History Yearly 2005 - By Eugene Siu
History Yearly 2005 Notes
WW2
Australia was at war because Great Britain was and they requested our aid. However we decided not to be involved until Japan was. But some didn’t want to send aid to Britain as Japan was right on our doorstep. While others said to give the full support to Great Britain.
The Rise of Hitler and the Nazis
All that was needed was for a strong nationalistic leader who could promise to restore Germany’s pride and position among the great nations of Europe. As well as this the Germans needed someone who could create employment. That leader was Adolf Hitler and his party was the Nazi Party, the Nationalist Socialist Party. The Nazis had policies based on their concept of themselves as the ‘master race’ and this meant that they wanted to become masters of Europe, with the ‘inferior races’ like the Slavs and the Jews becoming slaves while the Germans ruled.
Hitler talked of creating lebensraum, that is, living room outside of Germany where the German people could continue to expand their dominance. This made the Germans instant enemies of Slavic countries such as Russia and the Soviet Union who were now experimenting with communism, another hate of Hitler.
The Rise of Fascism
Earlier, in the 1920s, a similar party arose in Italy under the leadership of Benito Mussolini, called the Fascists. These people, like the Nazis, believed in the supremacy of the state, or government, and the leader which meant that all people had to bow to the will of the leader and his party. It was very undemocratic and Mussolini believed that he was about o build another great empire for Italy, which meant a large army and navy and military conquests. The Fascists were the natural allies of the Nazis and they created what became known as they ‘Rome-Berlin Axis’, an alliance between the two.
The Rise of Japanese Militarism
After a great deal of unrest and uncertainty during the 1920s, the military took over in Japan. They began a military campaign to become masters of eastern Asia and invaded Manchuria and China in the 1930s. This upset many of the Western powers, especially the United States, because they feared that the Japanese would stop their trade with Asia, especially in China.
The countries who had colonies in Asia- the British with colonies in Malaya, Singapore and Burma, the French in Indo-China (now known as Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos) and the Dutch in the Dutch East (now called Indonesia)- were also very suspicious of the Japanese and their desire to take over Asia. The Japanese also had a fascist type government and signed a treaty with Germany.
The Road to War
In the 1930s the three fascist countries became very aggressive in the pursuit of their aims. The Germans took over Austria and the western half of Czechoslovakia, the Italians invaded Abyssinia in northern Africa while the Japanese moved into China and Manchuria.
The western powers of Britain, France and the United States pursued policies of appeasement for a long time, hoping the problem would go away. They did not want to return to the horrors of the First World War, which was supposed to have been the ‘war to end all wars’. Throughout the 1930s Hitler and Mussolini and the Japanese were allowed to have their way. But by 1939, it was becoming obvious that the fascist countries were not about to stop and Britain and France began to prepare for war.
On 1 September 1939 German troops invaded Poland, a small country with out-of-date defences. Britain and France, allies of Poland, gave Hitler an ultimatum to withdraw but, two days later, on 3 September, the time given was up and German troops were still in Poland and so Britain and France declared war.
Australia’s Position
Australia was still closely tied to Great Britain and Britain’s foreign policy was Australia’s. Australians were still proudly part of the British Empire and supported Britain’s colonial role in Asia. Australia, being a democratic country, also objected to the rise of fascism and Nazism in Europe and feared the new Japanese military giant to our north. So, when Germany invaded Poland in 1939 and Britain declared war, Australia also declared war in support, just as had happened in 1914 at the outbreak of WW1.
The ‘phoney war’
After the declaration of war in September 1939, there was a period the British called the ‘phoney war’ because not much seemed to happen. While the Germans continued their invasion of Poland, the British and the French were making desperate moves to rebuild their depleted armies and airforces.
It was only in the year before the war, when they could see that Germany was not going to stop, that this recommenced seriously. The USA, in the meantime was keeping a close watch on the situation but the US Congress was keen on keeping America neutral.
Australia’s First Contribution
The Australian government, under Prime Minister Menzies, was uncertain what to do because there was the menace of the powerful Japanese army closer to home. But, by January 1940, an initial intake of 20 000 men had been recruited and trained and sent to the Middle East as the 6th Division, Second Australian Imperial Force, to prepare to fight the Germans.
It was like a repeat of 1915, the men expecting to land in Europe but ending up in Egypt. They were as undisciplined as their fathers a generation earlier and many mistrusted the British command. But this time, they were to fight as an independent Australian army, not as ‘British’ troops, as they had done in WW1.
The War in North Africa and the Middle East
The Australians did not fight against the Germans for some time. Instead, they fought the Italians in Egypt and Libya, where the Australians and their allies had some dramatic successes.
Early in 1941 the Australian 6th and 7th Divisions, together with an Indian division, defeated and captured 125 000 Italian soldiers and 1000 heavy guns. They won victories at exotic-sounding places like Sidi Barrani, Bardia, Tobruk and Benghazi.
But the Australians met much stronger resistance against the Vichy French in Syria. These were the French soldiers who were allied to the Germans. Again, when the Australian 6th Division was diverted to Greece and Crete, leaving men behind to be captured or to spend the war fighting with Greek guerrilla forces.
The Germans come to North Africa
In North Africa, shortly after the Australian’s dramatic victory against the Italian forces, the Germans were sent to the assistance of the collapsing Italian army. The German commander was Field Marshall Erwin Rommel, the ‘desert fox’ and his army was known as the Afrika Corps. They were better trained and equipped than the Italians and they struck early in 1941 when the British were not prepared. They pushed the Allies back along the coast of North Africa to Tobruk. Their aim was to take the Suez Canal, a strategic sea-lane that was the life-line of Britain to its Empire.
The Germans besieged Tobruk, a town on the coast of Libya. It was defended by 24 000 men, 14 000 of them Australians from the 7th and 9th Divisions. Some of the other defenders became were Ghurkas from Nepal. The defenders became known as the ‘Rats of Tobruk’, a name the Germans gave them but which the defenders used with pride.
The Germans kept the siege going while the rest of the army pressed on into Egypt. The defenders of Tobruk held on for 242 days until the Germans withdrew. Towards the end of this time the original defenders were gradually replaced with reinforcements as the battle continued but the conditions under which they fought, with the hot, disease, little food and water, and the clothes rotting off their backs, took their toll; 749 Australians died at Tobruk.
The Australians Withdraw
The 9th Division were the last Australian soldiers to fight in large numbers against the Germans. The Japanese threat back on our own doorstep in New Guinea caused the Australian government to start withdrawing all of the Australian army to Australia and the Pacific. The 6th and 7th Divisions had already been withdrawn and now the 9th came home. The land battle for Europe would be left to Britain and its other allies.
Naval and Airforce Operations
Australia’s navy and airforce were involved in fighting against Germany from very early in the war. Our ships were sent to join British navy ships on convoy duty in the Atlantic and our airforce operated with the British airforce.
Australian airmen fought alongside airmen from all over the British Empire in 1940 in the desperate Battle of Britain when the Germans tried to bomb Britain into submission. Later they manned heavy bombers in the bombing of Europe right until the end of the war. Also, some airforce units did not go back home with the army in 1942 and 1943 but stayed to fight in Sicily and Italy.
Kokoda 1942
Australians went to Papua New Guinea to stop the Japanese from gaining control over Papua New Guinea. It was essential for us to stop them as if Japan gained control over Papua New Guinea, they could have an effective launching pad on Australia.
Aborigines
Policies related to the Aboriginal People in the 20th Century
Paternalism
Time: 1901-1967
Impact on Aboriginal People: Aboriginal people weren’t given the same basic human or democratic rights
Protectionism
Time: 1909-67
Impact on Aboriginal People: whites took freedom from Aborigines, lost their culture, whites monitored everything about them, children taught to be white
Assimilation
Time: 1901-65
Impact on Aboriginal people: Aboriginal children were taken to live as white people; they were brain-washed, lost their culture to become white
Self-Determination
Time: 1992-now
Impact on Aboriginal people: Aborigines having their own rights and laws for governing themselves
Integration
Time: 1965 onwards
Impact on Aboriginal People: Aboriginal people allowed to keep their culture but were still taught to be white
The Stolen Generation
The Stolen Generation is the term used to identify the children that were forcefully or voluntarily removed from their families by the agencies acting on behalf of the Australian Government, included church missions. The removal of children began as early as the late 19th century and continued approximately 1972. Recent government enquires have noted that at least 35 000 children were removed from their families. However, this figure may be substantially higher, as the formal records were poorly kept. The aim of the policy of removal was to assimilate mixed Aborigines into European society and thereby prevent mixed descent Aborigines marrying other Aborigines.
“Bringing Them Home”: The ‘Stolen Children’ Report
The National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families was established in May 1995 in response to efforts made by key Indigenous agencies and communities. They were concerned that the general public's ignorance of the history of forcible removal was hindering the recognition of the needs of its victims and their families and the provision of services.
A key turning point was the 1994 Going Home Conference in Darwin. Representatives from every state and territory met to share experiences, to bring to light the history and its effects in each jurisdiction and to devise strategies to meet the needs of those children and their families who survive.
On 11 May 1995, the then Attorney-General, Michael Lavarch MP, referred the issue of past and present practices of separation of Indigenous children from their families to the Commission. The Inquiry looked at four main issues or "terms of reference".
The first was to examine the past and continuing effects of separation of individuals, families and communities. The Inquiry relied upon Indigenous and non-Indigenous individuals, government and non-government organisations to participate by making submissions or giving evidence to the Inquiry. The second was to identify what should be done in response, which could entail recommendations to change laws, policies and practices, to re-unite families and otherwise deal with losses caused by separation. The third was to find justification for, and nature of, any compensation for those affected by separation. The last looked at current laws, policies and practices affecting the placement and care of Indigenous children. This included looking into the welfare and juvenile justice systems, and advising on any changes in the light of the principles of self-determination.
The Inquiry undertook an extensive program of hearings in every capital city and in many regional and smaller centres. The first hearings took place on 4 December 1995 on Flinders Island with the last round of hearings ending on 3 October 1996 in Sydney.
Public evidence was taken from Indigenous organisations and individuals, state and territory government representatives, church representatives, other non-government agencies, former mission and government employees and individual members of the community. Confidential evidence was taken in private from Indigenous people affected by forcible and from adoptive and foster parents. Many people and organisations made written submissions to the Inquiry, including many who also gave oral evidence.
There were 777 submissions received which included: 535 Indigenous individual and group submissions; 49 church submissions; and 7 government submissions. 500 of the submissions were made confidentially. Approximately 5625 children were taken under the assimilation policy where they would be brainwashed into the white culture.
By Eugene Siu (thanks a heap, this guy contributed a ton!!!) Everyone rememba to thank him!!!
WW2
Australia was at war because Great Britain was and they requested our aid. However we decided not to be involved until Japan was. But some didn’t want to send aid to Britain as Japan was right on our doorstep. While others said to give the full support to Great Britain.
The Rise of Hitler and the Nazis
All that was needed was for a strong nationalistic leader who could promise to restore Germany’s pride and position among the great nations of Europe. As well as this the Germans needed someone who could create employment. That leader was Adolf Hitler and his party was the Nazi Party, the Nationalist Socialist Party. The Nazis had policies based on their concept of themselves as the ‘master race’ and this meant that they wanted to become masters of Europe, with the ‘inferior races’ like the Slavs and the Jews becoming slaves while the Germans ruled.
Hitler talked of creating lebensraum, that is, living room outside of Germany where the German people could continue to expand their dominance. This made the Germans instant enemies of Slavic countries such as Russia and the Soviet Union who were now experimenting with communism, another hate of Hitler.
The Rise of Fascism
Earlier, in the 1920s, a similar party arose in Italy under the leadership of Benito Mussolini, called the Fascists. These people, like the Nazis, believed in the supremacy of the state, or government, and the leader which meant that all people had to bow to the will of the leader and his party. It was very undemocratic and Mussolini believed that he was about o build another great empire for Italy, which meant a large army and navy and military conquests. The Fascists were the natural allies of the Nazis and they created what became known as they ‘Rome-Berlin Axis’, an alliance between the two.
The Rise of Japanese Militarism
After a great deal of unrest and uncertainty during the 1920s, the military took over in Japan. They began a military campaign to become masters of eastern Asia and invaded Manchuria and China in the 1930s. This upset many of the Western powers, especially the United States, because they feared that the Japanese would stop their trade with Asia, especially in China.
The countries who had colonies in Asia- the British with colonies in Malaya, Singapore and Burma, the French in Indo-China (now known as Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos) and the Dutch in the Dutch East (now called Indonesia)- were also very suspicious of the Japanese and their desire to take over Asia. The Japanese also had a fascist type government and signed a treaty with Germany.
The Road to War
In the 1930s the three fascist countries became very aggressive in the pursuit of their aims. The Germans took over Austria and the western half of Czechoslovakia, the Italians invaded Abyssinia in northern Africa while the Japanese moved into China and Manchuria.
The western powers of Britain, France and the United States pursued policies of appeasement for a long time, hoping the problem would go away. They did not want to return to the horrors of the First World War, which was supposed to have been the ‘war to end all wars’. Throughout the 1930s Hitler and Mussolini and the Japanese were allowed to have their way. But by 1939, it was becoming obvious that the fascist countries were not about to stop and Britain and France began to prepare for war.
On 1 September 1939 German troops invaded Poland, a small country with out-of-date defences. Britain and France, allies of Poland, gave Hitler an ultimatum to withdraw but, two days later, on 3 September, the time given was up and German troops were still in Poland and so Britain and France declared war.
Australia’s Position
Australia was still closely tied to Great Britain and Britain’s foreign policy was Australia’s. Australians were still proudly part of the British Empire and supported Britain’s colonial role in Asia. Australia, being a democratic country, also objected to the rise of fascism and Nazism in Europe and feared the new Japanese military giant to our north. So, when Germany invaded Poland in 1939 and Britain declared war, Australia also declared war in support, just as had happened in 1914 at the outbreak of WW1.
The ‘phoney war’
After the declaration of war in September 1939, there was a period the British called the ‘phoney war’ because not much seemed to happen. While the Germans continued their invasion of Poland, the British and the French were making desperate moves to rebuild their depleted armies and airforces.
It was only in the year before the war, when they could see that Germany was not going to stop, that this recommenced seriously. The USA, in the meantime was keeping a close watch on the situation but the US Congress was keen on keeping America neutral.
Australia’s First Contribution
The Australian government, under Prime Minister Menzies, was uncertain what to do because there was the menace of the powerful Japanese army closer to home. But, by January 1940, an initial intake of 20 000 men had been recruited and trained and sent to the Middle East as the 6th Division, Second Australian Imperial Force, to prepare to fight the Germans.
It was like a repeat of 1915, the men expecting to land in Europe but ending up in Egypt. They were as undisciplined as their fathers a generation earlier and many mistrusted the British command. But this time, they were to fight as an independent Australian army, not as ‘British’ troops, as they had done in WW1.
The War in North Africa and the Middle East
The Australians did not fight against the Germans for some time. Instead, they fought the Italians in Egypt and Libya, where the Australians and their allies had some dramatic successes.
Early in 1941 the Australian 6th and 7th Divisions, together with an Indian division, defeated and captured 125 000 Italian soldiers and 1000 heavy guns. They won victories at exotic-sounding places like Sidi Barrani, Bardia, Tobruk and Benghazi.
But the Australians met much stronger resistance against the Vichy French in Syria. These were the French soldiers who were allied to the Germans. Again, when the Australian 6th Division was diverted to Greece and Crete, leaving men behind to be captured or to spend the war fighting with Greek guerrilla forces.
The Germans come to North Africa
In North Africa, shortly after the Australian’s dramatic victory against the Italian forces, the Germans were sent to the assistance of the collapsing Italian army. The German commander was Field Marshall Erwin Rommel, the ‘desert fox’ and his army was known as the Afrika Corps. They were better trained and equipped than the Italians and they struck early in 1941 when the British were not prepared. They pushed the Allies back along the coast of North Africa to Tobruk. Their aim was to take the Suez Canal, a strategic sea-lane that was the life-line of Britain to its Empire.
The Germans besieged Tobruk, a town on the coast of Libya. It was defended by 24 000 men, 14 000 of them Australians from the 7th and 9th Divisions. Some of the other defenders became were Ghurkas from Nepal. The defenders became known as the ‘Rats of Tobruk’, a name the Germans gave them but which the defenders used with pride.
The Germans kept the siege going while the rest of the army pressed on into Egypt. The defenders of Tobruk held on for 242 days until the Germans withdrew. Towards the end of this time the original defenders were gradually replaced with reinforcements as the battle continued but the conditions under which they fought, with the hot, disease, little food and water, and the clothes rotting off their backs, took their toll; 749 Australians died at Tobruk.
The Australians Withdraw
The 9th Division were the last Australian soldiers to fight in large numbers against the Germans. The Japanese threat back on our own doorstep in New Guinea caused the Australian government to start withdrawing all of the Australian army to Australia and the Pacific. The 6th and 7th Divisions had already been withdrawn and now the 9th came home. The land battle for Europe would be left to Britain and its other allies.
Naval and Airforce Operations
Australia’s navy and airforce were involved in fighting against Germany from very early in the war. Our ships were sent to join British navy ships on convoy duty in the Atlantic and our airforce operated with the British airforce.
Australian airmen fought alongside airmen from all over the British Empire in 1940 in the desperate Battle of Britain when the Germans tried to bomb Britain into submission. Later they manned heavy bombers in the bombing of Europe right until the end of the war. Also, some airforce units did not go back home with the army in 1942 and 1943 but stayed to fight in Sicily and Italy.
Kokoda 1942
Australians went to Papua New Guinea to stop the Japanese from gaining control over Papua New Guinea. It was essential for us to stop them as if Japan gained control over Papua New Guinea, they could have an effective launching pad on Australia.
Aborigines
Policies related to the Aboriginal People in the 20th Century
Paternalism
Time: 1901-1967
Impact on Aboriginal People: Aboriginal people weren’t given the same basic human or democratic rights
Protectionism
Time: 1909-67
Impact on Aboriginal People: whites took freedom from Aborigines, lost their culture, whites monitored everything about them, children taught to be white
Assimilation
Time: 1901-65
Impact on Aboriginal people: Aboriginal children were taken to live as white people; they were brain-washed, lost their culture to become white
Self-Determination
Time: 1992-now
Impact on Aboriginal people: Aborigines having their own rights and laws for governing themselves
Integration
Time: 1965 onwards
Impact on Aboriginal People: Aboriginal people allowed to keep their culture but were still taught to be white
The Stolen Generation
The Stolen Generation is the term used to identify the children that were forcefully or voluntarily removed from their families by the agencies acting on behalf of the Australian Government, included church missions. The removal of children began as early as the late 19th century and continued approximately 1972. Recent government enquires have noted that at least 35 000 children were removed from their families. However, this figure may be substantially higher, as the formal records were poorly kept. The aim of the policy of removal was to assimilate mixed Aborigines into European society and thereby prevent mixed descent Aborigines marrying other Aborigines.
“Bringing Them Home”: The ‘Stolen Children’ Report
The National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families was established in May 1995 in response to efforts made by key Indigenous agencies and communities. They were concerned that the general public's ignorance of the history of forcible removal was hindering the recognition of the needs of its victims and their families and the provision of services.
A key turning point was the 1994 Going Home Conference in Darwin. Representatives from every state and territory met to share experiences, to bring to light the history and its effects in each jurisdiction and to devise strategies to meet the needs of those children and their families who survive.
On 11 May 1995, the then Attorney-General, Michael Lavarch MP, referred the issue of past and present practices of separation of Indigenous children from their families to the Commission. The Inquiry looked at four main issues or "terms of reference".
The first was to examine the past and continuing effects of separation of individuals, families and communities. The Inquiry relied upon Indigenous and non-Indigenous individuals, government and non-government organisations to participate by making submissions or giving evidence to the Inquiry. The second was to identify what should be done in response, which could entail recommendations to change laws, policies and practices, to re-unite families and otherwise deal with losses caused by separation. The third was to find justification for, and nature of, any compensation for those affected by separation. The last looked at current laws, policies and practices affecting the placement and care of Indigenous children. This included looking into the welfare and juvenile justice systems, and advising on any changes in the light of the principles of self-determination.
The Inquiry undertook an extensive program of hearings in every capital city and in many regional and smaller centres. The first hearings took place on 4 December 1995 on Flinders Island with the last round of hearings ending on 3 October 1996 in Sydney.
Public evidence was taken from Indigenous organisations and individuals, state and territory government representatives, church representatives, other non-government agencies, former mission and government employees and individual members of the community. Confidential evidence was taken in private from Indigenous people affected by forcible and from adoptive and foster parents. Many people and organisations made written submissions to the Inquiry, including many who also gave oral evidence.
There were 777 submissions received which included: 535 Indigenous individual and group submissions; 49 church submissions; and 7 government submissions. 500 of the submissions were made confidentially. Approximately 5625 children were taken under the assimilation policy where they would be brainwashed into the white culture.
By Eugene Siu (thanks a heap, this guy contributed a ton!!!) Everyone rememba to thank him!!!
posted by Niru at
2:18 AM
