Print this page Australia's Wartime Prime Ministers

The 1940s was a decade of huge events and change in Australia. It began with the newly declared war against Germany, later followed by Italy and Japan. It also began with a time of great political turmoil with the Menzies’ government defeated and the coming to power of the Curtin Labor government who saw the country to victory. This was followed by four years of radical “true believer” Labor government under Ben Chifley and, finally, a change of direction under a revived Robert Menzies. This course traces the course of the decade through the fear of invasion, total war and post-war change.

DELIVERY MODE

• Hybrid (F2F & Online simultaneously)

COURSE OUTLINE

• The first government of Robert Menzies and the United Australia Party, coming out of the Great Depression and entering the Second World War
• The defeat of the Menzies government on the parliament floor and the coming to power of John Curtin’s Labor government who would see out the war until victory over the Axis powers
• The death of Curtin and the post-war government of Ben Chifley, a radical experiment with socialism in the face of Menzies’ “Red scare”.
• The beginnings of Australia’s own form of “McCarthyism” and the election of Menzies and his new Liberal Party.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

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

1. Gain an understanding of post-Depression politics and economics in Australia and our response to Britain’s declaration of war on Germany
2. Understand how and why the Curtin Labor government came to power and the way that they pursued the war effort.
3. Trace the transition of power from Curtin to Chifley and how his government pursued the new socialist agenda
4. Appreciate Menzies’ ability to harness the new post-war mood in Australia and to place Australia within the Cold War context.