WHEN A POLITICAL SCIENTIST undertakes a study of a political party
such as Union Nationale he usually has two purposes in mind. The
first and most obvious one is to provide some useful information on
the pattern of politics in a particular area over a certain period of
time. A second purpose, however, is to throw some additional light on
those complex theoretical and methodological problems involved in
any attempt to develop a scientific approach to the study of politics.
The nature of the contribution which the political scientist can make
in this respect will inevitably be related to the historical and cultural
background of the society whose political processes are being studied.

This analysis of Quebec politics has provided at least part of the
answer to three questions which cannot help but be of particular
interest to the political scientist: what type of political behaviour can
one expect to find in a society constituting an ethnic minority whose
main preoccupation is the maintenance of its cultural identity and
the defence of its group interests? How is the reaction of the voter to
the economic and social problems of an industrial society affected by
strong adherence to the doctrines and social philosophy of Roman
Catholicism? How does a lack of democratic convictions and of an
adequate understanding of parliamentary government affect the
proper functioning of that type of political system and change the
nature of the party struggle?

In regard to the first question, this study has shown that in a society
where an ethnic minority has reason to believe that its interests as a
distinct cultural group are threatened, the struggle to defend and
protect those interests tends to become the dominant issue in politics
and encourages the growth of strong nationalistic sentiments. As a

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