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Unit : Power, people and politics in the post-war period

Topic 1 : Background to Australian foreign relations

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Chapter: Foreign relations to 1918

Image 1 This image shows Australian soldiers in the Boer War.
Image 2 The goldfields were competitive places, and the Chinese miners often kept to themselves.

Chapter: World War I to World War II

Image 1 Prime Minister Billy Hughes was a staunch advocate for Australia's participation in World War I.
Image 2 In the period after World War I many Australians were concerned about the rising influence of communism.

Chapter: World War II to the late 1960s

Image 1 Robert Menzies was returned to power in 1949 and would lead Australia for the next 16 years.
Image 2 In the early 1970s hundreds of thousands of people protested the Vietnam War around Australia.

Chapter: 1970s to the 1990s

Image 1 The threat of nuclear war and the issue of nuclear waste disposal were dominant issues in Australia in the 1980s.
Image 2 Alan Bond was an iconic Australian billionaire who was hit hard by the 1987 stock market crash and by criminal charges relating to his financial dealings.

Topic 2 : Australia as a global citizen

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Chapter: Membership and contribution to the UN

Image 1 Dr H .V. Evatt, an Australian judge and politician, was President of the United Nations General Assembly from 1948 to 1949.
Image 2 Australia has played an active role in responding to conflict in our own region, including peacekeeping operations in East Timor in 1999.

Chapter: Conventions implemented

Image 1 Australia has made laws which implement protection provisions for Antarctica that were first laid out in a UN Protocol.

Chapter: Regional agreements implemented

Image 1 The ASEAN photo call is famous for posing world leaders in the national dress of the host country.

Topic 3 : People and power

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Chapter: Charles Perkins: Freedom Rides

Image 1 Charles Perkins had a distinguished career as a public servant and spokesperson for Aboriginal rights.

Chapter: Germaine Greer: women's liberation

Image 1 Germaine Greer was educated in Australia but moved to the UK where she became famous as a feminist writer and spokesperson.
Image 2 In The Female Eunuch, Greer suggests that women have been repressed and alienated from their own bodies and sexuality.

Chapter: Jack Mundey: Green Bans

Image 1 In the 1970s, Jack Mundey brought labourers' unions and environmental activists together to work for the same causes.
Image 2 Much of Sydney's historic Rocks district was preserved thanks to a green ban by the BLF.

Chapter: Sir John Kerr: Whitlam Dismissal

Image 1 Gough Whitlam was dismissed from office by the Governor-General Sir John Kerr in the wake of parliamentary deadlock over many issues.

Chapter: Bob Brown: Green politics

Image 1 Bob Brown made a successful transition from environmental activist to federal politician.

Chapter: Paul Keating: republicanism

Image 1 As Prime Minster, Paul Keating actively campaigned for an Australian republic.

Chapter: Pauline Hanson: One Nation

Image 1 Pauline Hanson's maiden speech to the House of Representatives made her an overnight figure of controversy in Australian politics.

Topic 4 : Prime Minister and policies (1945-1972)

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Chapter: Ben Chifley

Image 1 Ben Chifley was committed to post WWII reconstruction and the centralisation of national infrastructure.

Chapter: Robert Menzies

Image 1 Bob Menzies led the war effort in the early years of WWII but was forced to resign his first term as Prime Minister in 1941.
Image 2 During Menzies' second term, the Melbourne Olympic Games in 1956 stirred a renewed national spirit and patriotism across Australia.

Chapter: Harold Holt

Image 1 'All the way with LBJ': Holt campaigned at the 1966 federal election on his unreserved support for US foreign policy in Vietnam.

Chapter: John McEwen

Image 1 John McEwen played a critical role in the rise to power of John Gorton by blocking the ascent of William McMahon.

Chapter: John Gorton

Image 1 John Gorton was known for coming into conflict with State premiers.

Chapter: William McMahon

Image 1 William 'Billy' McMahon was one of the less effective and popular prime ministers in Australian history.
Image 2 Sonia McMahon in 'The Dress' that caused a nationwide stir.

Topic 5 : Prime Minister and policies (1972-Today)

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Chapter: Gough Whitlam

Image 1 Gough Whitlam spearheaded a period of progressive social reform in the 1970s.

Chapter: Malcolm Fraser

Image 1 Malcolm Fraser oversaw the development of several key elements of modern Australia.

Chapter: Bob Hawke

Image 1 Bob Hawke was responsible for bringing the Australian Labor Party together with big business to modernise the Australian economy.

Chapter: Paul Keating

Image 1 Paul Keating's time as Prime Minster brought about a new focus on an Australian republic and Aboriginal rights.

Chapter: John Howard

Image 1 John Howard had a long and politically successful term as Prime Minister.

Study guides

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