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The Right Road?: A History of Right Wing Politics in Australia
The Australian Right has attracted little historiographical attention and has, until now, been a neglected area of study. Individual organisations have been quite well documented and these sources have been used to provide evidence for an argumentative interpretation of right wing political
groups and activities in Australia since 1788. The Australian Right emerges from and reflects a diverse tradition. It embraces the 'typical Nazi', brandishing fists and Swastika, or the anti-Asian skinheads of the film 'Romper Stomper', to the modern 'econocrat' who opposes the values of the French
Revolution with impressive sounding jargon. It has included priests, polemicists and politicians, broadcasters and bureaucrats, soldiers and solicitors, thugs and technocrats. It has involved people from the margins - crackpots - and other sin the political mainstream, especially Burkean
conservaties. Paradoxically it is a heterogeneous movements that has advocated homegeneity. It is synoptic rather than an exhaustive attempt to analyse the philosophies and actions of right wing groups. The book does however, proceed chronologically and covers right wing politics from nineteenth
century Anglo-Australian conservatism through the anti-Bolshevism and fascism encountered by world events (1917-1930s) and analyses postwar right wing movements in Australia.
groups and activities in Australia since 1788. The Australian Right emerges from and reflects a diverse tradition. It embraces the 'typical Nazi', brandishing fists and Swastika, or the anti-Asian skinheads of the film 'Romper Stomper', to the modern 'econocrat' who opposes the values of the French
Revolution with impressive sounding jargon. It has included priests, polemicists and politicians, broadcasters and bureaucrats, soldiers and solicitors, thugs and technocrats. It has involved people from the margins - crackpots - and other sin the political mainstream, especially Burkean
conservaties. Paradoxically it is a heterogeneous movements that has advocated homegeneity. It is synoptic rather than an exhaustive attempt to analyse the philosophies and actions of right wing groups. The book does however, proceed chronologically and covers right wing politics from nineteenth
century Anglo-Australian conservatism through the anti-Bolshevism and fascism encountered by world events (1917-1930s) and analyses postwar right wing movements in Australia.
- GenresHistory
176 pages, Paperback
First published August 24, 1995
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About the author
Andrew Moore
212 books13 followersLibrarian Note: There are more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 28, 2023
Moore provides a broad overview of the history of Right Wing politics in Australia. Whilst the book is not extensive referenced and not heavy on details, that was required for the style of the retrospective. It would be unwise to judge the book on their failings here as this is the genre.
Moore makes the distinction in the introduction between conservative politics and right wing politics. This distinction is useful throughout the book and helps breaks down some of the nuances between the two and there relationship between the two. A clear distinction here is that the right seriously believed that Australia would be overtaken by communists. Moore further establishes that he will be discussing it from a historical perspective and not a political theory lens. As a result, the meanings of such words are liable to change as the political milieu evolves.
It is interestering to see the influential role of private schools in the right wing movement, especially during the early days of the movement. Sydney Grammar students, for instance, provided resistance against the great strike of 1917. The Kings School also drew comparison between the political context and the USSR.
Moore makes the distinction in the introduction between conservative politics and right wing politics. This distinction is useful throughout the book and helps breaks down some of the nuances between the two and there relationship between the two. A clear distinction here is that the right seriously believed that Australia would be overtaken by communists. Moore further establishes that he will be discussing it from a historical perspective and not a political theory lens. As a result, the meanings of such words are liable to change as the political milieu evolves.
It is interestering to see the influential role of private schools in the right wing movement, especially during the early days of the movement. Sydney Grammar students, for instance, provided resistance against the great strike of 1917. The Kings School also drew comparison between the political context and the USSR.
December 31, 2020
shows exactly why there is such a dearth of literature on right wing politics in Australia; every left-leaning party official and operative should read this book: Know thine enemy.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews