To what extent did the rebellion at Eureka influence the development of democracy in Australia?
The battle at eureka accelerated the development of Democracy in Australia. It was built upon democratic language and chartist and egalitarianism ideas which brought democratic reforms. Those a part of the battle continued to demand change. Yet there were boundaries to their power.
The build up to the battle of Eureka was phrased with democratic language. It was the miners role in society that was filled with democracy. In Doudiet's painting Swearing Allegiance to the Southern Cross the diggers are forming as a group and saying “We swear by the Southern Cross to stand truly by each other and to fight to defend our rights and liberties”. In their
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The Royal Commission in the Goldfields introduced Democratic reforms. For instance, it abolished the hated Miners License which was 8 pounds a year and replaced it with a Miners right was now 1 pound. This gave the miners a chance to earn a living and it also gave the miners the vote. It also changed how the goldfields was run, with less authority figures so miners has more control over their own lives and their was less government pressure and tension. A secret ballot, a demand of the Ballarat Reform League, was introduced soon after the battle. This is a demonstration of the immediate development of laws to make the government more democratic in Victoria. And fourthly, a jury system acquitted 12 out of 13 leaders of the battle which is another example how power started to ascend from the people. Leaders of the battle who were acquitted continued to fight for …show more content…
Firstly, they only made these changes in Victoria. The democratic reforms made after the battle were only in Victoria and democracy was brought in by other colonies by different factors which could have equally contributed to democracy in Australia. Secondly, whilst the Legislative Assembly was open for change, the Legislative Council (also known as the Upper House) was more restricted on the members and voting, and had a more narrow representation. Thirdly, Victoria didn't have payment of members of parliament until much after the battle of Eureka, which shows how not all of the reforms of the Ballarat were achieved soon after the battle. And lastly, Electoral boundaries were designed to favour the pastoralists. This means that one sheep farmers vote was worth seven times more than a miners vote. It was not a proper democracy as it lacked egalitarianism ideals and there was differentiated representation that was not fair. Historians argue on the overall impact of the stockade. Geoffrey Blainey states that “the rebellion took place at a crucial time when Victoria was about to make a decisive step towards democracy. The rebellion did not initiate or make the first step but it hastened the second.” And Mark Peel claims that the demands of the Ballarat reform league was “distinctly colonial” and that it shared a global language of rights and justice. Yet John Hirst writes
It could be argued that Gladstone’s failure to unite his party, during a time when their ultimate support and confidence in his leadership was crucial, was a significant tactical error that contributed heavily towards the failure of the 1886 Home Rule Bill. The results of the 1885 general election were to have a significant impact on the political landscape of Britain; despite winning the most seats, the Liberals did not have an overall majority.As Parnell and the Irish Parliamentry Party (IPP) held the balance...
Aboriginals influenced classical Liberalism to some extent due to other numerous factors that are contributed in influencing classical Liberalism. Various opposing tribes occupied similar grounds in North America, consequently caused disputes which subsequently led to fighting. Due to the constant fights that were occurring, men were dying from each tribe and as a result a solution was needed to be established. Therefore, decided on unifying the five tribes in order to create one tribe termed the Iroquois (Haudenosaunee.) This enabled there to peace and ultimately a more unified tribe, drastically limiting on their disputes by resolving them democratically. Additionally, Iroquois women were perceived as equal to their counterparts, therefore
In conclusion the Kokoda Battle was a highly significant event to Australia firstly because of its cultural significance then and now: secondly, because of its strategic significance and finally, the military significance to Australia and the condition they faced during the War.
The “Sepoy Rebellion”/the first Indian war of independence did not start from one crucial event that may have triggered it all. This rebellion/war was a product of many small and big situations adding up. When the British East India Company first took over, they started with restricting the Indian ocean trade, which was a heavily relied on, as a source of income and goods in India. This restriction largely impacted and made a new economic structure. With the Indian trade restricted, the British benefited. The British Production system was able to flourish because they were able to use the Indian trade routes to export their goods. Most people living in India, at
When the Democrats rose to power in the White House, they replaced most of the people in offices with their own people (the common man). These people were illiterate and incompetent. This system of rewarding political supporters with jobs in the government was known as the "spoils system."
When writing the "big picture" histories, historians often overlook or exaggerate certain aspects of Australian history to make their point. Discuss with reference to one the recommended texts.
Australia is a monarchy of the United Kingdom. It always has been, and yet this does not seem to have significantly and adversely affected our development and growth towards our country. Thus, there seems no legitimate purpose to change this; since a republican Australia displays a lack of conclusive benefits towards our economy and ‘way of life.’ An Australian republic would cost billions to undertake and is simply unnecessary as there are more important issues facing Australia; and if the Australian citizens are not calling for a referendum, then any serious discussions from politicians or other related public figures are irrelevant and meaningless.
The first advantage towards Australia from federation that will be discussed in this essay is that federation helped Australia’s economy. Prior to federation the continent of Australia was broke up into six small economies, each a colony. Federation meant that Australia would become a bigger and better economy therefore other governments, particularly Brittan would be more willing to grant Australia loans and invest within it, opposed to doing so with smaller and separate colonies. Federation also had an effect on the tariffs. Prior to federation business people had to pay tariffs but under federation the tariffs would be abolished and free trade would make cheaper production costs and open up many more business opportunities. In this sense, Federation should have been a necessity for Australia due to all the finan...
In the nineteenth century, the “History wars” became the fight between the most prominent historians revolving around the deception of frontier conflict between the labor and coalition. The debate aroused from the different interpretations of the violence that took place during the European colonization and to what degree. It became a crisis in history, emerging from the dispossession of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders (ATSI) that resulted in exclusion of their traditions and culture. The ATSI were the first people of Australia that brought along a different culture, language, kinship structures and a different way of life (Face the Facts, 2012). Post European colonization was a time where the ATSI people experienced disadvantage in the land they called home. With the paramount role as future educators, it demands proficient knowledge on the Australian history and one of the most influential moments in our history started from the first European settlers.
In 1964 there was a protest outside the US consulate in Canberra that two thousand people had attended to protest about racial segregation and civil rights in the United States. Many people of the general public stated things such as if protesters are going to so much trouble why not protest about racial segregation within our own country. These comments had lead to the making of our own Australian Freedom Riders which were based on the American Freedom Riders who were making a difference with civil rights and discrimination in America. They travelled across America to raise awareness of the issues when it came to the African-American’s rights and they helped achieve equality. The Australian Freedom Riders helped in achieving freedom for the Indigenous Australians just like the Americans.
Lord Durham had determined the fault of the rebellion was the system of government and the family compact as they were inadequate to cater to the needs of civilians. The governor listened only to the advice of the Family Compact, which left the elected Assembly with little to no say in decisions. As a result, it lead to a lack of voice in the government and no access to influential positions for citizens. Also, immigrants felt betrayed when they did not receive the land they were promised, as land speculators and absentee landowners overpriced or tied up prime land. Influential figures, like the Family Compact, Tories and the Anglican Church, usually had the best land and many of them did not use it or kept it uncleared. Moreover, poor roads caused hardship and discontent as large uncleared clergy reserves held up further development, because no roads could be built through them. As a result, the farmers could not get their products to the market because of inadequate roads. If the government had listened to the citizens complaints and concerns they could have easily avoided the rebellion. The rebellion lead to a needed change in the system of government as the system was very broken and corrupt. Rebellion in Upper Canada was justified because there was a serious need for reform within the colonial
In short, Schama details how it was a Whig majority led by Prime Minister, Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey in 1832 that helped spur along the passage of an electoral system reformation bill, thus satiating the public’s growing malcontent. The Act was a response to many years of public critism aimed at an unfair electoral system wherein votes were literally bought by candidates. The Bill was designed to, according to its preamble, “take effectual measures for correcting diverse abuses that have long prevailed in the choice of members to serve in the Commons House of Parliament.” The Act also created 67 new constituencies, or half a million new voters, as Schama puts it, along with the broadening of the franchise’s property qualification in the counties, to include small land-owners, tenant farmers, and
Democracy in the United States became prominent in the early to mid 19th century. Andrew Jackson, the 7th president of the United States, was inaugurated in 1829 and was best known as the person who mainstreamed democracy in America. Because he came from a humble background, he was the “genuine common man.” (Foner, pg. 303) He claimed he recognized the needs of the people and spoke on behalf of the majority [farmers, laborers]. However, critics of Jackson and democracy called him “King Andrew I” because of his apparent abuse of presidential power [vetoing]. These critics believed he favored the majority so much that it violated the U.S. constitution, and they stated he was straying too far away from the plan originally set for the United States. Because of the extreme shift of power to the majority, the limiting of rights of the few [merchants, industrialists] and the abuse of power under Jackson’s democracy, the foundational documents set in the constitution was violated, and the work of the preceding presidents were all but lost.
On the 30th November, 500 miners rallied together under the Eureka flag and elected Peter Lalor as their leader. Swearing to fight alongside each other against the military and police forces, they built their stockade and waited for the local police force and British forces to commence their attack on the Stockade.
Both my rebels rebelled in the same way by showing that whatever you are, you can be powerful