Joe Zuken, Citizen and Socialist.

Joe Zuken, Citizen and Socialist. Smith, Doug. Joe Zuken, Citizen and Socialist. Toronto: Lorimer,1990. Pp. vi, 276. Photographs. $19.95 (paper). Municipal politicians are rarely given the attention they merit;the arena does not seem important enough. The resurgence of politicalbiographies, which recently were passe pas��s��?adj.1. No longer current or in fashion; out-of-date.2. Past the prime; faded or aged.[French, past participle of passer, to pass, from Old French; see , is not likely to change thatsituation, although people like to read about their name politicians. Aleft-wing politician is even less likely to gain recognition from thetraditional parties or academics even if that politician had been on thepolitical scene for more than four decades as Joe Zuken had. Smith hasoffered a sympathetic and sensitive picture of his subject, who afterconstantly battering against the establishment and its machinery,including the media, remained "a confirmed Canadiansocialist." One will not find here any information on the internecine in��ter��nec��ine?adj.1. Of or relating to struggle within a nation, organization, or group.2. Mutually destructive; ruinous or fatal to both sides.3. Characterized by bloodshed or carnage. strife inthe Communist Party; it is almost as if Zuken was untouched by it oruninterested, which seems unlikely since his brother was as intimatelyinvolved as he was. This is hinted at by the author but little probingis done. Others, from Penner (Canadian Communism) to Angus (CanadianBolsheviks) to White (A Hard Man to Beat) to Scott (A Communist Life),have documented it. Zuken's evolution is chronicled from the time of thefamily's arrival in Canada from Russia in 1914 until his death in1986. It is a biography of a socialist activist who "wove wove?v.Past tense of weave.woveVerba past tense of weavewove, woven weave himselfdeep into the heart of the community." The early years ofrecessions, depressions, war, the Winnipeg General Strike The Winnipeg General Strike of 1919 was one of the most influential strikes in Canadian history. It resulted in drastic improvements in working conditions for millions of Canadians. J.S. ,anti-socialism and socialist red-baiting were the crucible ofZuken's growth. His career was a series of successes:scholastically, as a lawyer, a municipal politician on the WinnipegSchool Board The Winnipeg School Board is the governing body that oversees the Winnipeg School Division. It consists of nine trustees, elected in three different wards.The current chair is Kristine Barr. External linksSchool Board and Election of Trustees , and then the Council during the Cold War. But theachievements take on greater significance as he travelled theuntraditional Adj. 1. untraditional - not conforming to or in accord with tradition; "nontraditional designs"; "nontraditional practices"nontraditional route by fixing his future to the left rather than themainstream. Being poor may be subjective, but there are certain factors thatshould have raised questions for Smith. Zuken's family lived in theworking class district--but did that make them poor? They had anautomobile, a luxury the poor could ill-afford in the 1920s and 1930s;indeed it was only in the 1950s or 60s that an automobile becamepossible for them. Attending university is another element. Very few ofthe working poor made their way there, even as late as the 1950s and60s; secondary or technical schools seemed the highest level to whichthey could aspire and the counsellors reaffirmed that. Reading materialcame from local libraries, if they were aware of them, or discards inthe garbage of the wealthy. His family was petit bourgois--but that doesnot diminish his accomplishments. Additional background is offered in a brief view of life during the1930s depression and his involvement with the drama productions of theProgressive Arts Club and the Workers' Education Theatre. Thesewere attempts to generate an awareness of what was happening and why.This work reinforced his beliefs in his activities. The socialist traits are well documented although they are notoffered as a coherent whole. He was a humanist, an involved activist, anegalitarian, a believer in workers' control, a supporter of thedialectic in education, and he recognized the blatant class distinctionsthat existed in Canada and approached issues from that perspective. Autopian optimist, he perceived a better world for the poor, thedisadvantaged and those less able to defend themselves against theonslaught of the system, and he helped them in their battles. Thoseideologies and beliefs characterized his career as a lawyer andpolitician. Zuken and his brother gravitated towards the CP, a direction thatseemed to be more pertinent in trying to correct the abuses in society,particularly during the Great Depression. In this regard they were ingood company with such people as Dorothy Livesay and others. The brotherbecame a known organizer while Joe used his skills in the court room todefend CPers in labour battles or against state oppression, as occurredin WWII WWIIabbr.World War IIWWIIWorld War Two when CP leaders were interned. But it was not just as a defender of the CP that he made his mark.There was a wide range of interests that attracted him and these were ofa class nature. He battled for educational development for youngerchildren through kindergartens; he opposed the racial and religiousintolerance in schools. His advocacy of civil liberties and free legalaid contributed to the inroads made in the latter and also in thecontest for recognizing women's rights The effort to secure equal rights for women and to remove gender discrimination from laws, institutions, and behavioral patterns.The women's rights movement began in the nineteenth century with the demand by some women reformers for the right to vote, known as suffrage, and . Low cost housing rentcontrols and confronting developers also were on his agenda. The lastwere opposed because they made no commitments, and receivedtaxpayers' money through outright gifts, grants and tax concessionsthat provided profit at the citizens' expense but did little forthe people. In this area he became the bane of representatives of the variousright-wing "citizens" leagues or civic political coalitions.Some of the struggles are graphically illustrated, such as when hepurposely challenged the anti-crosswalk legislation introduced to insurethat people encountered the capitalist consumerism of the undergroundmalls the developers constructed. Frequently he had to find supporterswhere he could in the CCF CCFabbr.Cooperative Commonwealth Federation of Canada or NDP NDP New Democratic Party (Canada)NDP National Development Plan (Republic of Ireland)NDP National Development PlanNDP National Democratic Party (Barbados), or among maverick liberals orconservatives. Here one is made aware of another "House of ClosedShutters" that Hopkins Moorhouse and others wrote about in earlyWinnipeg as the City Council conducted business behind closed doors toensure confidentiality and public ignorance. Zuken denounced that typeof democracy, yet it never seemed to bother others; neither did it staytheir criticism of socialists or communists, who they thundered wereresponsible for doing the same thing. Somehow they missed theirhypocrisy. Zuken faced constant taunts of being a communist and adhering tothe CP. The name calling and redbaiting were not veiled, and invariably in��var��i��a��ble?adj.Not changing or subject to change; constant.in��vari��a��bil demonstrated the accusers' ignorance of socialism as a philosophyand ideology in that they were consistent with their fellow Canadians. Smith raises questions about Zuken's allegiance over the yearsto the CP in spite of the traumatic and overt contradictory positions ittook. His was not a blind adherence, yet Smith forgets to point out thatpoliticians are consistent; almost all endorse their political partiesdespite their blatant flip-flops; the few who do not, give proof to therule. Zuken is thus not uncommon. There is perhaps a question of proportion in the biography. Anumber of points on the early background of Winnipeg could have beenomitted readily or cut without any loss; other aspects requireclarification. In the later period, from the 1950s on, could more nothave been devoted to the impact of the immigration immigration,entrance of a person (an alien) into a new country for the purpose of establishing permanent residence. Motives for immigration, like those for migration generally, are often economic, although religious or political factors may be very important. or the ideologiesthat prevailed in Winnipeg? And Zuken undoubtedly was selfless in hiswork and influenced a number of people by his actions, and by allindications was poorly paid. Whatever wealth he accumulated indicateseither he was a better manager than was believed or his wife Clara didan excellent job of managing the household since they made frequenttrips. The Zuken story takes on some of the Horatio Alger mythology: theboy from the poor family who made it, which is not quite the case. Eventhough he criticized the system, he worked within it; there is little toindicate that he was prepared to overthrow it. That does not diminishwhat he had to struggle against but it does suggest that perhaps hebecame an advanced social democratic reformer accepting the mixedeconomy. Regardless, the story needed to be told. Foster Griezic Department of History Carleton University