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Far from being a dutiful, sycophantic offspring of Britain, Australia acquired the assurance and self-confidence, from the early stages of the colonial period, to negotiate for its own betterment. This was frequently at the expense of British economic and strategic interests. To become a nation, Australian society gave rise to a distinct and separate state within the British Empire and then, increasingly, in the Asia-Pacific zone. Gradually, Britain became an outsider in Australian political, economic and cultural affairs, and the Australian people rejected or reinvented British institutions and traditions, foreign debt, industrialization, the Depression and Australia at war. This title is a history of Australia's development and changing role that challenges many assumptions. Ranging across a wide spectrum, it presents a subtle and forceful account of national identities shaped by class, gender, ethnicity, religion and political affiliation.