The 1937 Social Credit backbenchers' revolt took place from March to June 1937 in Alberta, Canada. It was a rebellion against Premier William Aberhart by a group of backbench members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) from his Social Credit League. The dissidents were unhappy with Aberhart's failure to provide Albertans with C$25 monthly dividends through social credit as he had promised before his 1935 election. When the government's 1937 budget made no move to implement the dividends, many MLAs revolted openly and threatened to defeat the government in a confidence vote. The revolt took place in a period of turmoil for Aberhart and his government: besides the dissident backbenchers, half of the cabinet resigned or was fired over a period of less than a year. Aberhart also faced criticism for planning to attend the coronation of George VI at the province's expense and for stifling a recall attempt against him by the voters of his constituency. After a stormy debate in which the survival of the government was called into question, a compromise was reached whereby Aberhart's government relinquished considerable power to a committee of backbenchers. This committee, dominated by insurgents, recruited two British social credit experts to come to Alberta and advise on the implementation of social credit. Among the experts' first moves was to require a loyalty pledge from Social Credit MLAs. Almost all signed, thus ending the crisis.
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_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1272:
The first session of the Second Council of Lyon was held to discuss, among others, the pledge by Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos to end the Great Schism and reunite the Eastern church with the West. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Council_of_Lyon
1895:
Alexander Stepanovich Popov presented his radio receiver, refined as a lightning detector, to the Russian Physical and Chemical Society. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Stepanovich_Popov
1915:
World War I: The German submarine Unterseeboot 20 torpedoed and sank the ocean liner RMS Lusitania , killing 1,198 on board. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Lusitania
1920:
Polish–Soviet War: During the Kiev Offensive, Polish troops, with the help of a symbolic Ukrainian force, captured Kiev, only to be driven out by the Soviet Red Army counter-offensive a month later. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiev_Offensive_%281920%29
1960:
Cold War: Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev announced that his country was holding American pilot Francis Gary Powers, whose U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union six days earlier. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960_U-2_incident
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
deicide (n): 1. The killing of a god or goddess. 2. The killer of a god or goddess http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/deicide
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
The very essence of democracy is the absolute faith that while people must cooperate, the first function of democracy, its peculiar gift, is to develop each individual into everything that he might be. But I submit to you that when in each man the dream of personal greatness dies, democracy loses the real source of its future strength. --Edwin H. Land http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edwin_H._Land