The Australian continent is a diverse environment with a rich history and prosperous future. The major changes began in the 1850s when the development of the country began. Since the earliest days of the late 18th century, it was a British colony and has since seen a population and industry growth like many other nations in the world.
Primarily, Australia was thought to be a far off land where indigenous people were abundant and technology non-existent. During the hundred years, from 1800 to 1900, the United Kingdom would establish separate colonies that divided Australia into distinct and unique regions. From the beginning, Australia had a reputation of being a penal colony, but mostly, Tasmania and Southern Australia were used for such purposes.
In 1825, Tasmania became a separate nation but stayed an important part of Australian culture and heritage. Before the 1850s, Australia saw some administrative reforms which were centered on increasing the efficiency of national matters and the regulation of the new country began to flourish. The social life was revolving around the collective effort of society to build a world full of prosperity and success.
The guiding principles of the government were to establish an order that allowed for the development of industries and aggregation of autonomous matters. The mindset that was predominantly related to shaping public policy in such a way that it allowed people to gain maximum use of agriculture and environmental factors.
This was to be used for directing further movement into the industrial era. Even though many people were thought to be outcasts, they have played a major role in the way Australian society and culture were built. This led to further exploration of Australian habitat and changes to the industry (Elder, 2008).
The starting days of the industrial revolution in Australia are considered to be somewhat grim. People had to work extremely hard to implement any changes to the social and cultural make-up of the country. The industry was in its development stages and was quantified as hard labor that put a lot of strain on the population. This affected the people and general culture, as it became a requirement to be a hard worker and of strong character.
The pressure on individual and country created a nation and a way of life that was signified by its push forward and determination. The gold rush that started in 1851 was a key turning point in Australia’s history. There was a great number of people who traveled to Australia in search of gold, and this led to an even greater increase in the population (Hirst, 2010).
The new industrial plants that were being built served as a bridge towards prosperity, and people were eager and confident that their efforts would bring changes to the social and cultural fabric. British influence was a predominant factor in the way Australian society was being shaped.
It became the land of opportunity, and as the gold was beginning to get hard to reach, new industries had to be invented and developed. The knowledge from industrial Britain transferred over to Australia, and steam-powered machinery was used to industrialize the introduction and maintenance of technology (Macintyre, 2009).
Radical changes took place at the turn of the century when Great Britain became one of the major superpowers of the world, and this reflected on Australia. Even though Australian people have influenced British rule, they demanded to be their land, and this can be seen in the Maritime strike of 1890. The major reasons were the separation between classes, and this very much reflected on the society and culture of the time.
It showed that people were not going to be oppressed, and their rights and participation in the matters of the court country were equally important to them compared to all else. In 1901, Australia had been officially divided into a federation of colonies, and this brought about the separation of control, governments, and localities. Australia majorly participated in World War I and II, through its connection to Britain.
After the wars Au, Australia established a supportive and cooperative involvement with the United States and is presently considered an ally (Clarke, 2002). The culture of the post-war and industrial development period has been booming in every direction. The rich environment and modernization became significant factors in Australian culture.
Previously, the society was made up of British and Asian people who were mixing with the indigenous population. Australia has seen a significant impact of the Aboriginal people on the arts and culture of the nation. But at the same time, the United States has influenced Australia through media and modernization. The major cities of Australia are fully industrially developed and compete with many others on the international level (Crotty, 2009).
Just as many other places in the world, Australia has a rich history from settlement to the modern industrially developed nation. The culture which is rich in native and modern influence creates a mix of people who add to the unique environment of the land.
References
Clarke, F. (2002). The History of Australia. Westport, United States: Greenwood Publishing Group.
Crotty, M. (2009). Turning Points in Australian History. Sydney, Australia: UNSW Press.
Elder, B. (2008). Australia. Chatswood, Austraia: New Holland Publishers.
Hirst, J. (2010). Looking for Australia: Historical Essays. Melbourne, Australia: Black Inc.
Macintyre, S. (2009). A Concise History of Australia. New York, United States: Cambridge University Press.