Australia’s Response to Hitler: 1939-1941

Robert Menzies entered office at the most hazardous time, Hitler had invaded Poland and Australia needed to officially respond to the crisis that was World War II. In this video Mr. Mitchell will take you through the buildup to Australia’s World War II involvement including the policies of Joseph Lyons while also looking at the official response to the European theatre itself.

The video will also cover the intense party rivalries for the top job including Earle Page’s ploy to bring back retired prime minister Stanley Bruce while also looking at Indigenous history with the 1938 Aboriginal Day of Mourning.

Importantly, the video won’t cover Australia vs Japan in World War II as we end the video in 1941. Stay tuned for next week as we see the official response of John Curtin to Pearl Harbour and the outbreak of the Pacific War.