This book brings together recent and original work to illuminate comparisons and contrasts between two former colonies of the British empire. The contributors include some of the top names in history and political science, in Canada and Australia. Parties Long Estranged covers the entire 20th century and examines different aspects of Canadian-Australian relations, including trade, civil aviation, military, constitutional, imperial, and diplomatic relations. The comparisons include Aboriginal rights, nation-building, middle powers, and attitudes towards the Empire.
Margaret MacMillan is Provost of Trinity College, University of Toronto, and the author of Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed the World, among many other publications. Francine McKenzie teaches history at the University of Western Ontario and is the author of Redefining the Bonds of Commonwealth 1939-1948: The Politics of Preference.
What this book offers is a wealth of detail on an interesting choice of subjects. The research is sound, the interpretations are thoughtful, and the writing is clear and sometimes elegant ... a major contribution to our understanding of how two communities with much in common have endeavoured to overcome the powerful forces keeping them apart.
The backgrounds and interests of the coeditors reveal a great deal about the core focus. The writing skills and knowledge of diplomatic history of Margaret MacMillan, author of the widely acclaimed Paris 1919, are often in evidence. Her particular interest in the period surrounding the First World War is complemented by Francine McKenzie’s grounding in the interwar years ... Scholars are indebted to MacMillan, McKenzie, and the other contributors to this volume for assessing the twentieth-century background so carefully.