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Period: Jan 1, 1492 to
European Discovery
With European discovery of the Americas by Christopher Columbus in 1492, a New World was born. On the other side of the world, James Cook's discovery of the east coast of Australia in 1770 extended the reach of the British Empire well into the Southern Hemisphere. In 1788, a British penal settlement at Sydney Cove became part of the emerging New World. "New World" depicted as the Americas and Oceania, distinguished from the three parts of the "Old World" (Europe, Asia, Africa). -
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Involuntary migration
The first African slaves were brought to the North American colony of Jamestown, Virginia, in 1619, to aid in the production of such lucrative crops as tobacco. Convicts arrived in Australia on the 18th of January 1788 from Great Britain, forming most of the Australian population for the first few decades of settlement. From the 1860s, the blackbirding trade found workers to mine the guano deposits in Peru and supply labourers to sugar cane plantations of Queensland, Australia and Fiji. -
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Enlightenment
The Enlightenment is the period which saw dramatic revolutions in science, philosophy, society and politics; these revolutions swept away the medieval world-view and ushered in our modern western world.Certain thinkers and writers, set out to enlighten others.They believed that human reason could be used to combat ignorance, superstition and tyranny to build a better world.This was the beginning of liberalism, the pursuit of personal interests in opposition to imposed ways of life by the church. -
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The Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution began in Britain in the mid 1700s and spread to Europe and beyond. Technological innovations in the textile and iron industries were major driving forces behind industrialisation. Agriculture., manufacturing, transport and communications all experienced improved efficiencies thanks to inventions like steam power and later, electricity. -
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Imperialism
Imperialism can be thought of as ‘empire building’, whereby a more powerful nation or people extends its influence over a less powerful group.An example of this can be seen in Britain’s rule over Australia and NZ from 1788.The British also believed that other people would benefit from being brought under British control.The search for new investment opportunities was a major reason for the development of the New World colonies by Europeans. -
The introduction of the 'Factory System'.
The factory system was one of the innovations of the industrial revolution. As demand for goods rose after 1775, small domestic manufacturers could not keep up so large-scale production, facilitated by new power sources such as the steam engine, made it more economic to produce goods.People flocked to these factories in order to find employment. For poorer people this meant continued long hours of hard labour for little pay.Cheap labour was essential for maintaining low costs of production. -
Building Aboriginal Relationships
On January 26th 1788, Governor Arthur Phillip declared that all of eastern Australia belonged to Britain. Phillip was under orders to maintain good relations with Aboriginal People and therefore attempted to establish friendly interaction. Aboriginal People were curious about the newcomers and accepted their gifts. Over time, Aboriginal People were denied access to traditional lands, and they began to resent the intruders. A violent war amongst them prevailed until about 1816. -
Free Settlers in Australia
On 16 January 1793, the first free settlers from England arrived aboard the Bellona. Their arrival meant that the colony was set to become more than just a penal settlement. Free settlers had to fund their own transport and were usually quite wealthy.The few who made the journey to Australia did so mostly to make their fortune.They were often given large land grants and convicts to work for them. Some free settlers were doctors and military officers looking for a better way of life in Australia. -
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Van Diemen’s Land.
Second colony was made in Risdon Cove Vans Diemen’s (Tasmania) 1803 by John Bowen. This colony was created for those convicts who had committed the most serious crimes and would not be granted freedom.
The short term effects were that all the worst convicts were sent there and no free settlers made it their homeland. Between 1803 and 1853, 75,000 convicts were sent to Van Diemen’s Land.
The long term effects were that there was a population growth in Tasmania. -
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How Governor Lachlan Macquarie changed things for the convicts
Lachlan Macquarie was the Governor of NSW from 1810 – 1821. He believed that convicts who had served their sentence should be treated equally by others.Governor Macquarie saw Sydney as a settlement rather than just a penal colony.He set convicts to work making new roads and buildings. He gave skilled convicts responsibilities and rewarded their hard work.During his governorship he issued 366 pardons, 1365 conditional pardons and 2139 tickets-of-leave.This led to disagreements with free settlers -
The Spread of British Settlement
Britain introduced an assisted passage scheme to encourage people to emigrate to Australian colonies to ease population pressures. New settlers took up this challenge, hoping to make their fortune as property owners. The crossing of the Blue Mountains by Wentworth, Lawson and Blaxland in 1813 opened up new pastoral lands. With further exploration, new British colonies were established, those being: colonies of Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania and Queensland. -
Alexander Graham Bell Invents The Telephone
Alexander Graham Bell invented the first telephone. He made the first call to Thomas A. Watson saying "Mr. Watson come here; I want you". Telephones first appeared in England but soon travelled to other parts of the world. People were able to communicate over a vast distance and it became an integral part of everyday life. It had a large impact, making business more efficient and it saved money from travelling to distant places, and it made transactions occur quicker. -
Thomas Edison invents the first reliable electric lightbulb.
Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb.Many of his inventions were group efforts in his large invention laboratory. He also started many companies including General Electric, which is still one of the biggest corporations in the world today. -
Commonwealth Franchise Act 1902
The Commonwealth franchise Act was signed by the Governor-General in 1902 to determine who could vote in a federal election. The Act excluded Indigenous people. Aboriginal natives of Australia, Asia, Africa and Pacific Islands had to live by these rules and regulations. New Zealand was excluded by these rules. Amendments to the act were made in 1925 and 1949(allowing all naturalised Australian natives and Aboriginals serving in war the right to vote.) -
Assassination Of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
The brutal assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie took place on Sunday, 28 June 1914, at approximately 10:45 am in Sarajevo. This was the immediate cause of World War I . This assassination led to Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia. When Russia began to mobilize due to its alliance with Serbia, Germany declared war on Russia. Thus began the expansion of the war to include all those involved in the mutual defence alliances. -
The Western Front
Hostility grew between European countries causing Alliances. After the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, Germany planned to attack France and then Russia. Germany invaded Luxemburg, 2 August 1914, which brought non-stop fighting on the ‘Western Front’ in France and Flanders. Both sides held an entrenched line from Belgium to the Swiss border. The French army had initially led the way, however, from mid-1917, until the ultimate victory in November 1918, the British Army played the central role -
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The Western Front
Hostility grew between European countries causing Alliances. After the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, Germany planned to attack France and then Russia. Germany invaded Luxemburg, 2 August 1914, which brought non-stop fighting on the ‘Western Front’ in France and Flanders. Both sides held an entrenched line from Belgium to the Swiss border. The French army had initially led the way, however, from mid-1917, until the ultimate victory in November 1918, the British -
Battle of Gallipolli
During World War 1 (April 1915), the newly formed armies from Australia and New Zealand, who were stationed in Egypt on route for France, joined British and French armies on their invasion of the Gallipoli peninsula. Landings at Helles, Anzac Cove and Sulva Bay were mismanaged and heavy casualties were incurred (approximately 40,000) particularly by Australian and New Zealand corps. With attacks failing and forces needed elsewhere, armies evacuate the peninsula by January 1916. -
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Australia's Middle East Campaign in WW1
The Middle East campaign began in 1916 with Australian troops participating in the defence of the Suez Canal and the allied reconquest of the Sinai peninsula. In the following year Australian and other allied troops advanced into Palestine and captured Gaza and Jerusalem; by 1918 they had occupied Lebanon and Syria. On 30 October 1918 Turkey sued for peace.
