England's Influence on Australia in the Past and the Present

England's influence on Australia in the past and the present

When talking about Australian history it is inevitable to not include England. England plays a major role, not only in the past of Australia but also in the present. Originally, the Australian culture is an English culture. Several theories states that the first Fleet of British convicts arrived to Australia in 1788. The country "down under" was essentially a British colonization which also explains why the native language is English. The name "Australia" was formally adopted and popularized in 1817 by the British governor of the colony of New South Wales.

The initial concept of Australia is the British colony that was made back in 1788 when English settlers arrived. The influence of England is still evident today. For instance, British models form the basis of Australia's legal and political systems.

Since the first settlers came to Australia, many things have changed. Today, Australia is much more independent. However, up until World War II, it was mainly Britain that was the dominating cultural influence in Australia. Prior to the 2nd World War, Australia was very dependent on Bri-tain. Britain dominated how the political system was managed. Most Australians were either born British or had British roots. In the years after the war, many British people were encouraged to migrate to Australia, which provided housing and employment options. In the years between 1945 and 1972, over one million British migrants settled in Australia.

Before 1945, many people, including Australians themselves, were actually considered Au-stralia to be nothing more than a British colony; a nation whose national identity was relatively indistinct from the British. During this period of Australia's history, our modes of entertainment, food, fashion, sporting culture and our social values and attitudes were largely dictated by British culture. Today, with roots in England's culture, Australia has formed its own independent culture that has its own characteristics. Not only is Australia known for the beautiful climate, but also the animals and linguistics. Even though Australia is a lot more independent than it used to be, the Australian judicial system is still based upon the common law of England.

The fact that Australia today is more independent, basically means that there, in time, has been created some differences between the two cultures. The general difference between Australian culture and English culture is without a doubt the geographical aspect; the climate in Australia is much different from England's, which also means, that the citizens in Australia have different mentality than the English, e.g., one could argue that the Aussies are a lot more free spirited and easy-going as a result of all the nature around them, which provides calmness and serenity, whereas you could imagine Englishmen

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