Library Guides: Making a Nation: Home

Source: Tom Roberts

In the years after colonisation, Australia grew as a nation, slowly moving away from considering themselves as British and forming a distinctly Australian national identity. But what lead to this change? Read through the resources below and explores the topics above to explore how Australia became Australia.

Australian history timeline (National Film and Sound Archive, n.d.)

This timeline features a collection of clips covering Australian history from hundreds of thousands of years ago to the beginning of the 21st Century and is a good place to start to see how Australian history has developed over time.

Defining moments (National Museum of Australia, n.d.)

This collection provides a detailed history of key events in Australian history, with images, quotes, related moments and suggestions for further reading.

Marvellous Melbourne (Museums Victoria, n.d.)

By world standards, Melbourne is a young city but it has layers of history. Bluestone and concrete, paint and neon, Victorian-ornate and sheet-glass — all cram into the cross-hatched canyons that are Melbourne's streets and lanes. Using this website you can discover how each era shaped the city we see today and relate it to the broader history of Australia.

National Museum of Australia

The National Museum of Australia, in the national capital Canberra, preserves and interprets Australia's social history, exploring the key issues, people and events that have shaped the nation and is a great place to start your research.

Australian Museum

The Australian Museum is the oldest museum in Australia, and the fifth oldest natural history museum in the world, with an international reputation in the fields of natural history and anthropology. It is a good place to find primary resources.

National Film and Sound Archive of Australia

The NFSA website has hundreds of themed curated collections featuring Australia's history, personalities, Indigenous peoples and including a selection of Australia's favourite films, TV shows and musicians. There is something for everyone, and hours of content to explore.

National Archives of Australia

The National Archives safeguards the nation's memory. They collect, preserve and manage documents and other evidence that record important events in Australian history and make them available to the public, in accordance with the Archives Act, 1983. It is a great place to look for primary sources.

State Library of Victoria

State Library Victoria is one of Australia's oldest cultural institutions. It is the major reference and research library in Victoria, responsible for collecting and preserving Victoria's documentary heritage and making it available through a range of services and programs.

Alluvial: clay, silt, sand, gravel, or similar detrital material deposited by running water.

Banjo Patterson: Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson, CBE was an Australian bush poet, journalist and author.

Bushranger: an outlaw living in the bush.

Colony: a group of people of one nationality or race living in a foreign place.

Deep Reef Gold: a type of gold mining in "reefs" of quartz.

Federation: the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, and Western Australia agreed to unite and form the Commonwealth of Australia, establishing a system of federalism in Australia.

Gold Rush: a rapid movement of people to a newly discovered goldfield. The first major gold rush, to California in 1848, was followed by others in the US, Australia (1851–3), South Africa (1884), and Canada (Klondike, 1897–8).

Henry Lawson: Henry Archibald Hertzberg Lawson was an Australian writer and bush poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial period and is often called Australia's "greatest short story writer".

Hero: a person who is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.

Identity: the qualities, beliefs, personality traits, appearance, and/or expressions that characterize a person or group.

Immigration Restriction Act: The Immigration Restriction Act 1901 was an Act of the Parliament of Australia which limited immigration to Australia and formed the basis of the White Australia policy which sought to exclude all non-Europeans from Australia.

Kanakas: a Pacific Islander employed as an indentured labourer in Australia, especially in the sugar and cotton plantations of Queensland.

Nationalism: an ideology that emphasizes loyalty, devotion, or allegiance to a nation or nation-state and holds that such obligations outweigh other individual or group interests.

Panning: wash gravel in a pan to separate out gold.

Villain: a cruelly malicious person who is involved in or devoted to wickedness or crime.

White Australia Policy: the fundamental legislation of the new Commonwealth of Australia that effectively stopped all non-European immigration into the country and that contributed to the development of a racially insulated white society.

The History Listen

New and compelling stories from Australia and around the world, told by some of our most popular and trusted historians. Step inside a time machine for an immersive journey through history, where stories of people, places, and events bring the past vividly into our present world.

Australian Histories Podcast

The Australian Histories Podcast aims to take a fresh look at some of the brilliant stories from Australia's past. The podcast content will be presented as a series of themed stories rather than a straightforward chronological structure. The stories recounted may be mixed up a bit in the Australian history timeline, but I have put a timeline on the webpage, to help you navigate backward & forwards, as we explore each themed episode & note where each story fits in.

Australia's Invisible History

So many of us Australians do not know our own history. But that can all change. Join Sydney-based broadcaster and author Katrina Roe and The Outback Historian Paul Roe as they make the invisible visible by digging up the buried stories of Australian heroes, pioneers, and visionaries. Here, you will meet Australians from every corner of the country, the city, and the bush including migrants and Indigenous Australians, men and women, nurses, doctors, activists, boxers, athletes, missionaries, and ministers.

1901 and all that by National Archives of Australia
Publication Date: 2000

Designed to help students explore Australia's Federation, and to make connections with their own lives today. It is aimed particularly at years 9-10. The kit includes teacher's notes, activities, primary and secondary source material and a CD-ROM game that explores some of the issues of Federation in a modern context. The source material is primarily from the collection of the National Archives of Australia
Achieving nationhood : the story of Federation by Robert Coupe
Publication Date: 2000

On 1 January 1901, the six Australian colonies of Great Britain combined to form the new independent nation of Australia. This book charts the evolution of the federation movement, from the early days of New South Wales when governors struggled against the power of the Rum Corps, through the development of responsible government in the Australian colonies to the eventual, but hard-won, achievement of federation. Throughout the narrative, important figures - such as William Charles Wentworth, Henry Parkes, Edmund Barton and Alfred Deakin - who played key roles in this process, are brought vividly to life.
Analysing Australian history by Ken Webb
Publication Date: 2008

Will help students to develop a broad and detailed understanding of the experiences of Australians by analysing and reflecting upon the political, social and economic changes and continuities of Australian history.
Australia and the world : thinking historically by Helen Calvert, Jenny Herbst & Ross Smith
Publication Date: 2006

Presents a panorama of Australian history through the 19th and 20th centuries, with insights into 21st century issues. It is lively to read and the clear student-friendly content is supported by a range of engaging sources including documents, photos, cartoons, illustrations and extracts.
Australia's heritage in profile by Mark Anderson & Paul Ashton
Publication Date: 1995

Heritage is what makes you, your family, your fellow-citizens and your country unique. This book explores questions such as: How can we investigate the past? Why is some of the past kept and some lost? What can be learnt from the history of the local community? This is hands-on history, with fresh and interesting sources and a range of activities to encourage inquiry-based learning. Each chapter opens with an inquiry focus, a list of outcomes and definitions of relevant historical terms. Real Life Studies, Inquiry Studies and Site Studies emphasise cooperative learning strategies, problem solving and communication skills as students explore a wide range of topics, from Aboriginal heritage and oral history to Manly and beach culture.
Australia's immigration policy : 1788-2009 by Nicolas Brasch
Publication Date: 2009

Covers the period from 1788, when the arrival of the British formed the basis of Australia's immigration policy for the next 200 years, to today, when multiculturalism is still a political issue. Specially selected primary sources dating between 1770 and 2009 bring this period of Australian history to life!
Australian Federation one people, one destiny by Net Brennan
Publication Date: 2014

Before 1901 the nation of Australia did not exist. Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia were six separate colonies under British rule. But among the people of colonies, the idea of unity was emerging: "a nation for a continent and a continent for a nation." Here's the story of how ordinary citizens became the first in the world to write and vote for their own constitution, coming together to form the nation of Australia.
The Australian flag : the first 100 years by Geoff Hocking
Publication Date: 2002

A book showing the debate about the Australian flag and its future. Whether the flag should have the union jack on it or the Aboriginal flag or the flag from the Eureka stockade. It looks at the concept of Terra Nullis.
Australian flags and emblems by Karen Tayleur
Publication Date: 2013

The story of Australia is told by the flags and the emblems we see around us. They display our past, our cultural heritage, our national treasures and the amazing diversity of each state. A fascinating window onto our rich history and what we value.
Australian pioneers by Kathrine Bell
Publication Date: 2011

This book is about unsung heroes and heroines of Australia's past. These were the people who came from England to begin a new life in this new land. Some had come as convicts and some as free settlers. But they all shared a common goal - a|burning desire to make a new and better life for their families, while knowing that all the time great privations might have to be endured to achieve the best from the opportunities.
Australian symbols by Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Publication Date: 2000

Australian symbols is the second in a series of booklets prepared as a service to the Australian community. The booklet presents the formal symbols of the Commonwealth, its States and Territories.
Australians all : a history of growing up, from the ice age to the apology by Nadia Wheatley & Ken Searle
Publication Date: 2013

A lavish and comprehensive new history of Australia, told through the lives of children, this book tells the story of what it was like to grow up on our continent from the Ice Age to the|Apology. The historical narrative is interspersed with over seventy mini-biographies and childhood|accounts, including some well-known Australians such as William Barak, Ethel Turner, Eddie Mabo, and Mark Oliphant as well as many lesser-known Australians.
Backtrack Australia's twentieth century by Glen Miller
Publication Date: 1999

This book presents a brief, yet evocative, survey of the world's major and lesser known events of the last 100 years. The news stories, fads, fashions, talk and big names of each year are covered, as well as popular books, songs, films, television programs and births and deaths of Australian and international celebrities. Special interest boxes compare the way our standard of living has changed over the years, and comprehensive appendices include lists of Melbourne Cup winners, Australian Prime Ministers and Rugby League Campions of the century.
Birth of a nation eyewitness to Federation, 1850 to 1901 by Nicolas Brasch
Publication Date: 2007

Chronicles the establishment of the Australian federation and the drafting of the Australian Constitution. Specially selected extracts from primary sources bring this period of Australian history to life.
The black dog gang by Robert Newton
Publication Date: 2007

The gang was Mickey's idea. We'd heard the rumours – rats were coming in off the ships and spreading disease. Then the government started offering tuppence a rat, so we decided to get stuck in. But we hadn't counted on someone getting sick. Or on Mickey's dad finding his rats chaining Mickey up. And what happened next...well, it would change things forever...
Black, white and exempt : Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lives under Exemption by Lucinda Aberdeen
Publication Date: 2021

In 1957, Ella Simon of Purfleet mission near Taree, New South Wales, applied for and was granted a certificate of exemption. Exemption gave her legal freedoms denied to other Indigenous Australians at that time: she could travel freely, open a bank account, and live and work where she wanted. In the eyes of the law she became a non-Aboriginal, but in return she could not associate with other Aboriginal people even her own family or community. These personal and often painful histories uncovered in archives, family stories and lived experiences reveal new perspectives on exemption. Black, White and Exempt describes the resourcefulness of those who sought exemption to obtain freedom from hardship and oppressive regulation of their lives as Aboriginal Australians. It celebrates their resilience and explores how they negotiated exemption to protect their families and increase opportunities for them. The book also charts exemptees who struggled to advance Aboriginal rights, resist state control and abolish the exemption system.
Destination Australia : migration to Australia since 1901 by Eric Richards
Publication Date: 2008

In 1901, most Australians were loyal, white subjects of the British Empire with direct connections to Britain. Within a hundred years, following an unparalleled immigration program, its population was one of the most diverse on earth. No other country has achieved such radical social and demographic change in so short a time. Agains the odds, this change has caused minimal social disruption and tension. While immigration has generated some political and social anxieties, Australia has maintained a stable democracy and a coherent social fabric. One of the impressive achievements of this book is explaining why this might be so.
The encyclopedia of Melbourne by Andrew Brown-May, Graeme Davison & Shurlee Swain
Call Number: 2005

ISBN: 9780521842341

Publication Date: NF 994.5 ENC

A city is known by its past, its characteristic virtues and troubles, and its way of life. Marvellous Melbourne symbolises the achievements of Australian urbanisation and suburbanisation. This resource reflects and encompasses the city's historical position as one of the world's pre-eminent nineteenth century metropolises, and as one of the twenty-first century's most liveable cities. Alphabetical entries range from short factual summaries about places, institutions and events, through to extended survey articles on key topics such as Architecture, Aboriginal Melbourne, Economy, Literature, Science, Sporting Culture, Suburbs and Suburbanisation, Theatre and Transport. Although Australia has long ranked amongst the world's most urbanised countries, no comparable reference work exists on any Australian metropolis.
The Eureka Stockade : big trouble on the diggings by Geoff Hocking
Publication Date: 2005

In the mid-nineteenth century Australia's gold rush inspired hundreds to leave their jobs as labourers, policemen and public servants and try their luck on the goldfields of Victoria and New South Wales. As the diggers poured onto the goldfields, the governments became concerned that there would be no one left in the colonies to do any work. In an attempt to drive the diggers back to their jobs, the Victorian and New South Wales governments placed heavy taxation, in the form of gold-licence fees, on every man at the diggings. But the governments' plan was not successful. The diggers began to resent the government and formed themselves into anti-licence committees that were prepared to fight for their rights. This book traces the events that led to the attack by the government troops on the diggers at the Eureka Stockade, just before dawn on 3 December 1854. The diggers joined together to defend their rights and flew a rebel flag, as a symbol of protest, over the Eureka diggings.
Events that shaped Australia by Wendy Lewis, Simon Balderstone & John Bowman
Publication Date: 2006

Sets out the details, the people, the images and the after effects of the most important turning points in our nation's history. It starts with Gondwanaland, the Aborigines and the First Fleet and goes through to the Gold Rush, Federation, Gallipoli and the first Holden car. It also includes recent events such as the battle for the Franklin River, the Tampa and the Bali Bombings.
Exploration and settlement in Colonial Australia by Joel Weston
Publication Date: 2011

The explorers who opened up the land and the settlers who followed them - visionaries and egotists, brave and cautious men - made the story of settled Australia.
Focus on Australian history by Mark Anderson & Paul Ashton
Publication Date: 1993

The process of historical inquiry and the skills of a historian are highlighted in the Introduction and are developed and explored throughout the text. Interesting and appropriate sources provide opportunities to focus on the skills of: sequencing and recalling; investigating and researching; analysis, synthesis, interpretation and using evidence; communication and explaining; empathetic understanding; and asking historical questions.
From penal colony to land of plenty : eyewitness to European settlement, 1786-1850 by Nicolas Brasch
Publication Date: 2007

This book traces the establishment of the colony of New South Wales.
The gold rush : how did the gold rush change Victoria? by Marion Littlejohn
Publication Date: 2011

Includes important questions relating to Australian history such as how did the Gold Rush change Victoria?; Who worked on the Victorian diggings?; How was daily life on the Victorian goldfields?; What was the significance of the Eureka Stockade?; What were the broader effects of the Gold Rush?
Gold rushes the new prosperity by Simone Bradfield
Publication Date: 2014

The greatest development of 19th-century Australia was the discovery of gold. It transformed the colonies, made instant millionaires and pumped vast sums into the colonial treasuries.
Gold, graves and glory 1850-1880 by Jackie French & Peter Sheehan
Publication Date: 2007

Join the heroes and villains of the past as they hunt for nuggets, struggle across unknown deserts and triumph in one of the greatest engineering marvels the world has ever seen.
Gold: a pictorial history of the Australian gold rush by Geoff Hocking
Publication Date: 2006

The history of gold in California in January 1848 saw thousands of men rush from the Australian colonies to try their luck in|America. Then in 1851, fresh from their success on the American goldfields, diggers Edward Hargraves and James Esmond returned to the colonies and started the Australian gold rush, turning the world 'topsy-turvy'. The focus of the world suddenly turned to the hills, gullies and swirling creeks of New South Wales and Victoria, as 'new-chums' from all over the globe rushed to the diggings.
Gold: the fascinating story of gold in Australia by John Nicholson
Publication Date: 1994

The story of gold in Australia is full of fascinating people and places, adventures and dangers, successes and failures. From the 1850s, when people first left homes and jobs to find their fortunes on distant goldfields, the search for gold has affected the life and landscape of Australia in many ways.
Gold! Off to the diggings : a pictorial history of the Australian gold rush by Geoff Hocking
Publication Date: 2010

The history of gold in California in January 1848 saw thousands of men rush from the Australian colonies to try their luck in America. Then in 1851, fresh from their success on the American goldfields, diggers Edward Hargraves and James Esmond returned to the colonies and started the Australian gold rush, turning the world 'topsy-turvy'. The focus of the world suddenly turned to the hills, gullies and swirling creeks of New South Wales and Victoria, as 'new-chums' from all over the globe rushed to the diggings.
Great moments in Australian history by Johnathan King
Publication Date: 2009

Presents an exciting collection of stories about the most colourful highlights and heroes of Australia's history.
Heritage & people by Helen Chapman
Publication Date: 2004

Learn how the stories of Australia's people are connected with our heritage. Find out how some very different people - from a revolutionary to a missionary - are part of the Australian story of development and settlement.
History 9 Australian curriculum workbook
Publication Date: 2011

Workbook that supports the text and covers topics relating to the Year 9 curriculum.
History 9 for the Australian Curriculum by Angela Woollacott
Publication Date: 2012

You will develop historical knowledge and understanding, explore key concepts and apply essential learning skills as you study the societies, events, movements and developments that have shaped world history.
History 9 The making of the modern world by Mark Anderson & Paul Ashton
Publication Date: 2012

Incorporates contemporary learning methodologies and comes with free access to Macmillan's new digital home at OneStopDigital. The series is packed with information and fun multimedia activities, including: virtual site studies, hands-on activities from the BBC, podcasts from Scientific American, 3D reconstructions, animations, Google Earth paths and 'flyovers', interactive games and augmented reality, among many more tasks.
History alive 9 for the Australian curriculum by Robert Darlington
Publication Date: 2012

Based on the highly successful Humanities Alive series, this resource retains all the key features of Humanities Alive but introduces many new features and significant new content to meet the requirements of the new Australian History Curriculum.
A history of Australia by Mark Peel & Christina Twomey
Publication Date: 2018

For tens of thousands of years, humans have imagined, visited and inhabited Australia as a place in which to make a future. From the first explorers, who sailed and eventually settled into the inlets and river mouths of the northern coast some sixty or eighty thousand years ago via the transportations of the eighteenth century to the anxious border controls of the twenty-first, and through the great migrations of the centuries in between, Australia's story-and its place in the world-have been shaped by movement and mobility. Mark Peel's History of Australia is an event- and issue-based history of Australia with a clear chronological narrative which succeeds brilliantly in bringing to life the ideas, hopes and journeys -- both physical and otherwise -- of Australians past and present.
The illustrated history of Australia by A.K. Macdougall
Publication Date: 2011

Traces the history of the island continent from the age of the dinosaurs through to the coming of the Aboriginal people and their unique culture, to the fateful impact of the first Europeans. From incongruous beginnings as a place of banishment, the Australian colonies - rich in gold and natural resources - became among the wealthiest outposts of the British Empire, and their robust freedoms transformed them into one of the world's first true democracies. Covers the saga of discovery and exploration; the social experiments that made Australia, a century ago, a model for older societies; the epic of Australian forces in two World Wars; the achievements of Australia in the worlds of sport, science and the arts; the transformation of Australia from the most remote of British communities into one of the world's first successful multi-racial societies; and the influential role played in world affairs by this small nation.
An illustrated history of the Kelly Gang by Alec Brierly
Publication Date: 1980

Spans the lives of the Kelly family right through to the final stage when Ned was hanged. His account is different from some of the traditional accounts in that he does not aim to classify the Kelly gang as either murderous thieves or innocent victims. Instead, he reflects the lifestyle of these depression-bred men 'with an eye out for a quid on the side'.
Immigration since 1788 : the making of modern Australia by Victoria MacLeay
Publication Date: 2011

This is the story of the people who made the perilous journey to a new land and a new life. In this book we see how every wave of new immigrants had to battle to establish themselves against prejudice, ignorance, official indifference and the hazards of nature.
Life on the goldfields by Doug Bradby
Publication Date: 2012

People travelled from all over the world to seek their fortune on the Australian goldfields. But when they got to Australia, they found life was tough. The diggers lived in inadequate tents that didn't keep out the weather or thieves. The food was bad, clean water was scarce and every day was full of danger. How did these early emigrants make a life for themselves in this harsh new place? See how these makeshift communities became towns and cities.
Making a nation : Australia, 1750-1918 by Rachel Towns
Publication Date: 2017

This title explores the experiences of indigenous Australians and European colonists since the late 1700s. The CD-ROM contains all the pages that are featured in this book, as well as a file of illustrations that can be used in other work sheets. These files can be easily edited to suit the needs of students.
Melbourne then and now by Heather Chapman & Judith Stillman
Call Number: NF 994.51 CHA

ISBN: 9781909815315

Publication Date: 2014

Melbourne Then and Now gives a fascinating insight into the development of the city from its Victorian roots through to the twenty-first century city of towering skyscrapers, preserving many of the grand buildings from its days as Australia's most populous and prosperous city.
Nation, race and citizen 1888-1914 by Annabel Astbury
Publication Date: 2005
Nelson connect with history 9 by Vicki Greer
Publication Date: 2013

Explores the history of the making of the modern world, from 1750-1918. This was a time of industrialisation and rapid change in the ways people lived, worked and thought. It was an era of nationalism and imperialism, and European settlement of Australia was part of the expansion of European power. This book finishes at the end of World War 1.
Rotters and squatters 1820-1850 by Jackie French & Peter Sheehan
Publication Date: 2007

Cannibal convicts, murdering squatters, sea captains who kidnapped their crew, poor farmers forced off their land - they had all come to the colonies of New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land to make better lives for themselves. And now there were new colonies and farms spreading around Australia.
The rush to gold: a world turned topsie-turvey by Geoff Hocking
Publication Date: 2005

The discovery of gold in California in January 1848 saw thousands of men rush from the Australian colonies to try their luck in America. Fresh from their success on the American goldfields, Australian diggers Edward Hargreaves and James Esmond began a rush to the Australian diggings that turned the world 'topsie-turvey'. The focus of the world turned to the hills, gullies and swirling creeks of New South Wales and Victoria as 'new-chums' from all over the globe rushed to be rich. This book focuses on the story of the gold rush to Australia. It examines the impact that thousands of new immigrants had on the life of the colonies, the troubles that|began when the governments imposed heavy taxes on the diggers, and the fun of life on the diggings - lived free under the broad, blue southern sky.
A short history of Australia by Dalys Newman & Tony Crago
Publication Date: 2004

A pictorial book that deals with many aspects of Australian history including discovery of the country and first settlement. Also covers the wars and how multiculturalism has affected Australia and ends with where reconciliation will take us.
Southern voices: Australian history to 1918 by Robert Engwerda
Publication Date: 1994

Spans Australia's history from prehistory to the First World War. Uses an exciting approach to examine our past and its links to our present.
The story of Australia by Robert Lewis
Publication Date: 2017

This illustrated history of Australia journeys from the formation of the continent to the growth of a modern, thriving nation. From the enduring cultures of Australia's Indigenous people, European exploration and colonisation, and the tragic impacts of two world wars, it concludes with the exciting fast-paced development of the last decades of the 20th century.
The story of Australia : for the young (and the curious) by Don Watson
Publication Date: 2021

The story of Australia weaves together the many strands of our nation's past -- ancient and indigenous, colonial and contemporary -- to create a fascinating history for all readers, young and old.
Turning points in Australian history by Martin Crotty & David Andrew Roberts
Publication Date: 2009

Leading authors reflect on events throughout Australian history, starting 14,000 years ago when rising sea levels closed the land bridge between mainland Australia and Tasmania, through to the traumatic events of September 2001. Along the way we learn about the ongoing impact of the first Australia Day, the discovery of gold, the lacklustre event that was Federation in 1901, the introduction of television, the 1967 referendum and the emergence of the Women's Liberation Movement in Australia.
The upside-down history of down under by Allison Lloyd & Terry Denton
Publication Date: 2018

The true story of Australia starts with a piece of land that went for a swim. About 200 million of years ago it floated away from Africa. Very, very, slowly. It was home to dinosaurs and giant animals, then the first Australians showed up and got comfortable. And for a long time this wild and wonderful land was a mystery to the rest of the world. Until the English decided to make it the biggest jail ever.
Why we are Australian : 125 defining men, women and movements over three centuries by Paul Taylor
Publication Date: 2007

Outlines the main influences on the Australian character and includes a wide range of factors including historical, cultural, social, sporting, literary and artistic.
The wild colonial boys Australia's most notorious bushrangers by Paula Hunt
Publication Date: 2008

These are Australia's most notorious bushrangers. In the 1880s, bushrangers roamed the Australian countryside. They robbed and stole and murdered when it suited them. they flouted the law and terrified the population. But who were these villains and what drove them to a life of crime?