Federation by Brian Matthews

Book Description

Secondhand. Good condition. Wear to book corners and edges. Previous owner has inscribed inside page.

1901 was the year in which the Australian colonies became one nation with one destiny.

In this engaging and accessible book, published to accompany the brilliant Film Australia/ABC television documentary Federation, the acclaimed writer and historian Brian Matthews tells the story of how Australia was born.

Matthews brings to life the remarkable group of individuals - among them, Henry Parkes, Alfred Deakin, Edmund Barton and Charles Kingston - who struck bargains, lost tempers and found solutions to create Australian democracy.

He recounts the fierce debates that echoed for a decade on city streets, at conferences and conventions until the people of Australia threw a vast party to celebrate their new nation.

Illustrated with contemporary photographs, Federation provides a fascinating insight into daily life when the birth of a new century ushered in this momentous event. It includes a chronology of key dates and reproduces the original Australia Constitution. (back cover)