Quebec general election, 1960 - Definition and Overview

The Quebec general election on June 22, 1960 was one of the most significant elections in Quebec history, rivaled perhaps only by the 1976 general election. The incumbent Union Nationale under Antonio Barrette was defeated by the Quebec Liberal Party under Jean Lesage.

The 1960 election set the stage for the Quiet Revolution, a major social transformation of all aspects of Quebec society throughout the 1960s. Among many other changes the influence and power of the Catholic church fell sharply as Quebec became a secular society.

This election put an end to 16 years of continuous Union Nationale rule, much of it under Maurice Duplessis. Duplessis had died not long before however, and his successor Paul Sauvé also died suddenly after only a few months in office. The Union Nationale was thus perhaps in slight disarray under their third leader (Antonio Barrette) in less than a year. After the sweeping transformations of the Quiet Revolution, the Duplessis period was sometimes derisively referred to as La Grande Noirceur (the Great Darkness). This characterization usually gives all credit to the liberals and tends to neglect the work started by Paul Sauvé in a rather stunning hundred days of change.

• Election results

See also

• List of Quebec premiers
• Politics of Quebec
• Timeline of Quebec history

External link

• CBC TV video clip (http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-73-651-3569/politics_economy/quebec_elections/clip1)