Australia : A New History of the Great Southern Land [Hardcover]

Frank Welsh (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 4, 2006

A probing and engaging history of Australia—the most comprehensive and up-to-date account of one of the world's most rapidly developing nations.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A genuinely original, enlightening, witty account of a nation and its difficult, complicated, and contrary people. . . . Welsh takes us through all the important events of Australia's history with a fresh, sharp eye." -- Daily Telegraph --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

Australia: A New History of the Great Southern Land is a major new account that places Australia's History fully in a global context, drawing on sources from the United States, Britain, Africa, and Canada, as well as within Australia itself. In a compelling narrative, acclaimed historian Frank Welsh traces the history of the land from scattered convict settlements to the formation of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901 and on to today's thriving independent nation, exposing many myths in the process. This book also explores the dark side of Australia's history: the long-continued "White Australia" policy, which bedeviled foreign policy for more than a century; the still-tortured official relationship with the Aboriginal peoples; the subordination of women; the flaws in the constitution. Also examined is Australia's uneasy relationship with its Asian neighbors and isolation from Britain and the United States, it traditional allies. Original, provocative, and witty, Australia is the most comprehensive single-volume history of Australia yet published. It makes a strong claim to becoming the standard work on this fascinating and often misunderstood country.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 768 pages
• Publisher: Overlook Hardcover (May 4, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585676926
• ISBN-13: 978-1585676927
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,175,438 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Major, Balanced, Historical Work, November 24, 2008

By 

Daniel Weitz "Retired Historian" (Hilton Head South Carolina & Princeton Junction New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Australia: A New History of the Great Southern Land (Paperback)

Frank Welsh has written an extremely well written, witty, scholarly, balanced and very long work on the history of Australia. The footnotes are excellent for further research and with the bibliography are almost one hundred pages long! The illustrations are ok, and the maps are useful but could have been somewhat better; many of the places mentioned do not appear.

Th author's balance of view deserves praise. Although I might describe myself as a "Battler" and Welsh I suspect is a "Chardonnay Socialist" the coverage of contemporary issues is fairly presented.

Welsh rejects the "PC" approach in covering relations with the Aborigenes; the mis-treatment of whom while unconscionable has been over-emphasized... "It should be recorded, remembered, regretted, and accorded only their proper place." The author rejects historical post-modernism, and supports the Windschuttle school of historical accuracy in dealing with the Aborigenes. The approach to settlement is less histrionic than that of Hughes, particularly on Irish political prisoners.

The weakest part of the book is a lengthy description of the process be which "representative" and then "responsible" governments were established; almost one hundred tedious pages as each of the six states are dealt with. This is more than balanced by descriptions of the Melbourne-Sydney rivalries and how regionalism led to a chaotic train system of three different gauges.

The strongest parts of the book are those that deal with economic issues; the economic problems that Australia faced in the 1880's are similar to the crisis America has to deal with today. Particularly usefull was the discussion of post World War 2 Australia; handicapped by inept leaders and manipulative allies it faced problems in Indonesia and New Guinea. (Yet Welsh shows less sympathy for the Caribbean problems of America) The issues in contemporary Australia such as the Liberal Party moving to the right, reversing the economic welfare state and of Labor and immigration issues are well covered.

Mr Welsh is at his weakest when he makes references to America; for example the New York riots of July 1863 were Draft Riots, and although having a strong racial undercurrent, were not a response to the 10 month
earlier Emancipation Proclamation as he asserts.

This is a must read for anyone interested in the [political and economic history of Australia.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Solid And Thorough History, September 9, 2009

By 

Dave_42 "Dave_42" (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Australia: A New History of the Great Southern Land (Paperback)

"Australia: A New History of the Great Southern Land" by Frank Welsh is a very good attempt at providing a complete and concise history of Australia from a perspective of Europeans, and from the point where Europeans became aware of it and decided to colonize it. Of course, it isn't possible to provide much in the way of history from the aboriginal people who have lived there for 40,000 years or so, and that will forever be our loss.

The first chapter covers the growing awareness of the Southern land by the different countries of Europe. This is followed by several chapters detailing the colonization, first of New South Wales and the proceeding to other parts of the continent and Tasmania. Welsh does a good job of discussing the formation of each of the colonies and how they developed, and their need to be joined, but as well the resistance to joining which had to be overcome. The next significant period is that of Federation and its development as a nation as it moved from relying almost exclusively on Great Britain to more reliance on the United States.

Mr. Welsh does a thorough job covering events, politics, social attitudes, international relations, and key figures throughout the history. It is interesting to see Australia develop from a continent which nobody was very interested in initially, to a penal colony, to a group of colonies, to a commonwealth, and finally to a significant Western power which is physically closer to Asia and Eastern cultures than it is the West. This provides a unique and unusual dynamic to the country. On the cultural front, there is also significant development from one thought of as criminal, to one which was very racist for the majority of its history, but has in the last half-century become amazingly diverse and open to different cultures, ideas, and people.

From a personal perspective, I can add that it is interesting that, while there is still evidence of the prior racism here, it seems to have left far fewer scars than have been left in the U.S., though I must admit that there is still a lot of the country which I have left to experience. Nevertheless, the progress in diversity and attitude is amazing to see, as both Melbourne and Sydney are very international cities, and even the often thought of as backward Tasmania does a good job of promoting the positive aspects of different cultures and being open to them.

Welsh's history of Australia was published in 2004, so it is missing the last five years, and the transition from John Howard and the Liberal party to Kevin Rudd and the Labor party. However, other than that, the only problem I found was a rather minor statement that Reagan had been elected President in 1979 (it was in fact 1980), and the error is hardly significant to the point being made. The writing is a bit dry in places, but it does have excellent notes and a good bibliography as well. I can't rate this as high as Hughes "The Fatal Shore" or Keneally's "A Commonwealth of Thieves", but then again neither of them provides a complete history of the country, and so they do a better job in their area of focus.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Superficial And Rambling., September 30, 2011

By 

Bruce Hart "pilgarlic" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Australia : A New History of the Great Southern Land (Hardcover)

Australia: A New History etc intrigued me when I first began reading it. Australia's history is a complex one and Frank Welsh's version of aspects of it are very superficial indeed. As an Australian myself I was curious about his knowledge of the famous 'Bush Ranger' Ned Kelly who is still a controversial figure in our history. And this is why I cannot take Mr Welsh very seriously -: On page 312 (hb) after describing a superficial account of the Ned Kelly story he quotes Bill Bryson with " - - He was a murderous thug who deserved to be hanged and was." Give me a break - Bill Bryson is an entertaining writer and no more but historically he is superficial. Anyone with a real interest in modern day Australia should read 'NED KELLY' - A Short Life by Ian Jones. This is the definitive history and is a must read for anyone who wishes to fully understand Australia. The attitudes toward the Kelly family in the 19th century can easily be linked to the English class system which is well documented. Having lived in England for many years myself I observed this class system in action which is why I recommend that reading Ian Jones's history of the Kelly gang is essential. Many Australians still have that anti class attitude which can be seen in their love of cricket and winning against the 'Poms' and they will not tolerate anyone with a superior attitude. Frank Welsh is a mediocre historian and I would not waste my time with his version of Australia.