Founded in 1836, the British colony of South Australia thrived economically from its inception. By 1857, it had already transitioned from colonial autocratic government to responsible self-government with universal adult male suffrage. Closely examining these twenty years of dramatic change, Sumner La Croix and Edwyna Harris uncover the experimental institutions that made it possible and probe how this colonial venture severely harmed Indigenous peoples who had owned and used these lands for over 45,000 years. They apply narrative methods, modern economic and political theory, and econometrics to understand how various aspects of the Wakefield principles of systematic colonisation played out in South Australia and why so many aspects of his system were quickly abandoned. Through this new analysis, the authors identify the forces and events that ultimately led South Australia's residents to establish some of the world's most democratic political institutions.

‘A fascinating book describing the operational reality Edward Wakefield’s colonization principles in South Australia, La Croix and Harris chronicle white success, Indigenous land dispossession and the places where Aboriginal groups exerted some agency.’

Ann M. Carlos - University of Boulder Colorado

‘From Utopian Colony to Self-Governing Democracy is a compelling account of South Australia’s path from ambitious blueprint to self-government. Blending economic history, institutional and trade economics, and political economy, it shows how Wakefield’s ‘perfect plan’ was reshaped in practice, how the colonial institutions evolved — and the consequences for the Indigenous population.’

Martine Mariotti - Australian National University