Australian Literature: An Anthology of Writing From

¶ … Australian Literature: An Anthology of Writing From the Land Down Under," by Phyllis Edelson. Specifically, it will contain a brief analysis of British-Australian relations since the 1800s, along with the 19th and 20th century Australian views of Britain.

BRITAIN AND AUSTRALIA THEN AND NOW British and Australian relations have always been strained, to say the least. The first European settlement on Australia was a British penal colony in 1788. In other words, Australia was good enough for the dregs of Britain, and that was about all. The first settlement was located at what is now Sydney. Eleven ships brought 1,530 passengers with 700 convicts and the rest soldiers sent to guard the convicts and make sure they did a full day's work.

For the first thirty years of the 19th century, Australia was little more than a large holding cell for British prisoners, and Britain seemed to have little other interest in the land they called Australia. By the 1820s, sheep had been imported to Australia, and a thriving trade developed in wool between Britain and the colony, but colonization was relatively slow. However, after the Gold Rush in 1850, over 95,000 people immigrated to Australia, and there was a growing feeling of alienation from Britain. These new residents were "Australians," not British, and they wanted to rule themselves. Australia was so far away, it was difficult for the British to maintain rule, and some of the governors they sent to administer the laws had their own ideas about government and politics.

By the mid 1800s, Britain was tired of trying to govern a land so far away. They allowed Australia to self-govern themselves, and Australia formed into six separate states that wrote their own constitutions. It took ten years of debate for Britain to approve the constitutions, so it was not until 1900 that Australia actually gained independence. These years were filled with frustration and anger, as Australia felt they had been governing themselves long enough. They were tired of waiting for a go-ahead from Britain, and ready to stand on their own.

The life of the settlers was extremely difficult. They faced poverty, drought, hunger, and had to deal with weather never thought of in Britain. They had a difficult life, but early in the settlement years, Britain was not much concerned with her colonists. Mostly she was concerned with getting rid of prisoners, so things in Australia were very difficult, and the settlers were angry at Britain's seeming lack of interest in their plight.

In the 20th century, Australian troops joined British troops in fighting both World War I and World War II. While the countries were more united, they still had their differences, but like it or not, they still have much in common with their British lineage. They have a parliamentary from of government with a prime minister at its head, although they named their two governmental bodies the House and the Senate after the United States. The Queen of England is also their head of state, so even though they are independently ruled, they still have strong ties to Britain. In that, they are much like Canada. They are not still colonies, but they still come under the umbrella of the mother country, so they are still not really fully independent today.