3012GIR Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Geoffrey Blainey, Australian Nationalism, Anglosphere
22 May 2018
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L2. Key Historical Themes, Continuities & Changes
Themes
• Vulnerability
• Dependence and independence
• Policy traditions
o Differences and bipartisanship
Vulnerability
• Aboriginal Australia
o Extreme vulnerability
o Subject to invasion
• White settlement
o Nearly perished
• Inability to sustain food production
• "in more trouble than the early settlers"
• Economic
o Need to establish independent means of exchange
• Imports require exports
o Soon dependent on foreign "men, money and markets"
• Immigration
• British investment
• British markets
• Cultural
o British outpost
o Fear of 'cultural' dilution
o British/Irish divide
• Security
o Tyranny of distance (Blainey)
o Distance from protector and major powers
o Distance between population centres
o Worries about Russia and Japan
Hence, Necessary Dependence
• White settlement (invasion?)
• Series of colonies
o Isolated from Britain
o Outer reaches of Empire
o Not unhappy with British rule
o Economically dependent on Britain
• But, important component of Empire economy
Federation
• Dependent on Britain for defence
o …ad foreig policy
• But, differing interests and objectives
o Declining British power
o Rising US power
o Fears of Russia
o Fears of Japan
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