Canada was not diverse until the 1970s, except for the division between French and Anglo-Canadians. Before WWII, between 60 and 90% of immigrants came from the anglosphere (US and UK). The US is more diverse, but between 1925 and 1965, immigration was strictly controlled to create a stable ethnocultural identity for the country, so that only 5% of American born in the 40s and 50s were children of immigrants (versus 25% today).
It is very plausible that the weakness of the Federal government and of social programs in the US is a direct result of this diversity. And the increasing dysfunction of the American political system may be a result of the increased diversity since the 1960s' immigration reform that has opened the doors to immigration from everywhere in the world. It is a curious "coincidence" that the years of most effective bipartisan governance in the US are also the most homogeneous period in American history in terms of ethnocultural makeup of the country.
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@CorruptUser
Canada was not diverse until the 1970s, except for the division between French and Anglo-Canadians. Before WWII, between 60 and 90% of immigrants came from the anglosphere (US and UK). The US is more diverse, but between 1925 and 1965, immigration was strictly controlled to create a stable ethnocultural identity for the country, so that only 5% of American born in the 40s and 50s were children of immigrants (versus 25% today).
It is very plausible that the weakness of the Federal government and of social programs in the US is a direct result of this diversity. And the increasing dysfunction of the American political system may be a result of the increased diversity since the 1960s' immigration reform that has opened the doors to immigration from everywhere in the world. It is a curious "coincidence" that the years of most effective bipartisan governance in the US are also the most homogeneous period in American history in terms of ethnocultural makeup of the country.