Three Rebellions: Canada, Wales and Australia

Three Rebellions: Canada 1837-1838, South Wales 1839 and Victoria, Australia, 1854, Richard Brown, Clio Publishing, 864 pp, ISBN 978 0955698330, £35.00

It is always important to see comparative history, not least for the crucial counterfactual light it sheds on explanations, and Richard Brown's well-written and insightful work is particularly valuable because it brings together three rebellions hitherto treated in isolation and, in doing so, casts considerable light on each of them. Brown's scholarship is first rate and he ably demonstrates his case that there is a common theme of popular constitutionalism, one that was linked to British radicalism, specifically Chartism.

As such, this book offers an instructive insight on the tensions to which the British empire was subject and the requirements, alongside careful management, for the use of force. The latter theme is important also for military historians, notably of Britain, as many have underplayed this element. A first-rate study that is to be followed by another on subsequent rebellions. Clio Publishing is a new company that is to be welcomed.