Unnecessary Wars

by Henry Reynolds

Overview

‘Australian governments find it easy to go to war. Their leaders seem to be able to withdraw with a calm conscience, answerable neither to God nor humanity.’ Australia lost 600 men in the Boer War, a three-year conflict fought in the heart of Africa that had ostensibly nothing to do with Australia. Coinciding with Federation, the war kickstarted Australia’s commitment to fighting in Britain’s wars overseas, and forged a national identity around it. By 1902, when the Boer War ended, a mythology about our colonial soldiers had already been crafted, and a dangerous precedent established.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781742234809
Publisher:	UNSW Press
Publication date:	07/01/2016
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Henry Reynolds is one of Australia’s best-known historians. He grew up in Hobart and early in his career became interested in the history of relations between Australian settlers and Aboriginal people. His pioneering scholarly work, especially The Other Side of the Frontier (1981), was critical in changing understandings of the Australian frontier.

Table of Contents

Introduction ix

1 Unnecessary wars 1

2 Australia's first birthday 16

3 Colonial defence: Australia or empire? 38

4 Australia's radical patriots 59

5 The appeal of sceptre and crown 87

6 The illusions of an imperial family 109

7 Australia's soldiers of the Queen 131

8 The critics of the war 153

9 Involvement in an infamous war 177

10 The nation's selective memory 201

11 Dangerous allies or great and powerful friends? 222

Notes 240

Acknowledgments 253

Index 255