This work investigates the evolution of English-Canadian historical thought and the shifting intellectual frameworks employed by historians between 1900 and 1970. Carl F. Berger, a noted scholar of Canadian intellectual history, examines the transition from imperialist perspectives to the emergence of a distinct nationalist school of history. By analyzing the primary texts of influential Canadian historians, he identifies the ideological pressures and cultural contexts that shaped the national narrative during the twentieth century.

Historians and academics frequently cite this text as a foundational study for understanding the development of Canadian historiography. Scholars often note the depth of Berger's analysis regarding the intellectual climate of the mid-twentieth century.