Print this page Curtin and MacArthur: Leadership and Australia's Darkest Hour

During the darkest days of the Second World War, Australia faced an unprecedented threat and turned to an unlikely partnership between Prime Minister John Curtin and General Douglas MacArthur. This course explores the personalities, tensions and strategic decisions that shaped Australia's wartime experience and examines the enduring consequences of this extraordinary relationship. Through historical analysis and discussion, participants will gain new insights into leadership, alliance politics and one of the defining moments in Australian history. Suitable for anyone interested in Australian history, leadership and military affairs.

DELIVERY MODE

Face to face

COURSE RESOURCES

• Peter J. Dean ‘MacArthur’s Coalition -US and Australian Operations in the Southwest Pacific Area 1942-1945 (University Press of Kansas )
• D.M. Horner ‘High Command – Australia and Allied Strategy 1939-1945 Publ. Australian War Memorial Canberra. 

COURSE OUTLINE

• 1942 was a bad year for the Allies and desperate for Australia.
• Singapore had fallen and PM John Curtin had to fight Churchill to allow the Australian troops ordered to Burma to instead return to defend Australia.
• General Douglas Macarthur, leaving the Philippines in the face of a Japanese onslaught, arrived in Australia, to be warmly greeted by Curtin and briefed on the dire situation which faced an unguarded nation.
• Was Curtin right to hand over the defence of Australia to General Macarthur ?
• Why did Macarthur rise to the challenge so readily?
• An intriguing insight into one of the greatest Australian-US strategic partnerships in Australian history. 

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

• Understand better the history of WW2 in the Pacific relating to Australia and the American involvement