What was British race patriotism?
British race patriotism defined the manner in which Australians identified with the British Empire in the early twentieth century (Curran, 2004). During this time, the Australian prime ministers wholeheartedly supported British military undertakings (Curran, 2004). British goods and services were also preferred and every school going child swore oaths of allegiance to Britain. Indeed, (Schreuder and Ward, 2008, p. 152) outline the oath taken: ‘I love my country, the British Empire; I salute her flag, the Union Jack.’ During this period, Australians felt that they were part of a global community of British peoples. The considered themselves united to the British by history, tradition, language, blood (Curran, 2004). In essence, Australians identified themselves very intensely with the British and viewed themselves as upholders of the British in the Southern seas. This perception of ‘Britishness’ entrenched itself so deeply into the culture and heritage of the Australian peoples.
What positions did Australians adopt towards the problem of Japanese expansionism 1931-1941?
During the period of 1931-1941, the Japanese aggressively sought to expand their territories. This drove it into conflict with many states including Russia, and China. In 1937, Japan pulled out of the League of Nations after it conquered Manchuria, a region in North Eastern China (Schreuder and Ward, 2008). Japan was increasingly becoming more powerful, especially with regards to military prowess. Japan was also quite eager to exercise its new found power. As a result, Australia, and her allies viewed Japan with suspicion, and were concerned by Japan’s growing power (JCU, 2012).This period was marked by fear of conflict with Japan, and there was a general spirit of trying to appease Japan, to avoid war. This was exemplified by several statements made by John Curtin, who was then an opposition leader:
“We desire to live in peace with our neighbors in the Pacific, who are north of the equator. Insofar as the problems of the Pacific are concerned, we have no quarrel with the people of Japan We lay it down that what they do is their business and we feel that Japan will fully reciprocate in this connection, ” (JCU, 2012, p. 2).
Australia did not support Japanese expansionist plans and allied themselves with Netherlands, Britain, and France (JCU, 2012). Moreover, these countries had territorial and financial interests in colonies in Southeast and Eastern Asia (JCU, 2012). Japanese expansion therefore represented a threat to the political and economic stability of Australia.
Why did Japan replace China as the main focus of Australian fears of Asia in the 1890's?
In the 1890s Australians grew more wary of the Japanese than they were of the Chinese. This is because, the Japanese were ambitiously seeking to establish colonies and build an empire and catch up with the Western world after their period of isolation. This was coupled with the fact that the Japanese were migrating in large numbers into Australia and this was viewed as a threat to security (Oliver, 2004). The Australians feared that the Japanese migrating freely into the country, and their involvement in the pearling industry, was a reason for concern. Their fears were further augmented by the fact that the British in 1894, signed the Anglo-Japanese Commercial Treaty (Oliver, 2004). A clause in the treaty allowed Japanese immigrants to travel into, enter, and reside in any section of the British colony (JCU, 2012). However, the treaty was open to ratification by individual colonies. Predictably, due to the anxiety Australians had over the Japanese, New South Wales prohibited their immigration while Queensland ratified the treaty but limited the numbers of Japanese immigrants allowed in Queensland (Oliver, 2004).
How did the Pacific War affect Australian attitudes to Japan and to Asia?
The Pacific war caused a shift in Australian attitudes towards Japan and Asia. While they were quite suspicious of Japan during the war, after the war, they were hit with the realization that their future security would be highly dependent on how developments in Japan and Asia. This can be explained by the following events. During the Pacific war, Australia was vulnerable to attacks and the Prime Minister John Curtin, being disillusioned with Britain’s assurances of support, called for the US to assist it (Oliver, 2004). The Japanese established a base in New Guinea (Australian territory), which it used to make numerous attacks on Darwin (Oliver, 2004). At the same time, the Australians were shocked by the collapse of the British Malaya and the Fall of Singapore which resulted in a large number of Australians soldiers who became prisoners of war (DVA, 2012). Australians were further shocked when the Prime Minister, John Curtin, in 1942, received proof that the British had lied when they promised to defence against a Japanese invasion (Schreuder and Ward, 2008). Australia realized that it would be important for them to continue fostering relations with Britain and the United States of America (Curran, 2004). As a result, the concept of British race patriotism began to wane while that of multiculturism slowly began to take root.
Why did Australians accept the "domino theory" as an explanation of events in Asia in the 1950's and 1960s?
The ‘domino theory’ was propagated by the US during the 1950s and the 1960s. It outlined that should one country fall under communist influence, the neighboring countries would also follow and fall under the same influence (DVA, 2012). Australia had a number of reasons for accepting the domino theory being experienced in Asia. Australia was against ideology of communism and its political and socioeconomic implications and strongly believed in democracy and capitalism. In 1949, China had become a communist nation and Australia feared that Indonesia would follow (Oliver, 2004). In addition, communism was taking root in Thailand, Malaysia, and Laos.
The Australian government also believed that there was need for it to ally itself with the US. The domino theory had been propagated by the US, and the US used this as a reason to intervene in certain countries for example, the war in Vietnam. This was because Australia had relied on the US during World War 2. To demonstrate its support of the US and to set the stage for future favours, Australia sent troops to fight alongside the US in the Vietnam War (JCU, 2012). By doing this, Australia hoped to augment its security against any future regional threats.
References
Australian Government (Department of Veterans Affairs), (2012). Australians’ Involvement in the War. Available at
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:kfRJQYCU4UwJ:www.dva.gov.au/commems_oawg/commemorations/education/Documents/avw_topic1.pdf+autralia+and+the+domino+theory&hl=en&gl=ke&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEEShQl8LzKvaUU3wZEOYvXjIcpbiCpcFmOH1Xi9DzQwCmvz
Curran J. (2004). A crisis of national meaning: Prime ministers and the dilemma of Australian nationalism. Available at http://john.curtin.edu.au/events/speeches/curran.html
John Curtin University (2012). A new world war. Available at http://john.curtin.edu.au/artofthepossible/world.html
Oliver P., (2004). Allies, enemies, and trading partners: Records on Australia and the Japanese. Available at http://www.naa.gov.au/naaresources/publications/research_guides/pdf/trading_partners.pdf
Schreuder D. & Ward S. (2008). Australia’s empire. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
