This resource has been developed to support the Australian Curriculum: History Depth Study ‘World War II (1939-45)’ for Year 10 students. It has specific reference to five content descriptions:
Overview of the causes and course of World War II (ACDSEH024)
Elaborations
- outlining the contributing factors of World War II (for example, the outcomes of the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations; the rise of Hitler and Japan’s imperial ambitions)
- identifying key events in the European theatre of war (for example, Germany’s invasion of Poland in 1939; the Holocaust 1942–45; the Russians reaching Berlin in 1945)
- identifying key events in the Asia-Pacific theatre of war (for example, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941; the fall of Singapore in 1942; the American victory at the Battle of Midway in 1942)
Examination of significant events of World War II, including the Holocaust and use of the atomic bomb (ACDSEH107)
Elaborations
- investigating the scale and significance of the Holocaust, using primary sources
- explaining the race to build the atomic bomb (by Germany, Japan, the US) and why the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Experiences of Australians during World War II (such as Prisoners of War (POWs), the Battle of Britain, Kokoda, the Fall of Singapore) (ACDSEH108)
Elaborations
- explaining the significance of Kokoda as the battle that halted the Japanese advance on Port Moresby and helped foster the Anzac legend
The impact of World War II, with a particular emphasis on the Australian home front, including the changing roles of women and use of wartime government controls (conscription, manpower controls, rationing and censorship) (ACDSEH109)
Elaborations
- investigating the impact of World War II at a local and national level (for example, significant events such as the bombing of Darwin; the Japanese submarine attack on Sydney and the sinking of ships off the Australian coast; the ‘Battle of Brisbane’; the Cowra breakout and the Brisbane Line)
The significance of World War II to Australia’s international relationships in the twentieth century, with particular reference to the United Nations, Britain, the USA and Asia (ACDSEH110)
Elaborations
- evaluating the impact of World War II on the emergence of the United States as a major world power and on Australia’s alliance with the US (for example, the threat of Japan)
The resource also has relevance to the General Capabilities of Literacy, Critical and Creative Thinking, Intercultural Understanding, and Personal and Social Capability.
