Unit 3: National experiences in the Modern World (Australia 1914 to 1949)

6 dot points across 4 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

Inquiry topic 3: Australia and World War II (1939 to 1945)

Analyse Australia's involvement in World War II, including the European and Mediterranean campaigns, the fall of Singapore in 1942, the Pacific war, Curtin's appeal to the United States, the home front mobilisation, and the experience of women and Indigenous Australians

A focused answer to the QCE Modern History Unit 3 dot point on Australia's experience of World War II. Covers the Mediterranean campaigns of 1940 and 1941, the fall of Singapore in 1942, Curtin's appeal to the United States, the Pacific war, the home front and the experience of women and Indigenous Australians.

12 min answer →

Inquiry topic 1: Australia and World War I (1914 to 1918)

Describe and explain the Australian experience of World War I on the battlefield and the home front, including Gallipoli, the Western Front, the role of women, and the development of the Anzac legend

A focused answer to the QCE Modern History Unit 3 dot point on Australia's experience of World War I. Covers the campaigns at Gallipoli and the Western Front, casualty figures and military impact, the home front including the role of women and the Australian economy, and the construction of the Anzac legend across the war and immediate post-war years.

11 min answer →

Explain the political, social and economic conditions of Australia in 1914 and the reasons for Australia's involvement in World War I, including the imperial relationship with Britain and the role of public opinion

A focused answer to the QCE Modern History Unit 3 dot point on why Australia entered World War I in August 1914. Covers the political, social and economic conditions of 1914 Australia, the imperial relationship with Britain, Andrew Fisher's "last man and last shilling" pledge, public enthusiasm for the war, and the strategic calculation behind early Australian involvement.

10 min answer →

Analyse the conscription debates of 1916 and 1917, including the role of Billy Hughes, the split in the Labor Party, the influence of Archbishop Daniel Mannix and the social and political consequences of the two referenda

A focused answer to the QCE Modern History Unit 3 dot point on the 1916 and 1917 conscription referenda. Covers the political context of falling AIF recruitment, Billy Hughes's campaign, the split in the Labor Party, the role of Archbishop Daniel Mannix and Catholic Irish-Australians, the campaign rhetoric on both sides, and the long political consequences of two "No" votes.

10 min answer →

Inquiry topic 2: The interwar years (1918 to 1939)

Describe and explain the political, social and economic developments in interwar Australia, including post-war reconstruction, the 1920s political settlement, the Great Depression, the Premiers' Plan, the dismissal of Jack Lang and the rise of new political movements

A focused answer to the QCE Modern History Unit 3 dot point on interwar Australia. Covers demobilisation, the Bruce-Page government of the 1920s, the Scullin Labor government, the Great Depression in Australia, the Premiers' Plan of 1931, the dismissal of NSW Premier Jack Lang, and the rise of the New Guard and the Communist Party.

11 min answer →

Inquiry topic 4: Post-war Australia (1945 to 1949)

Evaluate the social, political and economic developments in post-war Australia between 1945 and 1949, including the Chifley government's reconstruction program, the mass migration scheme, the 1948 Citizenship Act, Indigenous policy, the early Cold War and the lead-up to the 1949 election

A focused answer to the QCE Modern History Unit 3 dot point on post-war Australia. Covers the Chifley government's reconstruction program, full employment policy, the Calwell migration scheme, the 1948 Citizenship Act, Indigenous policy, the 1949 coal strike and the early Cold War, and the political conditions that produced the 1949 Menzies victory.

11 min answer →