Unit 3: National experiences in the Modern World

12 dot points, in syllabus order. Each dot point has a focused answer, with exam-style questions and worked answers where available.

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

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 read →

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

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 read →

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

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 read →

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

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 read →

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

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 read →

Australia since 1901: economic reform, reconciliation and constitutional debate

Analyse the Hawke and Keating governments' economic reforms, the shift towards Asia and the Pacific, reconciliation after Mabo, and the 1999 republic referendum, and assess the legacy of the period for contemporary Australia

How the Hawke and Keating Labor governments reformed the economy through the Accord, floating the dollar and tariff cuts, introduced Medicare, engaged with Asia and responded to Mabo, and why the 1999 republic referendum failed. Includes a model answer and practice questions for Australia since 1901.

8 min read →

Australia since 1901: immigration, race and national identity

Analyse the White Australia policy from 1901 and the changes that dismantled it between the 1940s and 1970s, including post-war mass migration, the Holt reforms, the Whitlam government and the move to multiculturalism

How the White Australia policy began with the Immigration Restriction Act 1901, why post-war mass migration began to erode it, and the steps from the 1950s to the 1970s that ended race-based selection and led to multicultural policy. Includes a model answer and practice questions.

8 min read →

Australia since 1901: reform, crisis and the Dismissal

Analyse the Whitlam government's reform program from 1972 to 1975 and the constitutional crisis that ended it, including the blocking of supply and the dismissal of the government on 11 November 1975

The Whitlam Labor government's rapid reform program, the economic problems it faced, the Senate's blocking of supply in 1975 and Governor-General Sir John Kerr's dismissal of the government on 11 November. Includes a model answer on the causes of the Dismissal and practice questions.

8 min read →

Australia since 1901: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the nation

Analyse government policy towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples since 1901 and the campaigns for rights and recognition, including protection, assimilation, the 1967 referendum, land rights, Mabo and the Apology

Australian policy towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples from Federation to the 2023 Voice referendum: protection and assimilation, the Stolen Generations, activism, the 1967 referendum, land rights, Mabo and the Apology. Includes a model answer and practice questions.

9 min read →

Australia since 1901: Federation and nation-building

Analyse the creation of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901 and the policies of the early Commonwealth that shaped the new nation, including the Immigration Restriction Act, industrial arbitration, protection and social welfare

How the Commonwealth of Australia came into being on 1 January 1901 and what its first governments did: the Immigration Restriction Act, the Harvester judgment, the rise of Labor and age pensions. Includes a worked model answer and practice questions for Australia since 1901.

8 min read →

Australia since 1901: the Cold War, alliances and Vietnam

Analyse Australian society, politics and foreign policy from 1949 to 1972, including the Menzies governments, anti-communism, the alliance with the United States, the Vietnam War and conscription, and the growth of dissent

How the Coalition governments from 1949 managed post-war prosperity, anti-communism and the shift from Britain to the United States, why Australia fought in Vietnam, and how conscription produced the Moratorium movement. Includes a model answer and practice questions for Australia since 1901.

8 min read →

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

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 read →