Robert Borden Case Study

This essay will attempt to answer the question: Analyze how Robert Borden won the 1917 election over Wilfred Laurier. Robert Borden used his oratory skills as a politician to create political coalitions and persuade people, ultimately to achieve widespread support. Borden also used ingenious means in order to gain an advantage in the 1917 election, including the passing of restrictive legislations regarding the ability to vote for various groups of people. By using these methods, Borden was able to gain a competitive advantage to win the 1917 election. Borden used his communication skills successfully to build coalitions and convince people to gain his support. Firstly, Robert Borden proposed his ideas on how conscription would benefit Canada
He showed Canadians that his idea of conscription was well thought of and would allow for the Canadians and the allies to overcome the Germans, which allowed him to gain popularity for his election. In addition, his ideas of pro conscription were well supported by several politicians, including those from the opposing liberal party, allowing him to collectively create a political coalition, known as the Union government. Despite Borden 's cabinets refusal of the idea cooperating with the Liberals, Borden persisted to work together with pro conscriptionist Liberals. He was able to successfully persuade pro conscription liberals such as Arthur Lewis Watkins Sifton, Newton Wesley Rowell, and Frank Broadstreet Carvell to join his conscriptionist government. The Union government was officially announced on October 13, 1917, with 8 new Liberals within the new cabinet. This was significant, as Borden persuaded the competition party 's members to join his own government using the mutually accepted idea of conscription. This allowed him to eliminate competition and gain widespread support for the election. Not only was he able to successfully eliminate some