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A Shorter History of Australia

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A Shorter History of Australia

By: Geoffrey Blainey
Narrated by: Humphrey Bower
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About this listen

After a lifetime of research and debate on Australian and international history, Geoffrey Blainey is well placed to introduce us to the people who have played a part and to guide us through the events which have created the Australian identity: the mania for spectator sport, the suspicion of the tall poppy, the rivalries of Catholic and Protestant, Sydney and Melbourne, new and old homelands, the conflicts of war abroad and race at home, the importance of technology, the recognition of our Aboriginal past and Native Title, the successes and failures of the nation.

For this enlarged edition Blainey has rewritten or expanded on various episodes and themes, making changes to almost every page. He has described significant events and trends of the early 20th century. A final chapter summarises key factors that shaped and still shape this country's history.

©1994 Geoffrey Blainey , 2009. (P)2010 Bolinda Publishing Australia, New Zealand & Oceania Oceania World War Imperialism Imperial Japan United Kingdom Middle Ages Africa Latin America

Critic Reviews

"Part of Blainey's magic is that his words float off the page. Here, too, are the puzzles, oddities and off-beat comparisons of his restless, quirky intelligence, constantly astonished and endlessly engaging." (The Age)
"The present shape and direction of Australian history writing will now be altered for a long while to come." (Quadrant)
"Geoffrey Blainey offers an enjoyable overview of Australian history. Humphrey Bower's Australian accent is endearing for those who love all things Aussie. His presentation is measured and clear, with longish pauses between words. Blainey occasionally uses vocabulary that may not be familiar to Americans (for example, a "sultana" is a kind of raisin), but that doesn’t present an impediment. Unlike other well-known histories of Australia—including Manning Clark's A SHORT HISTORY OF AUSTRALIA and Robert Hughes's THE FATAL SHORE—Blainey's focuses on recent events. He also spends considerable time on events that followed WWII. As is always the case with the analysis of recent history, bias shows. Blainey seems well to the right of center on many Australian political issues." (AudioFile Magazine)
All stars
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A pretty upfront and easy to follow summary of the forces that shaped Australia. highly recommend!

Easy to follow summary of Australian history

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I moved to Au in 2005 and was always eager to find books on Au history.
this was a perfect summary and i enjoyed learning about the highlights of this country's story. recommend it to all migrants like myself.

My fisrt book on Au history. loved the book.

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I enjoyed the audio book and learnt a lot about things that should be better known by all Australians.

Well read and a great listen

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A balanced and considered history of Australia in a concise and easy to digest format

Outstanding - compulsory reading

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Countless omissions on Indiginous history throughout, author could benefit from referencing Dark Emu and The Biggest Estate.
otherwise comprehensive summation

strong resource

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This was an outstanding audiobook and a great introduction to Australian history for those that do not know much about it. It is also an essential book, along with The Fatal Shore, for young Australians when they are of school age. My ancestors came to this country in the first fleet in chains and this book supports a lot of the information we have received from them through the generations. Written by acclaimed historian Geoffrey Blainey.

Before I go into the substance of the book itself there is a need to address what Aussies call "the history wars" of the early 2000s.

This was a disgusting shred of our history, the impacts of which continue into today. It was kicked off by a national inquiry into aboriginal children removed from their parents.

It was an outpouring of hatred by the southeast political left of my country, supported by state media and captured institutions. During the process, many good people were slandered unfairly and had their professional reputations destroyed. The conclusions of this movement appealed to the hate-filled and unintellectual forebears of today's "woke".

That said, it draws out the history of colonisation as well as the inevitable clashes between the new settlers and the aboriginal people. In particular, was the final acknowledgement that the convicts of this era were the last authorised slaves of the British Empire. People were treated so badly that a visiting Anglican Priest from England had two of them throw themselves on their knees in front of him begging for execution. Convict John Frost called it "

It also tracks honestly the conflict and slaughter of aboriginal people, in particular throughout the Queensland frontiers. It also goes a long way to explain the vast gulf between the two peoples. In particular, like most Australian historians, Blainey is in awe of the hunter-gatherer lifestyle that had survived for at least 37k years since separating from the Papuans.

Truth has been buried in the pursuit of Australian history, and gems like this are both hard to find and very, very valuable.

What happens when two ancient civilisations collid

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concise but thorough. a very fair and balanced history without obvious bias. easy listening. I thoroughly recommend this book to all Australians who want to know how we became the nation we are.

exceptional

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Bower does a great job narrating this short history of modern Australia. Wish it could be on the required reading lists for all Australian school students.

Should be on every modern history teacher's list

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For a new migrant to Australia while this gives you a great summary of the country’s history, it leaves out some very important events and details that I would have loved to know more about. Like the stolen generations, the industries other than mining and wool that have had an influence. Barely a line or two about the history of the sporting teams which is such a big part of the country’s culture. Nothing mentioned about the famous criminals like Chopper Reid, Milat, the bike gangs and mafia that is so intrinsic to our culture.

Good summary wish I got more detail

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Really enjoyed the detail and the ability to look up the information and find sources and the read was easy to listen to.

Positive

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.