Fear of Asia n  From the gold rushes of the 1850s to Federation in 1901, Australia

had an exaggerated fear of Asia. The following quotes and cartoons reflect this concern.

n  ‘We are near neighbours to a teeming mass of Chinese; nearly 400,000,000 of them were separated from us by a narrow stretch of placid ocean. It was a stern struggle for existence in that closely packed country, and the advantages possessed by a rich and sparsely inhabited colony like Queensland must be only too apparent to them.’ QPD,6 September,1877

n  ‘A few years ago, the cry was that the Chinese were going to invade our shores. Now that nation has been thrust aside and it is urged with much persistency that there is a danger from Japan swooping down on us.’ CPD, 1901 – 2 session, 111, 3532, 7 August 1901

Fear of Asia The

Mongolian Octopus – His Grip on Australia

(May, Bulletin, 1886).

Fear of Asia n  The Immigration Restriction Act (1901)

served to limit non-white entry to Australia. This is known more commonly as the White Australia Policy.

n  The signing of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance (1902) aroused feelings of betrayal by the mother country towards Australia.

n  Analyse the following cartoon.

THE MOTHERLAND’S MISALLIANCE

“London, 12th February. – the Foreign Office has announced

the conclusion of a treaty of alliance between Great Britain

and Japan.” BRITANNIA: “Now, my good

little son, I’ve got married again; this is your new father.

You must be very fond of him.”

The Bulletin 1902

Fear of Asia n  1919 William Morris Hughes opposed a

racial equality clause put forward by the Japanese at the Treaty of Versailles.

Smith’s Weekly 1921

Fear of Asia n  1930s The emergence of Japanese

territorial aggression. n  1930s The controversy surrounding the

sale of pig iron from Australia to Japan. n  1941- 1945 Japan’s involvement in World

War 2

Fear of Asia – A New Dimension: Communism

n  1948 Communist insurrections in Malaya and Indonesia

n  1949 Mao Tse Tung took control of mainland China for the Communist Party

n  1950-1953 The Korean War n  1951 ANZUS n  1954 SEATO

Fear of Asia – A New Dimension: Communism

The Red River (Scorfield, Bulletin, 1954).

1.  What does the symbol on the flags in the cartoon symbolise?

2.  What nationality are the people in the cartoon?

3.  Note the way these people have been drawn. What adjectives would you use to describe them?

4.  What thoughts and feelings might the cartoonist have been trying to stir amongst the Australian readers?

“NEARER, CLEARER, DEADLIER….”

(Lindsay, Bulletin, 1950).

When North Korea invaded the south in June 1950 it seemed

to bring the threat of communism much closer for

Australians.

Forward Defence n  The concept behind Forward Defence was to

keep battles far from the shores of Australia. That is, fight the enemy on their soil. The bombing raids on Darwin exposed the vulnerability of a sparsely populated northern Australia.

n  ANZAM (1949) was part of this strategy. It aimed to have Australian troops based in Malaya.

Forward Defence