The Hawke ascendancy : a definitive account of its origins and climax, 1975-1983

Sydney, Angus & Robertson, 1984 [1st edition]; 155 x 225 mm, prelims, 472 pp. Hard Cover - previous owner's name on front free endpaper and two marks in the margin on one page, otherwise Fine, in a like Dust Jacket showing light rubbing - a very nice copy. The Hawke Ascendancy is the story of how the Labor Party returned to power in 1983 after its crushing defeat in 1975. It is the inside story of three men - Bob Hawke, Malcolm Fraser and Bill Hayden - and their unique power struggle. The account covers the full eight years which began with Fraser's 1975 supremacy and closed with Hawke's 1983 triumph and first year of office. This definitive work deals with the personality clashes, policy achievements and power struggles in both the Labor and Liberal Parties. Hawke, alienated from his own party in 1975, finally broke down the doors of its opposition to him and became Labor's saviour. Fraser, invulnerable and all- powerful in 1975, eventually succumbed to external pressures and internal weakness. Hayden, an initially reluctant but then aggressive leader, took Labor to the very brink only to falter himself. Paul Kelly sketches the triumph and tragedy of individuals against the big issues of the era - economic management, resources development and Australia's place in the world. In the process he shows how Australian politics has been transformed. The Hawke Ascendancy is, above all, a gripping inside account of how our politics really works today.