Canadian History for Dummies

Canadian History For Dummies, 2nd edition takes readers on a wild ride through Canadian history, from its first nations heritage right through to Paul Martin′s shaky minority government. Previous sections have been revised with up–to–the–minute scholarship, and a new chapter covers the eventful half–decade since the publication of the first edition. In his trademark irreverent style, Will Ferguson celebrates Canada′s double–gold in hockey at the 2002 Olympics, investigates Jean Chrétien′s decision not to participate in the war in Iraq, and dissects the sponsorship scandal.

INTRODUCTION. Introduction. PART I: WHEN WORLD′S COLLIDE. Chapter 1. First Nations. Chapter 2. First Contact. PART II: THE RISE OF NEW FRANCE (1608—1701). Chapter 3. The Early Years. Chapter 4. Life in New France. Chapter 5. The Fur Wars. PART III: THE FALL OF NEW FRANCE (1701—1766). Chapter 6. Acadia. Chapter 7. The Conquest. Chapter 8. Aftermath. PART IV: CANADA: THE FAILED REPUBLIC? (1766—1838). Chapter 9. Canada and the American Revolution. Chapter 10. The war of 1812. Chapter 11. The Rebellions of 1837. PART V: THE ROADS TO CONFEDERATION (1838—1891). Chapter 12. The Fight for Responsible Government. Chapter 13. The Confederation Waltz. Chapter 14. From Sea to Sea. PART VI: THE END OF"ENGLISH" CANADA (1891—1929). Chapter 15. "Suuny Ways": The Laurier Years. Chapter 16. Borden and the Great War. Chapter 17. On the Homefront. PART VII: DARK DAYS (1929—1959). Chapter 18. The Dirty Thirties. Chapter 19. World War II. Chapter 20. Canada and the Cold War. PART VIII: NOISY EVOLUTION (1960—1993). Chapter 21. The Battle for Québec. Chapter 22. A Charter Country. Chapter 23. "Yankee Doodle Dandy": The Mulroney Years. PART IX: TOWARD A ONY–PARTY RULE (1993—2005). Chapter 24. The Chrétien Era. Chapter 25. Junior Martin Takes Over. PART X: THE PART OF TENS. Chapter 26. Ten Great Canadian Quotations– Pre–and Post–Confederation. Chapter 27. Five Important English and French Pairs. Chapter 28. Ten Important Aboriginal Leaders. Chapter 29. Ten Political Firsts for Canadian Women. Chapter 30. The Ten Prime Minister You Need to Know. Appendix: Online Resources. Index.

Will Ferguson has lived and worked in every region of Canada, from the Okanagan Valley of BC to the farmlands of rural Quebec, from Saskatoon to southern Ontario, from Manitoba to PEI. He is the author of several bestselling books on Canadian history and culture, including the Leacock Medal for Humour–winning Beauty Tips from Moose Jaw (a travel memoir), and Bastards & Boneheads (a study in Canadian leadership styles). With his brother Ian, he wrote the wildly successful humour book How to Be a Canadian , which sold over 145,000 copies and won the Libris Award for Non–Fiction Book of the Year. Will′s debut novel Happiness (originally published under the title Generica ) won the Leacock Medal for Humour and the Canadian Authors Association Award for Fiction. It has been published in 31 countries and 24 languages around the world.