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ABSTRACT
Prior to the Quiet Revolution Quebec's ethnic minorities, for historical reasons, largely lived in social isolation from the Francophone majority and used English as their primary language. To a large extent this made them observers rather than participants in the Quiet Revolution, although there were some prominent exceptions. Because of this they did not fully understand the significance of the Quiet Revolution and were not psychologically prepared for the language legislation of the 1970s, which radically altered their situation. Although many left Quebec, most stayed and have adapted reasonably well to the more egalitarian and more integrated Quebec of today.
The role of Quebec's minorities (Anglo-Protestants, Irish Catholics, Italians, Jews and others) in the Quiet Revolution can only be understood when it is recalled that prior to 1960 these minorities lived in a world, or worlds, of their own that was relatively little influenced by Francophone Quebec society or by the Quebec state. This was somewhat less true of those minorities that lived in rural areas and of those who shared the Catholic faith of the Francophone majority, but even they lived in a state of relative isolation that seems bizarre by modern standards. This situation, which the Quiet Revolution largely ended, can be traced back to five closely related factors that were of central importance to the development of Quebec:
* The British tradition of indirect rule dating back to the Quebec Act of 1774.
* The superior economic status of the Protestants, and to some extent also of the Jews.
* The consociational regime that largely governed relations among Quebec's ethno-cultural groups.
* The lack of proficiency in the French language among most minorities.
* The fact that the Quebec state intervened to only a limited extent in matters that fell under provincial jurisdiction elsewhere in Canada, such as education and social services, in effect delegating its jurisdiction to the Catholic Church and to private initiative.
Although it may be assumed that most minorities who voted in 1960, particularly in urban areas, voted for the Liberals, they certainly did not do so in anticipation that major changes in Quebec society were imminent, nor would they have anticipated that even if they had expected the Liberals to win, which very few...