No two world events have reshaped the relationship between Asia and Australia, and Australia's perception of Asia more than World War Two (1939 - 1942) and the Vietnam War (1962 - 1972).
Intro No two world events have reshaped the relationship between Asia and Australia, and Australia's perception of Asia more than World War Two (1939 - 1942) and the Vietnam War (1962 - 1972). As a result, today Australia's highest foreign policy is Asia and we have developed a relationship in many sectors - political, economic, social, cultural, military and security. However, the recent rejection of Australia into the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) has demonstrated Australia still has a long way to go to achieve a positive relationship with its closest neighbours. Unlike any other country in the world, Australia has a unique combination of geography and culture. European born and geographically Asian, Australia is inexplicably tied to both regions. Consequently, the dialectic between these two regions is extremely complicated. Whilst English is still the first language, Australia is deeply integrated with Asia. As Keating argues "hundreds of thousands of jobs continue to depend of Asian markets, Australia's security is shaped there" (Keating 2000 p27), Australia's Asian population is constantly growing. Consequently, as Alexander Downer stated ""We have substantial and abiding interest at stake in the region and we would neglect those interests at our very great peril" (Downer 1999 p22) Australia's relationship with Asia is perpetually changing. Factors
World War 2 Timeline
World War 2 Timeline During the nearly six years that World War 2 raged, approximately 61 million individuals (miliary and civilian) lost their lives. Russia suffered more than any other nation, with nearly 25 million deaths, followed by China with 11 million and Germany with 7 million. The United States entered World War 2 after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. During the next four years, the U.S. lost 295,000 soldiers in death, and had a total of 405,399 American casualties (including wounded). In comparison, during the Civil War fought in the United States from 1861-1865, 624,511 individuals lost their lives. April 14, 1939 President Roosevelt appeals for peace in Europe. August 2, 1939 Albert Einstein writes letter to President Roosevelt about the possibility of constructing a nuclear bomb. September 1, 1939 Germany invades Poland. Britain and France give Hitler ultimatum. September 3, 1939 Great Britain and France declare war on Germany. September 17, 1939 Soviet forces, under terms of a secret agreement with Germany, marched into Poland from the East. November 4, 1939 United States passes Neutrality Act of 1939. April 9, 1940 Germany invades Denmark and Norway. May 10, 1940 German army invades Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. May 10, 1940 Chamberlain resigns as British Prime Minister; Winston Churchill becomes new Prime Minister. May 11,
The Belzec extermination center.
Belzec The Belzec extermination center began operations March 17th, 1942 and ended operations December 1942. It is estimated that about 600,000 Jews were murdered at Belzec and probably dozen thousands of Gypsies. Belzec extermination camp was quite small, with a circumference of 1,220 yards. It was divided into two sections, each one surrounded by a barbed wire fence. There were watch towers all around the main perimeter. The first camp was split into two parts. The smaller area contained the administration buildings and the Ukrainians barracks. The larger part included the spur line which carried rail trucks into the camp, an expanse where the Jewish deportees were sorted into groups of men or women and children, the barracks where they were forced to undress and were shaven, storerooms for their clothes, personal objects, and huts for the Jewish workers who were employed by the SS to carry out the duties associated with the murder process. The second camp housed the gas chambers and burial pits. It was reached by a long, narrow passageway with barbed wire fencing on either side, known as 'the tube'. The extermination site was screened off from the rest of the camp by leafy branches intertwined with the barbed wire. Belzec, was located on the Lublin-Lvov railroad line, and built between November 1, 1941 and March of 1942. The killing, of Jews from Krakow and Lvov
How did the work of Bletchley Park influence the outcome of the second world war?
Matthew Smithies 10M Bletchley Park Question 3: DRAFT 1 In What Way Did the Work of Bletchley Park Influence the Outcome of the Second World War? The outcome of the Second World War was in victorious in the Allies favour. There were multiple reasons for this, mainly: The work of Bletchley Park, mistakes that the German forces made and the help of individuals such as Alan Turing, Marian Rejewski and John Herivel. The Battle of the Atlantic was a naval battle between Germany and Britain. The German U-Boats hunted in 'wolf-packs' for Allied Vessels. The battle reduced the ability for the Allies to receive resources form the Empire and the US. By 1940, 1000 Allied ships were destroyed by the Germans, which included one quarter of the British merchant fleet. By the end of 1941, another 1300 ships were destroyed. 1942 saw yet another 1661 Allied ships destroyed by the Germans leaving the number of Allied casualties at over 50 000 merchant seamen in this one battle alone. By 1943, the Allies were having serious talks about withdrawing form the war. The German U-Boats were so successful in this period for a number of reasons. First of all, they attacked from the surface of the water at night which made them almost undetectable from ADIC (an early form of radar) which relied on sonar waves traveling through water. The U-Boats also laid mines in their wolf-packs which made them
US fleet in Pearl Harbour.
On June 4th 1942 the Japanese Navy launched what Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, its commanding officer, hoped would be a decisively successful assault on the Midway Atoll and the US Pacific Fleet in the area with four Aircraft Carriers, nine Battleships, eleven Cruisers and thirty-two Destroyers. By June 6th he had lost all of his Carriers, some of whom had inflicted heavy losses on the US fleet in Pearl Harbour, along with 3,500 men and 332 aircraft. These losses effectively crippled Japan´s offensive capabilities in the Pacific for the rest of the war as it had lost the majority of its Carrier fleet and with them its air superiority over the Pacific Ocean. However, all was not lost just yet, the Japanese could still attack the islands of New Guinea from which they could disrupt allied convoys from the US to Australia and they were holding firm in the Indian Sub-continent. Why then is the Battle of Midway often referred to as a 'turning point´? The Japanese could still perform offensive operations and they had placed strong defences on all their territory gained on the Pacific. Midway was not the first failure of the Japanese Navy as it had also had to retreat with heavy losses in the Battle of the Coral Sea (May 6th to May 8th 1942) when one of the Japanese´s older Carriers, the Shoho, was sunk and one of their newer ones, the Shokaku, was put out of action for the next few
The handling of the economy was poorly coordinated and this accounts for the weakness in German war production in the years 1939-45. How far do you agree with this view?
‘The handling of the economy was poorly coordinated and this accounts for the weakness in German war production in the years 1939-45.’ How far do you agree with this view? The Second World War placed enormous strains on the German economy and labour force. Between 1939 and 1941, German military expenditure doubled and by 1941, 55 per cent of the workforce was involved in war-related projects. Despite these efforts, German productivity was disappointing and below that of their enemies. The chaotic organisation and poor co-ordination of the economy undoubtedly hindered the war effort during the years however; it seems inaccurate to argue that this solely accounts for the weakness in German war production. What proved more critical was the lack of raw materials and labour and this was a result of both the shortcomings of Goering (who wasted resources producing ersatz goods when cheaper imports were available) as well as the ideological contradictions of the regime (which meant that women were not initially conscripted and that six million Jews were exempt from contributing to the war effort.) To begin, it is true that the mobilisation of the German economy was marred by inefficiency and poor co-ordination. The pressures resulting from the premature outbreak of war created problems, since many of the major projects were not due to be ready until 1942-3. Further, the regime
F Bommber Command decisive in bringing about victrory for Britan WW2
Was the contribution of RAF Bomber Command decisive in bringing about the defeat of Germany? Bombing cities was always a controversial tactic as early as 1917 when a fleet of German Gotha bombers bombarded the costal town of Folkestone killing 95 people and injuring 175. This initial attack on Britain was the first major air offensive targeting the civilian population. This sparked the British population and government into understanding the realisation of a bombing offensive. In 1925 the government produced a projection of civilian casualties in the event of an attack by the French Air Force, the results were shocking an estimated 5,000 people would be killed or wounded in the first 24 hours. It was these results accompanied with other evidence that led the Prime minister, Stanley Baldwin, to state in the houses of parliament that "the bomber will always get through". This consensus explains why the government and the RAF invested the lion's share of available money on RAF Bomber Command rather that Fighter Command. However the question still remains whether this investment was justified and if it was money well spent. When World War Two broke out on the 3rd of September 1939 Bomber Command's capability was restricted to small numbers of slow aircraft carrying primitive navigation equipment including sextants. In order not to provoke Germany, Bomber Command's early
Assess Speer's contribution to the Nazi wareffort.
Assess Speer's contribution to the Nazi war effort. Speer, during the first years of the war, was primarily involved construction. During these years, he had been in charge of the construction of army bases, and three large aeroplane factories. Speer was still however considered an architect, despite the contribution these buildings may have made to the war effort. Speer as Minister of Armaments, 1942. Speer had to overcome many problems while Minister of Armaments. He knew that in order to have a successful war time economy, Germany needed to efficiently allocate economics resources to the production of armaments, make plans that would ensure the follow through of decisions regarding the weapons to be used, what resources were to be needed and how they would be produced. However, military leaders of Germany believed that the campaigns would be land focused, and the military ordered weapons which differed from the models previous to them. The military did not consider long term manufacturing. This lack of standardisation in German weaponary resulted in vast amounts of wasted time and resources, and made mass production virtually impossible. The navy and air force were only seen as backups for the army. The air force was especially essential for the protection of industry from allied raids. The choice of military tactics relied on the basis that the campaigns would be land
Explain the failure of the Japanese armed forces to consolidate their position after the fall of Singapore.
Explain the failure of the Japanese armed forces to consolidate their position after the fall of Singapore. The Japanese armed forces failed to consolidate their position after the fall of Singapore on the 15 February 1942, due to the deterioration of the Japanese homefront and the downward spiral of the Japanese military. The Japanese economic, social and political condition on the homefront could not support nor sustain the Japanese armed forced over a long period of time. The division of the armed forces between the navy and army contributed to their failure. The ever-continuing war with China was also draining Japan of its resources. In the end Japan had lost the battle at sea, the battle in the air, and the battle of intelligence. It just could not withstand the superior US and Allied tactics, weaponry and technology. The Japanese homefront, though heroically fighting and working till the very end, was no match to the superior US economy and industry. Japan just could not compete with the US in producing war materials for their armed forces. Although Japan's victories in 1941-1942 gave it access to raw materials, such as oil, rubber and rice, they could not be efficiently used due to Japan's lack of control of the sea and airlines to Japan. American submarines sank massive amounts of merchant shipping. By 1944, the industrial output of military supplies was
Evaluating the effect of Cnadian internment camps for those of Japanese descent during WW2.
Part A - Plan of Investigation (Word Count: 167) Japanese internment camps were one of Canada's most controversial human rights violations of all time. They caused Caucasian Canadians to look negatively towards those of Japanese descent. The purpose of this investigation is to determine to what extent the withdrawal of human rights affect family life and cultural values of Japanese Canadian's between the year of 1939 and 1945. Its focus will be on what the Canadian Government did, the outcome, the repossession of the internees' property, communication and mobility barriers, and the relocation of the Japanese Canadians. In order to conduct this investigation, an assortment of primary and secondary sources will be used and analyzed to obtain past and present perspectives. An article consisting of primary reminiscences of Japanese women internees "Memories of Internment: Narrating Japanese Canadian Women's Life Stories" by Pamela Sugiman and the secondary source monograph Nikkei Legacy: The Story of Japanese Canadians from Settlement to Today by Toyo Takata will be analyzed for credibility to determine the reliability of the information provided. Part B - Summary of Facts (Word Count: 854) . The repossession of the internees' properties, created internal and financial struggles amongst families. * Hours after the attack on Pearl Harbour on December 8th, 1939 the government
