Containing Contention: A Reinterpretation of Democratic Change and Electoral Reform in the Australian Colonies.

Australia was a precocious mass democracy. In the middle of the 19th century the franchise was extended to nearly all white male adults, the secret ballot was introduced, and other important reforms implemented. Surprisingly, these developments have attracted little recent attention. Dominant interp...

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Published in:Australian Historical Studies Vol. 42; no. 3; pp. 337 - 357
Main Author: Scalmer, Sean
Format: Article
Published: Taylor & Francis Ltd Sep2011
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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        atl: Containing Contention: A Reinterpretation of Democratic Change and Electoral Reform in the Australian Colonies.
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        au: Scalmer, Sean
      su:
        Democracy
        Australian politics & government, to 1900
        Australian history, 1788-1900
        Democratization
        Administration of British colonies
        Political change
        Australia
        United Kingdom
      sug:
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          Australia
          United Kingdom
          Democracy
          Australian politics & government, to 1900
          Australian history, 1788-1900
          Democratization
          Administration of British colonies
          Political change
      ab: Australia was a precocious mass democracy. In the middle of the 19th century the franchise was extended to nearly all white male adults, the secret ballot was introduced, and other important reforms implemented. Surprisingly, these developments have attracted little recent attention. Dominant interpretations are based on selective surveys of particular colonies; they either elevate the gold diggings or else cynically claim that democratisation was mostly accidental and inglorious. This paper encompasses a survey of the three major colonies. It argues that widespread collective action was a spur to political change, and that electoral reforms were introduced to contain future contention.
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    language: English
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