Deryck Schreuder

Originally published in 1969, Gladstone and Kruger examines British reactions to the Afrikaner nationalism. Beginning with the first Anglo-Boer war of 1880-81, it examines the formulation of policy after the British defeat at Majuba Hill. A that moment, the dangers of a pan-Afrikaner revolt in the Transvaal, Orange Free State and Cape Province seemed imminent, and the British presence in southern Africa seemed very much at risk. Schreuder shows how the devolution of metropolitan Imperial power on to local ministries conflicted with the Whig concern for the preservation of British dominance and prestige abroad and provides a commentary on the Liberal response to the Irish problem.

Originally published in 1969, Gladstone and Kruger examines British reactions to the Afrikaner nationalism. Beginning with the first Anglo-Boer war of 1880-81, it examines the formulation of policy after the British defeat at Majuba Hill. A that moment, the dangers of a pan-Afrikaner revolt in the Transvaal, Orange Free State and Cape Province seemed imminent, and the British presence in southern Africa seemed very much at risk. Schreuder shows how the devolution of metropolitan Imperial power on to local ministries conflicted with the Whig concern for the preservation of British dominance and prestige abroad and provides a commentary on the Liberal response to the Irish problem.

This is the first major collaborative reappraisal of Australia's experience of empire since the end of the British Empire itself. The volume examines the meaning and importance of empire in Australia across a broad spectrum of historical issues-ranging from the disinheritance of the Aborigines to the foundations of a new democratic state. The overriding theme is the distinctive Australian perspective on empire. The country's adherence to imperial ideals and aspirations involved not merely the building of a 'new Britannia' but also the forging of a distinctive new culture and society. It was Australian interests and aspirations which ultimately shaped 'Australia's Empire'. While modern Australians have often played down the significance of their British imperial past, the contributors to this book argue that the legacies of empire continue to influence the temper and texture of Australian society today.