2-WWII+Australia+&+New+Zealand+HF

Problems to Be Addressed: Home Fronts
How may the Home Front’s awareness of the war’s objectives and nature be characterized? How did propaganda affect the mindset at home? A million Australians, both men and women, served in the Second World War – 500,000 overseas. They fought in campaigns against Germany and Italy in Europe, the Mediterranean and North Africa, as well as against Japan in south-east Asia and the Pacific. The Australian mainland came under direct attack for the first time, with Japanese aircraft bombing towns in north-west Australia and Japanese midget submarines attacking Sydney Harbor. While New Zealand ground troops were not involved on Dutch soil during WW2 the link between the two countries is significant and remains highly relevant even today, so long after the end of that war. New Zealand’s involvement with the Netherlands was from the air, from the thousands of young New Zealanders who flew with the British air force and in separately-designated New Zealand squadrons in attacks into occupied Europe and Germany. Many of these airmen flew over Dutch territory and 256 New Zealand airmen killed in World War II lie buried in the Netherlands, in 85 different cemeteries. The largest numbers are found at Bergen-op-Zoom, Jonkerbos, Amsterdam New Eastern, Amersfoort, and Rotterdam. What were the direct contributions of the Home Front to the war effort? This needs to go beyond a cursory statement of, “They supplied soldiers, grew food, made armaments, etc.” You should consider support not only in patriotic or industrial terms, but also political, social, economic, cultural/intellectual, moral/religious, emotional, etc., terms. On 9 September 1939, the National Security Act became law. The Act enabled the Australian Government to invoke compulsory clauses of the Defense Act and to control areas that it was not able to control under the existing Constitution. New laws and regulations were required to help win the war and they affected many areas of the day-to-day life of ordinary Australians lives. New rationing regulations were imposed on Australian men, women and children in order to cope with the huge demands placed on both agricultural producers and manufacturers. Petrol rationing was introduced in 1940 and, in 1942, Prime Minister John Curtin introduced personal identity cards and ration books for clothing and food. The Australian Government also introduced a National Savings Campaign to raise the enormous sums of money necessary to fund the war. Intensive publicity campaigns encouraged Australians to donate to the new war loans funds and to participate in whatever work they could do to assist the war effort. Advertisements and articles in newspapers and magazines and government-sponsored radio programs all reinforced and encouraged the new wartime lifestyle but it was the rationing of so many consumer goods that really forced Australians to practice thriftiness in their everyday lives. What were the costs & benefits of the war to the Home Front, to include but not limited to goods/services/resources? Use a case study to illustrate. The wartime sacrifices and contributions made by the townspeople of Drouin, a typical Australian country town during World War II. More than 150 of the town’s 1100 inhabitants were away fighting. As well as their generous financial contribution to the war effort, many of the townspeople would have been involved in the wartime production of Drouin’s local produce, flax, butter and cheese. Like all other Australians, war rationing and shortages would also have affected them. Other men and women joined voluntary organizations such as the Red Cross or they helped to erect and patrol coastal defenses or spot aircraft and shipping. School children collected bottles, newspapers, old tires or anything else that could be recycled for the war effort. There was an unprecedented demand for food and other products like cotton, not only for the troops overseas and the people at home, but also for the American troops who were starting to arrive in Australia in large numbers. In June 1942, rationing was introduced, and ration books were issued for food and clothing. Two months earlier, in April, the government had launched 'Austerity' war loans to raise money for the war effort. Everyone was encouraged to go 'all in' to support Australia and Australians at war. How can life for women & youth on the Home Front be characterized? Use case studies to illustrate. During World War II the role of women in the services and on the home front expanded immensely. Women were no longer confined to nursing, medical and voluntary roles, and they were able to join a women’s arm of each of the services. On the home front the number of women employed grew quickly as men left jobs to go to war, and many new occupations suddenly opened to women. The nature of the war and the threat to Australia meant that there was greater unity on the home front. There were, however, tensions associated with women’s roles and for many people old attitudes and values were hard to change. Many school history textbooks claim that women’s roles and status in Australian society changed dramatically because of World War II. Using the evidence from the previous sections of this unit, together with the sources that follow, decide whether you agree with this statement and what evidence you can use to support your conclusion.

This link has many videos that contain key information about Australia’s participation in World War Two.

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Bibliography:

"All in." //All in//. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2013. .

"Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 4 – Civil." //Home//. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2013.

"The Australian Home Front during World War 2 - Overview." //The Australian Home Front during World War 2 - Overview//. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2013

"New Zealand's Role in World War II." //NZEmbassy.com//. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2013.