The Oxford History of Australia

The forty years following the establishment of the Australian Commonwealth in 1901 was a time of great change: institutions were fashioned to meet the needs of a nation; markets were extended; industries were enlarged; and Australians pursued plans for material and social progress through war and economic crisis. This narrative history explores the shifting patterns of class conflict and compromise that shaped the course of events and traces the links between the social, economic, and political processes of a nation in transition.