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Smallwood: The Unlikely Revolutionary
The extraordinary life of Joey Smallwood is the stuff of fiction – literally: Wayne Johnston’s acclaimed novel, The Colony of Unrequited Dreams, draws heavily on this definitive biography. And no wonder! Set against a colourful background in stirring times it has, as its hero, a character whose career defied both convention and the odds.
Smallwood’s childhood was hard. His work experience was chequered, at best, but included stints as a contributor to socialist newspapers in New York and London. He was self-taught, and possessed the enthusiasm and wrong-headedness of the autodidact. As Gwyn shows, however, Smallwood possessed ambition of a rare order and utterly unconquerable self-confidence.
These qualities combined with unerring political instinct enabled Smallwood to drag a reluctant Newfoundland into union with Canada, and subsequently to impose his will over compliant colleagues and a vestigial opposition until he governed his island province with the near-absolute power of a despot. Like a despot, too, he countenanced corruption on a scale rarely equalled in Canada. His fall, no less than his rise to power, contains elements of pathos, farce, and pure, farfetched wonderfulness.
Richard Gwyn interviewed Smallwood extensively and enjoyed his subject’s full co-operation. But this is in no sense an authorized biography. It is a balanced, informed, and deeply considered life of a unique political figure.
Smallwood’s childhood was hard. His work experience was chequered, at best, but included stints as a contributor to socialist newspapers in New York and London. He was self-taught, and possessed the enthusiasm and wrong-headedness of the autodidact. As Gwyn shows, however, Smallwood possessed ambition of a rare order and utterly unconquerable self-confidence.
These qualities combined with unerring political instinct enabled Smallwood to drag a reluctant Newfoundland into union with Canada, and subsequently to impose his will over compliant colleagues and a vestigial opposition until he governed his island province with the near-absolute power of a despot. Like a despot, too, he countenanced corruption on a scale rarely equalled in Canada. His fall, no less than his rise to power, contains elements of pathos, farce, and pure, farfetched wonderfulness.
Richard Gwyn interviewed Smallwood extensively and enjoyed his subject’s full co-operation. But this is in no sense an authorized biography. It is a balanced, informed, and deeply considered life of a unique political figure.
480 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1972
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About the author
Richard Gwyn
28 books12 followersfrom Wikipedia: Richard John Philip Jermy Gwyn, OC (born May 26, 1934) is a Canadian civil servant, journalist and author.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 25, 2019
Five on the scale used for Canadian journalists.
Books on Canadian politics are seldom as good as “Smallwood: The Unlikely Revolutionary”. It must be recognized however that it is based solely on the Gwyn's interviews. On pages x-xii of his introductory author’s note, author Richard Gwyn explains his book “Smallwood: The Unlikely Revolutionary” has no bibliography because he needed neither secondary works nor archival sources having had unlimited access to Joey Smallwood as well as to closest collaborators notably Jack Pickersgill and Robert Winters who both held cabinet positions in governments of Louis St. Laurent and Lester Pearson. Limited as they may have been his sources were unquestionably of the highest quality. Being a leading parliamentary journalist in Canada, Gwyn certainly understood the context that Smallwood worked in. He produced a fine book without using any of the tools of the academic historian.
While clearly an admirer of Smallwood, Gwyn does not appear the falsify the record. He describes a great deal of political and financial chicanery on the part of his subject without calling it such. He simply insists that Smallwood was committed body and soul to promoting the prosperity of Newfoundland.
Gwyn describes Smallwood as coming from the lowest tier of Newfoundland’s middle classes. He grew up in near poverty and was resisted by the old Newfoundland establishment throughout his career. Smallwood came to political prominence in 1946 because Great Britain had suppressed Newfoundland’s democratic institutions in 1934 in order to rule the colony by an appointed commission. During the commission years, the members of the leading families of Newfoundland fell out of the practice of politics. Smallwood shot to prominence in 1946 when the British began the process of divesting itself of its colony because he had energy at a time when those with connections were in a state of profound lethargy.
Smallwood took up the cause of Confederation (i.e. union with Canada) while his adversaries in Newfoundland’s merchant elite proposed “Responsible” government (i.e. Newfoundland would return to its pre-1934 state as a British Colony with its own parliament). Smallwood’s opponents were thus ignoring the fact that Great Britain was trying to push Newfoundland over to Canada. Smallwood’s biggest challenge was to drum up interest in Ottawa for taking Newfoundland off Britain’s hands. Smallwood eventually did get the support he needed from Ottawa. At all stages it was clear however that Smallwood was the driving force.
Gwyn does a very solid job of describing the major projects that Smallwood undertook as premier of Newfoundland after the colony entered Canada. Gwyn provides excellent accounts of the development of iron mining the Labrador City area, the building of the Churchill Falls Hydroelectrical facility, and the construction of the Come-by-Chance oil refinery.
Gwyn makes it clear that Smallwood’s top priority was to create a diversified economy in Newfoundland which prior to entering Canada had relied solely on fishing. While believing that the key to Newfoundland’s future was in developing industry, Smallwood worked diligently to re-organize Newfoundland’s fisheries and to close the remote outports (i.e. small fishing villages) that lacked the critical mass to support viable fish processing facilities.
Gwyn also does an excellent job to show how Smallwood developed a network of civil servants and Liberal cabinet ministers that helped him to obtain for Newfoundland, the maximum share of spending on all federal programs. Finally, Gwyn explains how Smallwood acted as a significant power broker within the federal Liberal party.
“Smallwood: The Unlikely Revolutionary” is a highly partisan book extolling the virtues of Joey Smallwood and Canadian Liberalism. Nonetheless, it comes from a very knowledgeable observer who ultimately tells the full truth.
Books on Canadian politics are seldom as good as “Smallwood: The Unlikely Revolutionary”. It must be recognized however that it is based solely on the Gwyn's interviews. On pages x-xii of his introductory author’s note, author Richard Gwyn explains his book “Smallwood: The Unlikely Revolutionary” has no bibliography because he needed neither secondary works nor archival sources having had unlimited access to Joey Smallwood as well as to closest collaborators notably Jack Pickersgill and Robert Winters who both held cabinet positions in governments of Louis St. Laurent and Lester Pearson. Limited as they may have been his sources were unquestionably of the highest quality. Being a leading parliamentary journalist in Canada, Gwyn certainly understood the context that Smallwood worked in. He produced a fine book without using any of the tools of the academic historian.
While clearly an admirer of Smallwood, Gwyn does not appear the falsify the record. He describes a great deal of political and financial chicanery on the part of his subject without calling it such. He simply insists that Smallwood was committed body and soul to promoting the prosperity of Newfoundland.
Gwyn describes Smallwood as coming from the lowest tier of Newfoundland’s middle classes. He grew up in near poverty and was resisted by the old Newfoundland establishment throughout his career. Smallwood came to political prominence in 1946 because Great Britain had suppressed Newfoundland’s democratic institutions in 1934 in order to rule the colony by an appointed commission. During the commission years, the members of the leading families of Newfoundland fell out of the practice of politics. Smallwood shot to prominence in 1946 when the British began the process of divesting itself of its colony because he had energy at a time when those with connections were in a state of profound lethargy.
Smallwood took up the cause of Confederation (i.e. union with Canada) while his adversaries in Newfoundland’s merchant elite proposed “Responsible” government (i.e. Newfoundland would return to its pre-1934 state as a British Colony with its own parliament). Smallwood’s opponents were thus ignoring the fact that Great Britain was trying to push Newfoundland over to Canada. Smallwood’s biggest challenge was to drum up interest in Ottawa for taking Newfoundland off Britain’s hands. Smallwood eventually did get the support he needed from Ottawa. At all stages it was clear however that Smallwood was the driving force.
Gwyn does a very solid job of describing the major projects that Smallwood undertook as premier of Newfoundland after the colony entered Canada. Gwyn provides excellent accounts of the development of iron mining the Labrador City area, the building of the Churchill Falls Hydroelectrical facility, and the construction of the Come-by-Chance oil refinery.
Gwyn makes it clear that Smallwood’s top priority was to create a diversified economy in Newfoundland which prior to entering Canada had relied solely on fishing. While believing that the key to Newfoundland’s future was in developing industry, Smallwood worked diligently to re-organize Newfoundland’s fisheries and to close the remote outports (i.e. small fishing villages) that lacked the critical mass to support viable fish processing facilities.
Gwyn also does an excellent job to show how Smallwood developed a network of civil servants and Liberal cabinet ministers that helped him to obtain for Newfoundland, the maximum share of spending on all federal programs. Finally, Gwyn explains how Smallwood acted as a significant power broker within the federal Liberal party.
“Smallwood: The Unlikely Revolutionary” is a highly partisan book extolling the virtues of Joey Smallwood and Canadian Liberalism. Nonetheless, it comes from a very knowledgeable observer who ultimately tells the full truth.
January 18, 2018
Engagingly written, but a book in which the conclusions bear almost no relation to the evidence presented. In fact, this is one of two books I have read in which I began in sympathy with the author's thesis - in this case, that Joey Smallwood was a "great" man and transformational leader - and through weakness of argumentation left convinced of the opposite.
Academic impartiality and the broad scope of an undergraduate survey course in Newfoundland history had left me with the lingering impression of a capable but flawed leader overflowing with ideas - most of which were poorly-conceived. Given book length treatment, however, Smallwood's career appears as one of almost continuous corruption and failure.
Gwyn's sympathy for his subject appears to stem from a couple of sources. First, having interviewed the man, Gwyn appears to have become personally affected by Smallwood's geniality and charm. This had two primary effects: 1) he demonstrates a willingness to look the other way on his subject's flagrant corruption, and 2) he buys into Smallwood's self-aggrandizing assertions at having been solely responsible for bringing Newfoundland into Canada. Gwyn, who manifests throughout a vague condescension towards Newfoundlanders, therefore submitted to the hero worship of the one he believed enabled the colony's Confederation.
The problem is that with the benefit of hindsight Smallwood's "achievements" appear to have been either open failures, or owing to the work of others. Confederation is the obvious cornerstone of his legacy, and - in fairness - is partially deserved. But the reality is that despite its being something of an obvious good thing and despite the ineptitude of the opposition, the vote was only barely won. Even then, F. Gordon Bradley deserves a great deal of credit as well, but was denied it by the Smallwood political machine.
Meanwhile, even by Gwyn's own admission, almost all of the improvements in standards of living during the Smallwood years were owing to Federal government programs. If there was credit owing to a Newfoundland politician, it was Pickersgill, who lobbied for Newfoundland as a recipient of such programs. Even then, we know now that Newfoundland continued to badly lag the rest of the country by virtually every economic metric until the discovery of offshore oil. Churchill Falls, whose construction had only just begun at the time of Gwyn's writing, looked in 1968 like a grand achievement for Smallwood. Today, thanks to bungled contract negotiations made to ensure the dam was built at all so as to cement it for Smallwood's legacy, Churchill Falls looks like a gigantic, expensive blunder.
Nor was this the only expensive failed effort at modernization. Smallwood, a socialist by disposition, gave tens of millions of dollars (hundreds in 2018 dollars) to start a large number of government-run industries, all of which, without exception, went bankrupt. The mastermind behind the program, Valdmanis, Smallwood's economic development chief, turned out to be not much more than a guy on the street (Smallwood ran no background checks), and was later revealed to be accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks.
And the corruption. Oh, the corruption. I've never encountered anything like it, except maybe among some third world dictators. There were so many incidents that I lost track of them all. Several of Smallwood's closest associates were arrested for a variety of graft-related offences. Smallwood himself, assured of a provincial victory, openly blackmailed individual ridings into voting for his preferred candidate, lest he cut off all services and aid. Buyers for bankrupt government projects were found with funds given from the government. Newspapers were offered government money to fire journalists critical of the government. The list goes on.
Gwyn deserves credit for presenting all of this information, even that which contradicts his conclusions. Coupled with a readable, journalistic style, this impartial presentation ensures that his biography still makes for an interesting and enlightening examination of the dominant figure in Newfoundland history. Just don't be surprised if on more than one occasion you find yourself wanting to throw the book across the room, disillusioned and angry with Smallwood's actions.
3/5 stars
Academic impartiality and the broad scope of an undergraduate survey course in Newfoundland history had left me with the lingering impression of a capable but flawed leader overflowing with ideas - most of which were poorly-conceived. Given book length treatment, however, Smallwood's career appears as one of almost continuous corruption and failure.
Gwyn's sympathy for his subject appears to stem from a couple of sources. First, having interviewed the man, Gwyn appears to have become personally affected by Smallwood's geniality and charm. This had two primary effects: 1) he demonstrates a willingness to look the other way on his subject's flagrant corruption, and 2) he buys into Smallwood's self-aggrandizing assertions at having been solely responsible for bringing Newfoundland into Canada. Gwyn, who manifests throughout a vague condescension towards Newfoundlanders, therefore submitted to the hero worship of the one he believed enabled the colony's Confederation.
The problem is that with the benefit of hindsight Smallwood's "achievements" appear to have been either open failures, or owing to the work of others. Confederation is the obvious cornerstone of his legacy, and - in fairness - is partially deserved. But the reality is that despite its being something of an obvious good thing and despite the ineptitude of the opposition, the vote was only barely won. Even then, F. Gordon Bradley deserves a great deal of credit as well, but was denied it by the Smallwood political machine.
Meanwhile, even by Gwyn's own admission, almost all of the improvements in standards of living during the Smallwood years were owing to Federal government programs. If there was credit owing to a Newfoundland politician, it was Pickersgill, who lobbied for Newfoundland as a recipient of such programs. Even then, we know now that Newfoundland continued to badly lag the rest of the country by virtually every economic metric until the discovery of offshore oil. Churchill Falls, whose construction had only just begun at the time of Gwyn's writing, looked in 1968 like a grand achievement for Smallwood. Today, thanks to bungled contract negotiations made to ensure the dam was built at all so as to cement it for Smallwood's legacy, Churchill Falls looks like a gigantic, expensive blunder.
Nor was this the only expensive failed effort at modernization. Smallwood, a socialist by disposition, gave tens of millions of dollars (hundreds in 2018 dollars) to start a large number of government-run industries, all of which, without exception, went bankrupt. The mastermind behind the program, Valdmanis, Smallwood's economic development chief, turned out to be not much more than a guy on the street (Smallwood ran no background checks), and was later revealed to be accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks.
And the corruption. Oh, the corruption. I've never encountered anything like it, except maybe among some third world dictators. There were so many incidents that I lost track of them all. Several of Smallwood's closest associates were arrested for a variety of graft-related offences. Smallwood himself, assured of a provincial victory, openly blackmailed individual ridings into voting for his preferred candidate, lest he cut off all services and aid. Buyers for bankrupt government projects were found with funds given from the government. Newspapers were offered government money to fire journalists critical of the government. The list goes on.
Gwyn deserves credit for presenting all of this information, even that which contradicts his conclusions. Coupled with a readable, journalistic style, this impartial presentation ensures that his biography still makes for an interesting and enlightening examination of the dominant figure in Newfoundland history. Just don't be surprised if on more than one occasion you find yourself wanting to throw the book across the room, disillusioned and angry with Smallwood's actions.
3/5 stars
July 19, 2024
A true Canadian
I was a bit surprised how much I enjoyed this. It was a freebie from Audible Plus, and time was running out, so I thought I’d listen. Joey Smallwood is known as Canada’s Father of Confederation and this book is full of all the details that brought our country together. It was a long listen - he had a long career in office! - so I did tune out a bit at times, but I was not bored. He was quite the character and got into all sorts of political quagmires. It wraps up pretty fast after he leaves office though. Well written.
I was a bit surprised how much I enjoyed this. It was a freebie from Audible Plus, and time was running out, so I thought I’d listen. Joey Smallwood is known as Canada’s Father of Confederation and this book is full of all the details that brought our country together. It was a long listen - he had a long career in office! - so I did tune out a bit at times, but I was not bored. He was quite the character and got into all sorts of political quagmires. It wraps up pretty fast after he leaves office though. Well written.
November 27, 2018
A very interesting man and a story that I really knew nothing about.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews