Essay On Australia's Response To Ww2

During World War 2, Australian’s were prisoners of war all over Europe. More than 30,000 Australian’s became prisoners between the years 1940 – 1945. These prisoners included airmen, soldiers of the 6th, 7th, and 9th division, and some nurses. They were prisoners of many countries. The main countries that captured Australian’s were Germany and Japan.

Many citizens of Australia felt that with the switch in alliance, they would lose connections with Britain. Being an independent country for less than 100 years, they perceived that the country was too young, socially and economically. Source 2 shows the US Secretary of State John Foster Dulles signing the ANZAC treaty. With the confirmation of the treaty, Australians realised that we were branching away from our 'mother land' and it created a new era in Australian society. In contemporary terms, the effects of the alliance change is almost non-existent.

In 1850’s The White Australian Policy began to try and create anun-racial Australia. It was used against anyone who was non-European and those who were different colour races by refusing to allow them to enter the country. This policy succeeded and continued until the end of World War II. After WW2, Australia could no longer hold its position of isolation from the rest of the world. The war produced a refugee crisis that drove Central Europeans from a decimated Europe.

The Australian government control on the home front in World War one differed to the second World War in a variety of ways. In Australia, the home front played a significant role in both World Wars, with the citizens contributing to the war effort in a variety of ways. Three ways they differed were through enemy aliens, rationing and censorship. During World War one the Australian government used the war precautions act in 1914. This allowed the government to intern anyone that was suspicious or an “enemy alien”.

History notes • The feel in Australia was that the whole country was united in support of helping the British forces during the war, however there is some historical evidence that this is a biased opinion and that many people didn’t enlist and that the anti-war groups just had a hard time getting ways to get their message across • Both Prime Minister Joseph Cook and the Opposition Leader at the time Andrew Fisher, who were both fighting over an upcoming election, both said to support Britain in war • Bitterness and division throughout Australia, women abusing men who didn’t enlist and the general idea is that they were cowards and would be sent a white feather, the sign of a coward • At the beginning of war, many people rushed to enlist in

After World War II, Australia confronted numerous difficulties. There were numerous nations in the West; there was an apprehension of the spread of socialism. As Australia moved nearer ties with the United States, Australia partook in numerous wars abroad, for example, Vietnam. The strain of abroad wars and the apprehension of socialism highlighted numerous pressures inside of Australian culture. Australia encountered a period of challenge as various social gatherings battled for more rights and uniformity.

During World War 1, more than sixty-five million men from thirty different countries fought. The Gallipoli campaign overshadows the Western Front campaign when considering Australia’s involvement in and commemoration of World War 1. A commemoration is remembering those who have passed away. The Western Front went from 1914 to 1918 and was situated from north-east France to Belgium. Many casualties were lost on the Western Front, the conditions were challenging, and Australia was involved in many of the battles.

Before that, it was simply a collection of 6 British colonies. They partly self-governed but they were under the law-making power of the British Parliament. Many people had wanted Australia to maintain the British heritage which means only white people can be allowed into Australia, creating the ‘White Policy’. Because of this, non-Australians could not help in the war, no matter how much they wanted to.

When Britain declared war on Germany on the 4th of August 1914, Australia followed the mother country, entering what came to be described as “the war to end all wars”. There has been much written about Australian society during the war, ranging from claims of it being the nation’s “baptism of fire” to the first time social cohesion was

The cold war was a silent conflict between the East and West; a war based on being threatened by different ideologies. The world was hungry for power, to make their nation superior to one another. The cold war and Australia’s involvement has a large chapter in the books of history; political manipulation to increase Australia’s position of power. This essay will outline the motivation in the Australian political positions to aid the Unites States; the reason Australia joined in the Cold War. Using the Parliamentary Debate by Sir Robert Menzies, and then the newspaper entry by Australian ambassador Allan Renouf.

World War 1 was a devastating period for Australia and Australian’s alike. It was the costliest conflict that Australia has participated in throughout its history, with casualties, both fatal and non-fatal, one of the largest on a per capita basis of the allied nations. 1917 was an arduous year and has been described as “the worst year of the Great War”. There are many reasons why 1917 was a difficult year for all Australians but also why it was not “the worst year of the Great War”. Australian troops, all volunteers, were tough, brave and highly valued in the war.

Furthermore, Australia being part of the commonwealth was thought to be on the same political platform. But when Britain’s leaders were making Australian troops inferior to themselves, this fury was reignited especially when it was found out that soldiers were excluded from the Raffles Hotel and Singapore Club. Furthermore, Churchill deceived Curtin into believing that Singapore was secure, in turn guaranteeing Australia’s firewall to an invasion (Pacific War, 2015). When Singapore capitulated, Churchill and British high command blamed Australian troops( L Murdoch,2012) not only adding to the social and political turmoil, but also

Towards the end of the 19th Century, Australia had been participating in numerous small imperial wars that were fought in the name of Britain. As early as 1885, a small contingent of men was sent from New South Wales to Egypt to assist Britain in putting down a small religious uprising. Likewise, Australia also inputted 16 000 men and horses in the Boer War which lasted from 1889 to 1902. These successful, small wars filled people with encourage to enlist in war and misled Australians into thinking that war was the, “…greatest opportunity for a chap to make a man of himself…” than something that costs thousands of lives (Nicholls, 1994, pg182). Hence, when World War I broke out, some Australians saw it as a chance to take part in an adventure rather than a chance to serve the ‘Mother Country’.

Commencing in the terminating stages of 1941 was the Pacific war. A war which can now be considered not solely a pivotal moment for many nations in the world but also one of high significance for Australia too. Due to the traumatic occurrences throughout the Pacific War Australia was ultimately transformed into a nation which possessed equally more strength and confidence all of which blossomed from victories as well as new allies. However, the Pacific War also birthed and manifested a more immature and racist nation.

Popular culture in post-war Australia was immensely influenced by American and British culture. Upon the end of World War 2, Australians experienced increased leisure time with nothing to fill it with. The Union had successfully enforced the 8 x 8 x 8 principle, thus supplying Australians with 8 hours of work, 8 hours of leisure and 8 hours of sleep. Increasing globalisation meant that the average Australian became more aware of the world around them, rather than the impenetrable bubble of their farm or township that they belonged to. This knowledge of foreign ideas and behaviours were quickly adopted because of their tantalizing appeal and soon became extremely common in Australian society.