The World since 1945

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

How and why has the global balance of power changed since 1945?

Analyse the changing world order since 1945, including the rise of superpowers, the post-Cold-War unipolar moment, globalisation, terrorism and the emergence of new powers.

The shifting global balance of power since 1945: the superpower era, the end of the Cold War, the unipolar moment, globalisation, terrorism and the rise of new powers such as China.

9 min read →

How and why have new challenges to global peace and security emerged since 1945?

Analyse the changing nature of threats to peace and security since 1945, including nuclear weapons, terrorism, ethnic conflict and the international responses to them.

The changing threats to global peace and security since 1945, including nuclear proliferation, terrorism, genocide and ethnic conflict, and the international responses from arms control to humanitarian intervention.

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How and why did European empires collapse and new nations emerge after 1945?

Analyse the causes, processes and consequences of decolonisation and the emergence of independent nations in Asia and Africa after 1945.

The causes, processes and consequences of decolonisation after 1945, including independence movements in Asia and Africa and the challenges faced by new nations.

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How and why did peoples of South-East Asia struggle for national self-determination after 1945?

Analyse the causes, course and outcomes of struggles for national self-determination in South-East Asia after 1945, including Vietnam, Cambodia and East Timor.

The causes, course and outcomes of post-1945 struggles for national self-determination in South-East Asia, focusing on Vietnam, Cambodia and East Timor, from anti-colonial revolution to Cold War conflict and independence.

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How and why did Australia's relationship with Asia and the South Pacific region change after 1945?

Analyse the changing nature of Australia's engagement with Asia and the South Pacific since 1945, including defence, trade, migration and regional diplomacy.

How Australia's defence, trade, migration and diplomacy reoriented from Britain towards Asia and the South Pacific after 1945, from the US alliance and forward defence to engagement, trade with China and regional intervention.

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How and why was the United Nations established, and how effectively has it pursued collective security and a global community since 1945?

Analyse the establishment, structure, role and effectiveness of the United Nations in pursuing collective security, peacekeeping and global cooperation since 1945.

The establishment, structure, role and effectiveness of the United Nations since 1945, including collective security, peacekeeping, human rights and development, and the debate over its successes and failures.

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How and why did the Cold War develop, escalate and end between 1945 and 1991?

Analyse the origins, key crises, ideological conflict and eventual end of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union from 1945 to 1991.

The origins, escalation, key crises and end of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, from the post-war division of Europe to the collapse of the USSR in 1991.

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How and why did movements for rights and freedoms develop and what did they achieve after 1945?

Analyse the causes, methods, key figures and outcomes of movements for civil, political and human rights after 1945, including the African American civil rights movement and others.

The causes, methods, key figures and outcomes of post-1945 movements for civil and human rights, including the African American civil rights movement and anti-apartheid struggle.

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How and why has the struggle for peace in the Middle East proved so difficult since 1945?

Analyse the causes, course and attempts at resolution of conflict in the Middle East since 1945, focusing on the Arab-Israeli conflict and the search for peace.

The causes, course and attempted resolution of conflict in the Middle East since 1945, centred on the Arab-Israeli conflict, the wars, the Palestinian question, and the peace efforts from Camp David to Oslo.

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