A Free Country: Australians' Search for Utopia 1861-1901 [Australian Liberalism Book 2] by David Kemp

Book Description

Secondhand. Very good condition. Ex library copy with all external stickers removed. No internal stamps. Partial date due slip on inside page, now covered with a blank ex libris bookplate sticker. White RFID sticker on inside back cover. Minor wear to book corners and edges. A few faint small marks on one preliminary page, otherwise interior is excellent. Dust jacket has some light creasing at edges and spine.

A Free Country- Australians' Search for Utopia 1861-1901 tells how Australians, inspired by their new democracy, attempted to use their freedom to build a society without social and economic conflict.

As the second book in a landmark five-volume Australian Liberalism series, A Free Country shows the successes and missteps in the attempt to establish the legal and moral foundations for a liberal society in Australia, examining the ideological battles of the period.

The national politics of twentieth-century Australia had their roots during this time, as utopian dreams of 'social reconstruction' opposed liberal ideals of individual freedom, fostering the concept of 'class wars' and leading to the ongoing involvement of trade unions in politics.

As emerging collective ideas of nationalism, empire, race and class challenged individual rights and threatened to seed domestic and international conflict, liberals succeeded in bringing the six colonies into one Australian nation founded on liberal principles, writing a constitution hailed as the most democratic in the world. (book flap)