AUSTRALIA and WORLD WAR II WORKBOOK

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AUSTRALIA and WORLD WAR II WORKBOOK

Europe’s Path to War

During the 1930s two major problems faced the world:

· the economic crisis that swept the world after the Wall Street Crash

· the attempts by Germany, Italy and Japan (which became known as the Axis powers) to expand their territory.

Rise of fascism

After World War I (1914–18), Germany had to accept the blame for starting the war. Some parts of Germany were given to other countries, and Germany had to pay Britain and France reparations according to the Treaty of Versailles signed by Germany in 1918. The amount of money Germany was required to pay caused economic difficulties. During the 1920s in Germany, prices rose at a very fast rate (known as hyperinflation) and the Germans’ standard of living fell. Money became worthless. An item that cost 70 German marks to buy in 1921 required 4200 million marks to buy in 1923 and people's savings were quickly used up buying basic items of food.

Source 1- Some of the ways hyperinflation affected ordinary Germans

In Italy from 1919, a political movement known as fascism grew under the leadership of Benito Mussolini. It subsequently spread to Germany, Portugal and Spain. Fascism was characterised by:

· control by one man who was supported by most people

· the use of force to overcome any opposition

· a belief in the superiority of one's own nation

· opposition to communism

· a desire to expand territory.

In the early 1920s, Adolf Hitler made his first attempt to gain power in Germany. When he was unsuccessful, he turned to fascist methods to encourage people to support him.

Between 1930 and 1932 unemployment in Germany rose from 3 million to more than 6 million and those who had jobs worked for low wages. Hitler promised a better, stronger and more prosperous Germany. Most Germans remembered what had happened in the 1920s and Hitler gave people a sense of hope and pride in their country.

Hitler came to power in January 1933 it was soon clear that he intended to defy the Treaty of Versailles. Like most Germans he was unhappy with the reparations and argued that Germany had been unfairly treated in 1919. Most Germans also blamed their dire economic position on the reparations. Hitler intended getting back those territories that had been taken from Germany in 1919 and he demanded that Germany’s armed forces be strengthened. However, his ambitions went much further than undoing past wrongs. He had a vision of creating a German empire out of Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. He referred to this as lebestraam, or ‘living space’

Hitler became popular because he:

· said he would create more jobs and make people better off financially

· said he would restore Germany's greatness

· promised to reunite all German-speaking people into one country

· blamed the Jews and communists for all Germany's problems

· was a skilful public speaker

· organised large rallies to promote his ideas

· used violence against those who opposed him.

In 1933, Hitler became Germany's leader and his Nazi party (National Socialist) took over control of Germany.

Source 2 A modern artist's impression of the groups who showed their support for Hitler at Nazi Party rallies

1. Hitler saw himself as a symbol of Germany. He tried at all times to appear casual yet powerful — both as a statesman and a leader.

2. Propaganda posters contained the ‘simple imagery’ that Hitler craved. He understood the power of simple images and ideas.

3. Hitler blamed Jews for many of the problems facing Germany after the war, and incited violence against them.

4. By the mid 1930s, six out of every ten young German people had joined Hitler Youth. They were deluged with Nazi Party ideology, particularly anti-Semitism (anti-Jewish views).

5. Hitler promised to take care of the workers and farmers, and to return the middle class to good fortune and peace. It seemed to them that Hitler, more than any other politician, had the ability to erase the damage done by the war and its aftermath. The crowds saluted him as a sign of respect.

Exercise 1

Did you get it?

1. Identify the effects of hyperinflation that are described in source 1.

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2. If you were living in Berlin during this time, would it be better to be paid daily, weekly, fortnightly or monthly? Explain your answer.

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3. Suggest ways in which people living in Germany in 1923 might have been able to obtain basic everyday food items.

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4. What is fascism and what are its characteristics?

5. Why was Germany unhappy with the 1919 Treaty of Versailles?

6. What were Hitler’s intentions when he came to power?

7. Why did Hitler become popular?

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8. Explain the meaning of the term Lebensraum.

GLOSSARY – AUSTRALIA AND WORLD WAR II

…………. Second Australian Imperial Force, a voluntary Australian army recruited for overseas service during World War II

……………… Nations that were on the same side in World War II. Australia was an ally of Britain and the United States in World War II.

…………………….. hatred of Jews

………………………The name given to the foreign policy followed by the British and French governments in the 1930s towards the European dictators. Appeasement was based on the belief that Hitler in particular had limited demands and that by giving in to his demands another war could be avoided.

…………………… The idea that people had to live simply, avoid wastage or excess and go without luxury items for the sake of the war effort.

……….. alliance of two or more nations to coordinate foreign and military policies and action; for example: Germany, Italy and Japan in World War II

…………………….. means ‘lightning war’ and refers to the use of aircraft and tanks to remove opposition before the German soldiers’ advance

…………………… a word which means ‘prime minister’.

……………………. the suppression or attempted suppression of something regarded as objectionable

…………………… extreme right wing ideology that developed in many countries following World War I. A fascist system is one in which power is strongly centralised and the government controls all the affairs of the nation. Fascism promotes aggressive nationalism and opposes socialism, communism and parliamentary democracy

……………………..an affectionate term used by the Australian troops for the indigenous inhabitants of New Guinea who provided help to the allied soldiers in the war against the Japanese.

…………………………….. an international agreement on the conduct of war, especially on the role of the Red Cross and the treatment of prisoner of war

……………………….. the deliberate destruction of a race of people

………………………….Nazi secret state police

……………….……. the systematic attempt by the Nazis to destroy the Jewish race during World War II

……………..….……... means ‘divine wind’ and refers to Japanese suicide pilots

…………………………… a world organisation set up after World War I aiming to preserve world peace.

……………………………. German term for living space

……………………………German air force

…………… the name of the political party led by Adolf Hitler which ruled Germany from 1933 to 1945.

…………… prisoner of war

…………... Royal Australian Air Force

…………... Royal Australian Navy

………………….. a system devised to ensure the fair distribution of essential commodities in wartime.

………….………. payments Germany was required to make after World War I for the cost of the war.

……………………………………. the peace treaty that ended World War I and forced Germany to accept the blame for starting the war

…………….. Women’s Royal Australian Naval Service

APPEASEMENT

Read pages 164 to 166 in your text books and answer:

1. What was France and Britain’s policy of appeasement towards Hitler?

2. Why did they do this?

3. Why did some feel Hitler should be trusted and supported?

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4. What was the result in the appeasement policy? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. What was Hitler’s goal as part of his claim for lebenstraum? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. What did Great Britain grant Poland at the Munich Conference in Czechovslakia? Why?

7. What event happened on 1st September 1939? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. What was the result of this event?

Key Terms WordSearch

AIF

allies

anti-Semitism

appeasement

austerity

axis

blitzkrieg

censorship

Chancellor

Convention

fascism

Fuzzy Wuzzy

Geneva

genocide

Gestapo

Holocaust

kamikaze

lebensraum

Luftwaffe

Nazi

POW

RAAF

RAN

rationing

reparations

Treaty

Versailles

WRANS

SOURCE QUESTIONS

1. Identify the country each figure in Source 3 above represents ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. In your own words, explain the point the cartoonist is making ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. How reliable are cartoons as evidence of what people thought was happening and what was really happening? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

CONQUESTS OF THE 1930S

Study the map of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East in the 1930s on page 166 of your textbook and answer:

a. Which countries did Germany conquer in 1938 and 1939? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

b. Which countries did Italy conquer in 1939 (hint: also see the text at the bottom of p. 164) __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

c. Into which country did the Soviet Union advance in 1939? _________________________________________________________________________

AUSTRALIA BECOMES INVOLVED

Read pages 166 to pages 167 of your text and answer:

1. When did Britain declare war on Germany? __________________________________

2. Who was the Australian Prime Minister who declared Australia was at war the next day? ______________________________________________________________________

3. How did he announce this to the Australian public? ______________________________________________________________________

4. Who did he neglect to ask first? _____________________________________________

5. What did some Australians believe at the time? Why? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. What did Menzies and others believe? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Source 4 Questions (See page 9 of this booklet)

1. Identify the three most important reasons Menzies gives for Australia's entry into the war against Germany. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What does source 4 reveal about Australia's relations with Britain in 1939? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Start of War in Europe 1939

Examine Source 5 on page 10 and answer:

1. Which country is blamed for starting World War II in source 5? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Who is the person shown on the front page of the newspaper and which country did he rule? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. How does this source support the view that Australia had a close relationship with Britain when the war started? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

1. Using the textbook (pages 166-167), identify the European countries that had fascist governments in 1939. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Outline how Hitler became Germany's leader. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Explain why Britain and France followed a policy of appeasement towards Germany. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Identify reasons that the Spanish Civil War was important for the fascists. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Explain why Germany's invasion of Poland started World War II. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. Identify reasons for Australia's involvement in the war. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Australians were less enthusiastic for World War II

THE KOKODA CAMPAIGN

July 1942 – January 1943

Following the fall of Singapore to the Japanese in February 1942 and the Japanese occupation of Indonesia, the Japanese planned to occupy Port Moresby in what was then the Australian territory of Papua New Guinea. Some saw this as a step in preparation for invading Australia but for the Japanese it was probably a defensive measure. They could use it as a base to defend the southernmost parts of their empire and as a port to service their ships. Occupying Port Moresby would also prevent it being used by the United States and Australian forces.

The fighting that took place in New Guinea in 1942 was the most important that Australian soldiers have ever been involved in. For the only time in our history, Australians were defending their own country and fighting off a direct threat against their homes and loved ones. This time they were not fighting somebody else's war in a distant land. The fighting that took place in New Guinea, an Australian territory since 1920, along what became known as the Kokoda Track, was some of the toughest Australian soldiers have ever experienced.

Success on the Kokoda Track in 1942 saved Australia from a possible invasion and greatly assisted the Allied effort to push the Japanese back. The Kokoda campaign marked the moment when the war had clearly turned against the Japanese in favour of the Allies.

The Japanese first attempted to seize Port Moresby by a sea and air attack but were defeated in the Battle of the Coral Sea in early May 1942 and the Battle of Midway in early June. However, they did not give up their goal and decided instead to launch a land attack, invading New Guinea in the north and planning to march south to Port Moresby.

Kokoda was just a small village about half-way across New Guinea (see source 7) but it eventually gave its name to the whole campaign. Kokoda was of strategic importance for two reasons:

· It was an area of relatively flat land, where an airstrip could be built.

· Being near the northern edge of the mountain range it was thought that this could be defended. If the Australians were forced back, the Japanese would have to attack them from below.

However, as sources 8 and 9 demonstrate, this part of Papua New Guinea provided some of the toughest terrain in the world in which to fight.

· The trail consisted of a variety of peaks — some up to 2000 metres high — and valleys to cross.

· You had to fight your way through dense rainforest.

· There were hot, humid conditions in the valleys and freezing nights on the mountain tops.

· Malaria, dysentery and other tropical diseases flourished in these conditions.

Defending

New Guinea

Australia was ill-equipped to defend Papua New Guinea. Its trained soldiers had either been fighting for over two years in Africa or the Middle East or were prisoners of war following the fall of Singapore. The military leaders instead had to form a new military force by gathering a group of conscripts and volunteers from within Australia. These young men were poorly equipped and poorly trained. There were no preparations for tropical warfare, and even their khaki uniforms were completely unsuited to tropical conditions, not providing any camouflage in the tropical rainforests. On top of this, they were thrown against a highly trained and determined enemy who for years had known only victory.

June 1942

About 400 members of the 39th Division of the Australian militia were sent just north of the Owen Stanley Ranges to secure the airfield at Kokoda. The militia were not professional soldiers. But part of a reserve used for home defence work. Their average age was eighteen and a half. They were dismissively referred to as 'chocos' or 'chocolate soldiers' because it was believed they would melt in the heat of battle when faced with any real enemy.

July

Japanese forces of about 6000 landed at Gona on the coast (see map, source 8) on 21 July and advanced towards Kokoda. They intended advancing across the Owen Stanleys and taking Port Moresby in about two weeks. This was a distance of about 200 km, but the terrain was extremely tough - high mountains and thick jungle.