A New Britannia: An Argument Concerning the Social Origins of Australian Radicalism and Nationalism - Humphrey McQueen

First published in 1970, A New Britannia is a landmark reinterpretation of Australian history that challenges many of the country's traditional national myths. Humphrey McQueen argues that Australian nationalism and radicalism were shaped not by egalitarian ideals but by the interests of colonial capitalism and the social attitudes of the white working class. Reassessing the labour movement, federation, race, class and economic development, he contends that Australian identity emerged from a complex alliance of nationalism, protectionism and racial exclusion rather than from the democratic ideals celebrated in conventional histories.

Drawing on Marxist historical analysis, McQueen re-examines key events and political movements from the nineteenth century through to Federation, questioning long-held assumptions about Australia's progressive traditions. Controversial upon publication and still widely debated, A New Britannia remains one of the most influential works of Australian historiography, essential reading for anyone interested in Australian political history, labour history, nationalism and the development of modern Australia.