The Quiet Revolution had a dramatic effect on the Roman Catholic Church in Quebec. Whereas, prior to 1965, the Catholic Church was a dominant cultural and political force Quebec, after 1965 the Catholic Church experienced a dramatic decline in its authority and its role in Quebec society. The people then abandoned the Catholic Church rapidly, and then transferred their allegiance from the Catholic Church to the Quebec state. This created a political vacuum within Quebec, due to the fact that, in contrast to the previously powerful Catholic Church, the state did not have the infrastructure to deal with the Quebec population 's social and economic needs. In addition the Quebec population came to see the Catholic Church as a backward institution
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While the farmers that still lived in the unindustrialized rural regions were able to support themselves through subsistence means, and modest agricultural production, the industrialized workers in the urban areas were unable to do so. In addition to Quebec, the Great Depression also hit the western provinces especially hard, upon which the Quebec factories depended upon to provide the raw materials needed to turn into manufactured goods either for domestic consumption or export. As a result, once the eventual trial of goods from either the western provinces or rural Quebec ceased to be available it led to massive layoffs at the factories since the owners either could not justify maintaining the same amount of people in their employ or the owners went completely bankrupt, which then resulted in everyone getting laid off. This led to massive unemployment problems that the Quebec government had previously never had to deal with. Indeed, Quebec had previously experienced tremendous economic growth that the industrialization had brought about. However, this economic growth, by-in-large, did not translate into financial security for the factory workers. This would later become a major factor in the Quiet Revolution. The growth in personal wealth was very much confined to the factory owners and the owners of the major financial institutions that provided the funds for establishing these factories in the first place. In addition, most of these now laid-off employees now needed some form of social assistance in order to survive. However, the Quebec government had nothing in the way of social programs and could not provide the assistance that the people needed. This resulted, in the now-impoverished people turning to the one central institution in their lives: The Roman Catholic
While the farmers that still lived in the unindustrialized rural regions were able to support themselves through subsistence means, and modest agricultural production, the industrialized workers in the urban areas were unable to do so. In addition to Quebec, the Great Depression also hit the western provinces especially hard, upon which the Quebec factories depended upon to provide the raw materials needed to turn into manufactured goods either for domestic consumption or export. As a result, once the eventual trial of goods from either the western provinces or rural Quebec ceased to be available it led to massive layoffs at the factories since the owners either could not justify maintaining the same amount of people in their employ or the owners went completely bankrupt, which then resulted in everyone getting laid off. This led to massive unemployment problems that the Quebec government had previously never had to deal with. Indeed, Quebec had previously experienced tremendous economic growth that the industrialization had brought about. However, this economic growth, by-in-large, did not translate into financial security for the factory workers. This would later become a major factor in the Quiet Revolution. The growth in personal wealth was very much confined to the factory owners and the owners of the major financial institutions that provided the funds for establishing these factories in the first place. In addition, most of these now laid-off employees now needed some form of social assistance in order to survive. However, the Quebec government had nothing in the way of social programs and could not provide the assistance that the people needed. This resulted, in the now-impoverished people turning to the one central institution in their lives: The Roman Catholic