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Australia and World War II
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Why did Australia become involved?
Topic : Why did Australia become involved?
In this topic you will learn...
Chapter 1 :
The European background
The causes of World War II can be seen in the results of World War I, particularly in the harsh terms imposed upon Germany by the Treaty of Versailles signed in 1919
The Treaty of Versailles forced Germany to surrender territory that she had acquired during World War I, pay an excessive amount of reparations, and accept full responsibility for starting the war
The terms of the Treaty of Versailles caused great discontent among the German citizens and this discontent drove Hitler's rise to power in the early 1930s
In the 1920s, Germany was governed by the Weimar Republic
The Weimar Period saw many economic problems, culminating in the Great Depression in 1929
The incompetence of the Weimar government caused German citizens to look to extremist parties for leadership, including Hitler and the Nazi party
Hitler was initially not taken seriously by the politicians of the Weimar Republic however, through elections and legitimate campaigning, he won the majority vote in 1932
Hitler manipulated the burning of the Reichstag on February 27 1933 to assume emergency powers
With his emergency powers, he was able to alter the constitution and abolish the Weimar government, establishing the Third Reich (empire) by August
Chapter 2 :
The build up to World War II
The incompetence of the Weimar government caused German citizens to look to extremist parties for leadership - including Hitler and the Nazi party
Hitler was initially not taken seriously by the politicians of the Weimar Republic however, through elections and legitimate campaigning, he won the majority vote in 1932
Hitler manipulated the burning of the Reichstag on February 27 1933 to assume emergency powers through which he altered the constitution and abolished the Weimar government
The Third Reich was established by August
Nazi policies benefited Germany by re-building her economy, but propagated racist and discriminatory behaviour
Hitler systematically overturned the terms of the Treaty of Versailles by expanding the military forces in 1935, and moving troops into the de-militarised Rhineland in 1936
Hitler followed a policy of finding Lebensraum (living space) for the German-speaking people
Hitler occupied Austria and seized the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia in 1938
Hitler's actions were witnessed by European leaders and tolerated. British Prime Minister Chamberlain adopted a 'policy of appeasement' allowing Hitler to re-build Germany, expecting that Hitler's ambitions had a limit
Hitler turned his attentions to Poland and planned to invade. Britain and France would no longer tolerate Hitler's aggressive expansive activities
Chapter 3 :
The Australian response
The Australian response to World War II was withdrawn and sombre
Australia had been drawn into the War through her relationship with Britain as a dominion
Although Australia had the right to determine her own foreign policy, Australia usually followed Britain's lead in European matters
Australia was tied to Britain in many ways, such as politics and social culture
Most Australian citizens were of British or Irish stock - there was a familial bond between Britain and Australia
Australia's Prime Minister, Robert Menzies, followed British Prime Minister Chamberlain's policy of appeasement
When Hitler invaded Poland in September 1939, Australia waited for Britain's response
Australia followed Britain expecting that, in return, Britain would help protect Australia should Japan invade
A tense day was spent on Sunday, 3 September, 1939 awaiting news from Britain
At 9 pm, Sunday 3 September, Prime Minister Menzies announced that Britain, and Australia, were at war with Germany
Chapter 4 :
The Pacific background
Japan was the only Asian country that had industrialised in the late 19th century, developing the most modern economy in Asia
Japan had few natural resources as she was limited to a small island chain
Plans to gain natural resources developed into an ambitious campaign to create the Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere which encompassed all the Asian countries which were rich in natural resources, and provided `living space` for Japanese people
Japan started her aggressive expansion in September 1931 when she invaded and occupied Manchuria in northern China and established a puppet government, Manchukuo
In July 1937, Japanese forces occupied Peking (modern Beijing)
In November 1937, Japanese soldiers occupied the Chinese capital, Nanking (also known as Nanjing). The `Rape of Nanking` saw the brutal murders of over 20 000 Chinese men, women and children
None of these infractions received Western attention until July 1939 when America organised several trade embargoes against Japan
As the war in Europe progressed, Japan took advantage of the weak political control exercised by the British, French and Dutch over their Eastern colonies, occupying Indo-China and the Dutch East Indies
The Japanese identified American naval power as the primary obstacle to the creation of the Great East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere
Japan sought to neutralise American naval power by striking a defensive blow against the fleet at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941
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