Australian History For Dummies
2. Edition March 2022
448 Pages, Softcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd
Further versions
Discover the fascinating details that make Australia the country it is today
Australian History For Dummies is your rough-and-ready tour guide through Australia's whirlwind past. We'll introduce you to the people and events that have shaped this 'Land Down Under' (and why it's called that, anyway). You'll see how Indigenous Australians lived in Australia for over 65,000 years. You'll be there as British colonists explore Australia's harsh terrain. You'll appreciate the impact of the world wars. And you'll delve into the recent past, giving you insight into modern-day Australia and what's next.
Australia is a place unlike any other place, and its wild history, with more ups and downs than you'll care to count, makes for fascinating reading. Bushrangers, the gold rush, the first female prime minister--it's all inside. This new edition fills in the last ten years of history and covers issues faced in the 21st century.
* Explore the history of Indigenous Australia from the ancient past to the modern day
* Watch Australia put itself on the map--learn about the intrepid explorers and the discovery of gold
* Understand how and why the states were united and meet the major players who made it happen
* Examine the social, economic and political changes that made Australia what it is today
Students, teachers and anyone else who wants to learn more about Australia's background will love this lively, authoritative book. Relax and be entertained as Australian History For Dummies tells you the stories of the past.
Part 1: Let's Get This Country Started 5
Chapter 1: Aussie, Aussie, Aussie 7
Chapter 2: First Australians: Making a Home, Receiving Visitors 23
Chapter 3: Second Arrivals and First Colonials 33
Chapter 4: Colony Going Places (With Some Teething Troubles) 53
Chapter 5: A Nation of Second Chances 71
Part 2: 1820s to 1900: Wool, Gold, Bust and then Federation 89
Chapter 6: Getting Tough, Making Money and Taking Country 91
Chapter 7: Economic Collapse and the Beginnings of Nationalism 115
Chapter 8: The Discovery of Gold and an Immigration Avalanche 133
Chapter 9: Explorers, Selectors, Bushrangers and Trains 155
Chapter 10: Work, Play and Politics during the Long Boom 179
Chapter 11: The Economy's Collapsed -- Anyone for Nationhood? 197
Part 3: The 20th Century: New Nation, New Trajectories 221
Chapter 12: Nation Just Born Yesterday 223
Chapter 13: World War I: International and Local Ruptures 243
Chapter 14: Australia Unlimited 263
Part 4: 1930 to 1949: Going So Wrong, So Soon? 287
Chapter 15: A Not So Great Depression 289
Chapter 16: World War II Battles 311
Chapter 17: Making Australia New Again 335
Part 5: 1950 to 2000: Prosperity and Social Turmoil 351
Chapter 18: Ambushed -- by Prosperity! 353
Chapter 19: Taking Things Apart in the 1960s and 1970s 371
Chapter 20: When Old Australia Dies Is New Australia Ready? 389
Part 6: 2000 and Beyond: Seeking Solutions to Global and Local Problems 411
Chapter 21: Into the New Millennium 413
Chapter 22: Facing Off Between Two Australias 425
Part 7: The Part of Tens 451
Chapter 23: Ten Things Australia Gave the World 453
Chapter 24: Ten Game-Changing Moments 457
Index 463
