Cirrus@Austlit

'Far from being a dutiful, sycophantic offspring of Great Britain, Australia had the assurance and self-confidence, almost from the earliest period of colonization, to negotiate for its own betterment. To become a nation, Australian society gave rise to a distinct and separate state within the British empire and then, increasingly, in the Asia-Pacific zone. Gradually Britain became an outsider in Australian political, economic, and cultural affairs, and the Australian people rejected or reinvented British institutions or traditions. The broad approach of this analysis covers Federation, republicanism, foreign debt, industrialization, the depression, and Australia at war. Ranging across a wide spectrum, this book presents a subtle and forceful account of national identities shaped by class, gender, ethnicity, religion, and political affiliation.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.