granatstein, Norman Hillmer, Allan Levine, John MacFarlane, David MacKenzie, J.R. Miller, Arthur Milnes, Kirk Niergarth, Anton Wagner.
Mike’s World
Lester B. Pearson and Canadian External Affairs
Edited by Asa McKercher and Galen Roger Perras
