Constructing Capitalism

In 1788, Australia was a gaol. In 1901 it was a liberal capitalist economy. How were the convict settlements, scattered on the edge of a vast unexplored continent, transformed within little more than a century into a 'free enterprise' economy? In tracing the forces engaged in that transformation, Constructing Capitalism places the creation of a new society within its economic and political context. It demonstrates the crucial role of land policy and the labour market in the early years. It descr