Australia And The British Embrace: The Demise of the Imperial Ideal

Until a generation ago, 'Britishness' lay at the heart of Australian political culture. How and why did this fundamental idea lose its meaning for Australians and their political institutions?

The popular view is that the British ideal succumbed to a triumphant, long-thwarted Australian nationalism. The reality is much more complex. Having weighed the documentary evidence, Stuart Ward vigorously argues that it was not Australia but the 'Mother Country' that set the pace.

The critical move w...