Thesis (M.A.) -- University of Adelaide. / Typewritten.

This thesis is a reassessment of British foreign policies from the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 until the Treaties of Locarno in 1925. It initially argues that much of the historiography of this period is unbalanced in its judgement of the different governments because it views them from a teleological perspective that fails to differentiate this period from the inter-war years as a whole. The problem with this approach is that the rise of Hitler and the causes of the Second World War became so dominant in such analyses that most issues within these years have only been judged within that wider context. The thesis argues that an assessment of the foreign policies between 1919 and 1925 must take greater account of all the diplomatic, military and economic difficulties in the years after the Great War, and also recognise the degree of stability achieved by the end of 1925. The difficulties included the expansion of the British Empire as a result of Versailles, ongoing financial and economic problems including wartime debts, the complexities of the Irish negotiations, and the major European issues that had not been resolved at Versailles. Britain was still a great power and its foreign policies are analysed both as an imperial power, including the newly acquired territories in the Middle East, and as a major European power. After an analysis of primary and secondary sources, it is argued that despite all the difficulties, and the seeds of long-term decline in imperial matters, British foreign policies contributed to greater stability in international affairs by the end of 1925. This is especially true of the achievements at Locarno in respect of Germany's western borders and in establishing Germany as an equal diplomatic partner. There were also no obvious new diplomatic hostages to fortune. Whether Britain and other powers could build on this greater stability after 1925 is a different issue, but that should not detract from recognition of the achievements during these six years.

This thesis extends the current scholarship of the social impact of the First World War by analysing the influence of the contribution of the Indian soldiers on the Western Front on civilian and military perceptions of Indian people and how this varied between those who encountered Indian soldiers in person and those who did not. The work sits on the historiographical boundary of the First World War, Empire and the social history of Britain in the post war years and makes use of newspapers, first person accounts and manuscript sources. The impact upon the civilian population is analysed by examining the manner in which Indian people were represented in the media in the years before the war and comparing this with later representations in the years during and after the war. The work of Porter and Mackenzie and the ongoing debate about the significance of the Empire to the British people is used to ground the argument. The thesis finds that, despite an increased awareness and interest in India and its people during the war, the public soon settled into a pre-war apathy towards its Empire. The military chapters briefly examine the history of the Indian Army and its time in France and the changes made by the British Army to facilitate the service of the Indian soldiers in Europe. It discusses the negative view of the Indian Corps which has been perpetuated by historians during the twentieth century and provides contradictory arguments against a number of these assertions. The thesis concludes that, while the Indian Corps' time in France positively impacted on British civilian and military opinion of Indian people, those who directly encountered them formed the most favourable views.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 2000. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 150-167).

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This research examines the development of virtual libraries in Commonwealth libraries in Australia in 1998-1999. The background to the study lies in some of the current issues in the information sector, and government responses to those issues. The study begins by considering the nature of the Australian Commonwealth Government, reviewing what government libraries are and whom they serve, and examining the future trends expected to affect Commonwealth libraries. The current state of virtual library research is then reviewed, and the need for research in the Commonwealth library sector examined. The author reviews the virtual library concept as expressed in the literature in the field, determines what a virtual library is, and gives consideration to why virtual libraries are being developed. The issues that affect and are affected by virtual library development are then examined. Based on this, a model of virtual libraries is formulated, along with a brief consideration of the possible application, importance and problems associated with each element of the model. The research design and methods that were used to gather information for this study are then outlined, along with the inherent limitations of the research model. Following this, the findings from a survey of virtual library development in Commonwealth libraries are discussed. The author then conducts some analysis of these responses, and makes comparisons between different Commonwealth library responses, as well as comparisons with virtual library studies conducted in American and Australian academic libraries. The research concludes by attempting to reach some conclusions about Commonwealth virtual library development and the validity of the proposed model of virtual libraries. Flowing from this, recommendations are made for further research in this field.

The thesis examines the speeches and debates in the Australasian Federation Conference of 1890, and the Australasian Federal Conventions of 1891 and 1897-8 for the purpose of establishing what the framers of the Commonwealth Constitution understood to be the meaning and purpose of the individual sections of the Constitution upon which they were called upon either to support or oppose. The particular matters involved in the examination are the manner and form in which the principles of responsible government were incorporated into the constitution, and the relationship of these principles to the powers of the Senate; the crisis in the 1891 Convention in relation to the powers of the Senate over money bills; the significance of the difference in composition of the Convention of 1891 compared with that of 1897-8; the significance of the classification of the Constitution as an indissoluble federation under the Crown; the principles of responsible government and the provisions of s.57 in the context of the deadlock over Supply in 1975; the meaning and purpose of s.41 preserving the rights of voters qualified to vote in State elections for the lower Houses, and the misconceptions in relation thereto the position of aborigines under the Constitution; the meaning and purpose of the special laws power in the light of the 1967 Constitutional referendum, and its interpretation bU the High Court in the Hindmarsh Island Bridge case; the relationship of the intentions of the framers of the Constitution to the interpretation bu the High Court of the Financial Clauses of the Constitution, and the provisions of s.92; and the meaning and purpose of the external affairs power, and the corporations power as understood bu the framers of the Constitution.