Unnecessary Wars
Published on 10. June 2016
281 pages
978-1-74224-227-9 (ISBN)
Description
'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.
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Content
- Front Cover
- About the Author
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Contents
- Introduction
- 1. Unnecessary wars
- 2. Australia's first birthday
- 3. Colonial defence: Australia or empire?
- 4. Australia's radical patriots
- 5. The appeal of sceptre and crown
- 6. The illusions of an imperial family
- 7. Australia's soldiers of the Queen
- 8. The critics of the war
- 9. Involvement in an infamous war
- 10. The nation's selective memory
- 11. Dangerous allies or great and powerful friends?
- Notes
- Acknowledgments
- Index
