Innholdsfortegnelse for Vol 60 No 1 2025 i Agora

At Preston High School, Year 9 students investigate World War I through an ethical framework, Just War Theory. The guiding question, ‘Can war be just?’ extends beyond the context of warfare, prompting students to explore varied ethical dilemmas while enhancing their ethical decision-making skills. This approach increased student engagement while strengthening historical understanding and writing skills. What Is Just War Theory? The scope of historical agreements between belligerent nations is much narrower than the scope of ethics. For example, the Hague IV (Declaration I) of 1899 states: The Contracting Powers agree to prohibit, for a term of five years, the launching of projectiles and explosives from balloons, or by other new methods of a similar nature. The present Declaration is only binding on the Contracting Powers in case of war…

The two World Wars of the twentieth century—World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945)—were monumental events that reshaped global politics, economies and societies. Understanding these conflicts is crucial for students to grasp the complexities of modern history as well as how both conflicts still impact us. This article explores how the study of these conflicts is critical to understanding the world, and suggests teaching strategies and experiential learning opportunities that can enhance students’ comprehension and engagement. Causes and Consequences of the Wars Both world wars were rooted in complex webs of alliances, nationalism and political tensions. Prior to World War I, geopolitical instability prevailed throughout Europe, specifically in the Balkans. War in the Balkans was triggered by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary, which activated a…

Readers are advised that this article contains historically racist language as well as themes that may distress readers and the names of Aboriginal people who are now deceased. Despite legislative restrictions and systemic and social discrimination at home, more than 5000 Indigenous Australians enlisted for military service during the world wars. In World War II, hundreds more provided auxiliary and ancillary labour support for Australia’s war effort, and women joined the newly formed women’s services to ‘do their bit’.1 This wartime service expanded upon an established tradition of Indigenous defence of Country: from inter-tribal conflicts prior to colonisation, guerilla warfare and resistance against settlers during the Australia Frontier Wars, and service in the Australian defence forces from Federation to the present day.2 Overshadowed and marginalised in earlier histories, the service…

Australia’s public memory of war in the twentieth century is dominated by the figure of the ANZAC, a soldier bravely fighting land wars at Gallipoli, on the Kokoda trail or at Tobruk. Closer to home, on the sea-borne trade routes and supply lines that were so important to the nation’s survival, crucial naval conflicts were fought out that deserve closer attention.1 As a trading nation with a key role in supplying raw material for the British Empire, and one that was in turn dependent on equipment and supplies from its allies, keeping maritime trade routes open was vital to Australia’s survival. A nation’s capacity to deploy military power at sea, usually in the form of a professional navy, is a core element of ‘sea power’. Sea power also covers a…

It is a curious phenomenon, the degree to which Holocaust survivors tend to speak of their lives before the war as a kind of golden age. It is not hard to see why this would be the case. Given all that they experienced during the Holocaust itself, it may be natural to think of life prior to the war with rose-coloured glasses. And yet there is more to this phenomenon. Initial interviews with survivors, conducted even as early as 1945, did not focus on events preceding the war. This was probably because many of the interviewers were themselves familiar with that period from their own lived experience, and assumed that familiarity on the part of their intended audience. When interviewers did start asking such questions it was at a time…

Classrooms can be busy places. Trying to find time to cover the curriculum and key content, build skills, follow up with students, mark assessments and keep students interested in the subject matter can be tricky. The first item to be pushed aside tends to be skills because they are more difficult to teach and the hardest for students to grasp. Unfortunately, students can feel that they don’t know how to succeed in the subject of History. They pick the subject because they are interested, but when teachers tell them that they are not just marked on the narrative of History some cannot understand how to apply their understanding. Words like ‘analyse’ and ‘evaluate’ become complex barriers for students, and it is the role of History teachers to unpack the complexities…

A crucial point of context to keep in mind when considering Australia’s experience of two world wars is that it was mostly the generation who had endured World War I as young adults who oversaw Australia’s war effort from 1939–1945. As a result there was much less jingoistic enthusiasm at the outbreak of conflict; rather, the mood was closer to a reluctant and melancholy acceptance of fate.1 While the most obvious manifestation of the generational crossover may be returned soldiers who had experienced the horrors of Gallipoli and the Western Front having to come to terms with the moral responsibility of sending a new crop of recruits (and ultimately conscripts) into a similar hellscape, even those who had never served in the war were indelibly impacted by its social and…

On 27 December 1941, twenty days after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, Australian Prime Minister John Curtin stated emphatically that this was a new war, albeit one that was running parallel to the war in Europe. The Australian Government therefore regards the Pacific struggle as primarily one in which the United States and Australia must have the fullest say in the direction of the Democracies’ fighting plan. Without any inhibitions of any kind, I make it quite clear that Australia looks to America, free of any pangs as to our traditional links or kinship with the United Kingdom.1 It was a major turning point for both military and civilian understanding. Curtin said: ‘I demand that Australians everywhere realise that Australia is now inside the firing lines.’ This development was…

Schools and universities across Australia are increasing the international short-term study tour experiences they offer their students to complement and extend their studies in particular focus areas and subjects. Both Ancient and Modern History are popular choices for school excursions to countries such as Italy, Greece, France, Germany, the UK, Singapore and Vietnam. While complete data does not exist for how many schools offer international study opportunities, the Filling the Data Gap survey (2019) received responses from 188 schools across Australia (forty-two from Victoria) that offered international experiences in six areas: • sister school placements (any duration) • approved secondary exchange program students • overseas excursions • international conferences or competitions • service learning abroad • immersive language and culture Program.1 While an international experience may seem to be in…

Museums that present ancient materials provide students with an invaluable opportunity to gain a deeper appreciation for the primary sources that underpin our understanding of the ancient world. Lévesque categorises primary sources as either ‘relics’ (physical traces of the past) or ‘records’ (documentary evidence).1 These sources are the foundational elements that shape our understanding and interpretation of history.2 Students require adequate substantive knowledge developed by investigating primary sources and engaging in procedural reasoning.3 This knowledge allows students to move beyond merely recounting past events towards discussing the complexities of history with a deeper understanding of historical contexts.4 It is no surprise, then, that artefacts as sources feature prominently throughout HTAV’s Ancient Greece textbook.5 By incorporating these tangible connections to the past, museums demonstrate that the past is not confined to…