THE TECHNOCRATS 1919-1967: A CASE STUDY OF CONFLICT AND CHANGE IN A SOCIAL MOVEMENT by David Adair B .A. , Sir George Williams University, 1967 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in the Department of Political Science, Sociology and Anthropology DAVID ADAIR, 1970 SIMON FIEA'SER UN~VERSITY January, 1970 APPROVAL Name: David Adair Degree: Master 'of Arts Title of Thesis: The Technocrats 1919-1967: A Case Study of Conflict and Change in a Social Movement Examining Committee: Pr6fessor G .RUSE, Senior Supervisor Professor David F . Aberle, External Examiner UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA VANCOUVER, B .C. ABSTRACT The study examines the organizational and ideological changes within the Technocracy movement during the period 1919-1968. An attempt is made to account for the development within the movement of active reform factors at different points in time. The contrasts and conflicts between the active reform factions and the usu- ally more passive, though ideologically revolutionary main segment of the movement, are focussed on and argued to be important determinants of subsequent organizational and ideological changes. Technocracy is compared with the millennium movements, and the relationship between participants1 conception of their role in terms of effecting change, and their time orientation on the relative imminence of the millennium, is examined. In this regard it is argued that a belief in an imminent millennium tends to militate against active efforts on the part of members to "make the revolution1'. It is argued that Technocracy can only be considered a social movement for approximately half of its history, and the question: When does a movement cease to be a movement? , is dealt with. Technocracy is described as a small-scale revolutionary movement in a pre- dominantly non-revolutionary social setting. The problems and paradoxes confronting such a movement, and the various ideological and tactical alternatives open to it are examined in some detail. The meaning to its members of the organization in its later stages is analyzed, and it is argued that a number of the psychic attitudes of partici- pants, normally considered to be explanations of such persons1 propensity for initial recruitment into a movement may, in fact, be a consequence of participation rather than a cause of it. Finally, the reasons for the relative lack of internal change and conflict in the movement since 1948 are examined briefly. n iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract .............................................................. iii Chapter One .Technocracy: The Questions To Be Asked .................. 1 Notes .......................................................... 8 Chapter Two .The Historical Setting: The Great Depression And Its Movements ..................................................... 9 Notes .......................................................... 12 Chapter Three .The Technical Alliance: Forerunner of Technocracy ....... 13 Technocratic Thought ........................................... 14 Notes .......................................................... 22 Chapter Four .The Emergence Of Technocracy And The Early Public Response ...................................................... 24 The Historical Record ........................................... 24 The Emergence Of Technocracy .................................. 25 Notes .......................................................... 31 Chapter Five .Technocracy 1932.1933. Craze Or Movement ............... 32 Ambiguity And Inevitability .The Emergence Of Millenni aism1' ...... 34 Notes .......................................................... 40 Chapter Six .Technocracy 1933-1935: The Development Of An Organized Movement ...................................................... 42 The Development Of Two Factions ................................ 42 Notes .......................................................... 57 < Chapter Seven .Technocracy Inc .. 1934 To The Second World War ........ 60 Notes .......................................................... 81 Chapter Eight .Total Conscription ...................................... 84 Notes .......................................................... 92 Chapter Nine .V.an couver After The War ................................ 94 Notes .......................................................... 107 Chapter Ten .The Split Of 1948 ......................................... 109 Contributing Factors ............................................ 109 Notes .......................................................... 118 Chapter Eleven .1950 To 1968 .Changing Themes And Declining Activity ... 120 Notes ...................................................... 124 iv Page Chapter Twelve .Technocracy Today In Vancouver ....................... 125 The Current Events Classes ..................................... 131 Notes .......................................................... 140 Chapter Thirteen .Some Theoretical Considerations Involved In The Problem Of "Being A Technocrat Today" .......................... 142 Nature Of Commitments Demanded Of Participants ................. 148 Nature Of Control And Compliance Applicable To Participants ....... 150 Nature Of Definitions Of Participants And 'Outsiders' ............... 151 Notes .......................................................... 154 Chapter Fourteen .The Educated Technocrat And The Future Of The Movement ...................................................... 156 Notes .......................................................... 162 Chapter Fifteen .Summary And Conclusions ............................. 163 A Question Of Definition ......................................... 165 Notes .......................................................... 177 I Books ...................................................... 178 I1 Pamphlets. Periodicals. And Fugitive Literature ............... 179 III Unpublished Material ........................................ 182 Appendix 1 .Methodological Appendix ............................. 183 Notes ................................................ 189 Appendix 2 .Technocracy Inc . Suggestion Form ................... 190 \ LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS . Graphs Fig . 4:l Articles On Technocracy. New York Times 1932-1933 .... 27 Fig . 4:2 Periodical Article On Technocracy 1932.1933. ........... 27 Maps Fig . 7:l Howard Scott's 1937 Continental Tour ................... 72 Fig . 9:l Technocracy Sections In Canada And U .S.A .............. 95 Fig. 9:2 Milligan Tour - March 1946 ............................ 96 Fig . 9:3 Fearman Tour .May 1946 ............................. 97 Fig . 9:4 Gerald Tour .May 1946 ............................... 98 Fig . 9:5 McCaslin Tour .May 1946 ............................. 98 Fig. 9:6 Frazeur Tour .February 1947 ......................... 99 Fig. 9:7 Porter Tour .February 1947........................... 100 Fig . 9:8 Milligan Tour .March 1947 ............................ 100 Fig. 9:9 Porter Tour .March-April 1947 ....................... 101 Fig . 9:10 Wildfong Tour .May 1947 ............................. 102 Fig . 9: 11 Templeton Tour .June 1947 ........................... 102 CHAPTER ONE TECHNOCRACY: THE QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED The Technocracy movement in the U. S. A. and Canada has existed in one form or another for approximately thirty-seven years. The intellectual origins can be traced back considerably further (see Chapter Three), while a group called the Tech- nical Alliance, which was organized in the 1918-1920 period, was clearly a forerunner of Technocracy as it developed the ideology that became the early basis of Technocracy and included several of the principal figures who launched the Technocracy movement in 1932-1933. During this period of otherwise impressive longevity, the movement has had no discernable social-political effects on the wider society, and while its ability to survive is interesting, it is neither Technocracy's long life nor its 'works1 that justify our study of the movement. Neither is the movement a particularly good example or refutation of a specific model or conception of movements. Nor is it an ideal case of a particular cell in some typology of movements. In fact it is the very opposite of this latter case that initially makes Technocracy of potential interest. There are two aspects of this interesting difficulty. In the first place it is not at all simple, regard- less of the definition chosen, to decide just when Technocracy was, or was not, a social movement, and in the second place it is even more difficult to decide what KIND of movement Technocracy was. Various typologies are constructed for different uses and employ, therefore, differing criteria, and may focus on a wide variance of sub- jects even within the same general field of interest. Hence it is in itself neither strange nor contradictory that Technocracy can be described by a wide range of dif- ferent labels. Hence the movement can, without any contradiction, be referred to as: Millennial, Utopian, Messianic, Authoritarian, Scientistic, Revolutionary, and Reformist. The utility of these designations starts to become questionable, however, when upon detailed examination of the history and development of the movement it becomes apparent that not only are they less accurate at some periods than at others, I but in addition they are sometimes inappropriate or misleading when applied to par- ticular segments of the larger movement. For example, it is quite clear that the goals of that branch of the movement