Three forces—dwindling British power, rising American influence, and nationalism in a variety of forms—have transformed Australia, New Zealand, and the adjacent islands since 1919. In this volume, some of the most distinguished scholars of the Pacific region assess these significant historical changes.

These essays deal with international relations, politics, changing social structures, and literature since World War I. The themes of the volume as a whole are social and humanistic; they concern the evolution of both a regional identity and separate national identities in the Southwest Pacific. The unique areal and thematic concentration of this book makes it essential reading for all those interested in the history, politics, and culture of the Pacific.

The Independent Reflector, a polemical essay-journal, here republished for the first time since its appearance in 1752–53, is a pungently written commentary on the culture of pre-Revolutionary America. Seeking to awaken New Yorkers to contemporary social problems, William Livingston urged reforms of all kinds and took advanced positions on key issues religious freedom, freedom of the press, public education. Since each of the issues is discussed in a framework of general ideas, the volume provides a compendium of progressive thought in America on the eve of the Revolutionary controversy.