The Task Ahead by John Curtin - Article Example

To what extent did John Curtin’s The Task Ahead signify a moment of change in the history of Australia? Name: Course: The Task Ahead is the title of a famous newspaper article written by the former Prime Minister of Australia, John Curtin. Published in the Herald on the 27th of December back in 1941, the article served as an address to the Australian nation regarding the policy objectives of the Australian government in the wake of the Pacific War during the period between 1941 and 1945. Publication of the task ahead formed an important moment in the history of Australia. Since the government of Australia had remained subordinate to Britain in terms of military and economic relations during the previous period, The Task Ahead signified a number of changes in the relations between Australia, Britain and the United States. For instance, the article signified a fundamental shift in the relations between Australia and Britain. By declaring dependence on the United States as a primary ally in fighting the Pacific War, the task ahead signified a moment in history where Australia was not only redefining its relationship with its mother country but also developing new ties with the United States. These ties formed the basis of a bilateral relationship that covers both military and economic issues1. The historical context for the publication of the article is complex. The social and political circumstances that were present during the period are important issues to consider when interpreting this article. Although the Australian forces had been participating in the Second World War during the period between 1940 and 1941, the Australian nation had not faced a direct threat of aggression2. However, things changed on 8 December 1941 when the Japanese forces attacked and destroyed Pearl Harbour in the United States. The suddenness and severity of this attack led the Prime Minister of Australia to declare war on Japan; thus making an independent decision without depending on the position of Britain as it had been the custom. The main motivation behind this declaration was the fear of a possible invasion by Japan and, therefore, the need to safeguard the interests of Australia3. This official position taken by the Prime Minister was repeated a day later when the Governor General, acting on behalf of the King, declared war on Japan. Although this was not the first time that Australia had declared war on a nation independently from its mother country, this period in which the country declared war on Japan, followed by the publication of The Task Ahead, not only signified a shift in the relationship between Australia and Britain but also was an indication of change of policy objectives of the Australian nation in the course of the Pacific War. The relationship between Australia and Britain was strengthened during the Second World War4. Australia remained subordinate to Britain in terms of military, economic and political dependence. Although the country remained responsible for its own defence, it remained heavily reliant on the willingness and ability of Britain to provide support in the event of a threat of aggression. This subordinate relationship between Australia and Britain was strengthened during the course of the First and Second World Wars. In this period, Australia lacked a fully fledged diplomatic service charged with the responsibility of advancing its interests on the global stage. This meant that the country relied on Britain to advance its interest in international matters where much emphasis was made of the fact that Australia remained part of the British Empire in terms of foreign policies. Since both the Australian people and the leaders were content to be seen essentially as part of the British Empire, this subordinate relationship continued throughout the war period. During this time, the government of Australia was content to rely on Britain in articulating its interests in international matters. Developing independent policy objectives was considered an unnecessary exercise that would lead to chaos and disaster5. That the publishing of The Task Ahead signified a watershed moment in the approach towards foreign policy in Australia is clear when the official foreign policy of the country is compared during the periods under the leadership of Menzies and Curtin. Prime Minister Menzies’ declaration of war on Germany came as an obligation to the Australian nation following the cue from Britain which had declared war on Germany. The Prime Minister declared war on Germany by stating that Australia was obliged to declare war on Germany, since, ‘There can be no doubt that where Great Britain stands; there stand the people of the entire British world’ 6 This statement indicates three things: first, it shows that Menzies believed that standing with the mother country during the course of the war was not only a national obligation but also presented a strategic significance for the country in terms of defence during and after the war7. Secondly, the declaration by Menzies was a reflection of the entire population of the Australian people who felt that their country was obliged to follow the position of Britain regarding matters of foreign policy8. Thirdly, this statement shows the belief of Menzies that Australia could not afford to remain neutral during the course of the war and therefore had the obligation to move immediately into war as a result of the decision of the mother country. Prime Minister John Curtin of the labour party took over the leadership of Australia in October 1941 after the collapse of the government that was led by Menzies. After a brief period in power, this government was confronted by an unprecedented situation that was a result of the goings-on of the Pacific War. The Japanese forces recorded early victories in the course of the war, which culminated in the bombing of the Pearl Harbour. Also, the Japanese forces had registered early victories against colonial powers in Asia. Since Australia depended on the British for military defence in the event of a threat of an invasion, destruction of the colonial forces in Asia presented a direct threat to the Australian nation. These developments on the war front caused panic in the Australian population as both the government and the people believed in an imminent Japanese invasion. In publishing The Task Ahead on December 27th of the same year, the Prime Minister stated that: ‘The Australian government…regards the Pacific struggle as primarily one in which the United States and Australia must have the fullest say…’9 Many historians have stated that this article marked a moment in which Australia shifted its foreign policy of dependence on Britain in the pre-war period to one that saw the country developing a relationship with the United States in the course of the war. For instance, James Wood wrote in 1998 that the moment marked a change in the relationship between Australia and Britain in that Australia abandoned the policy of putting the interests of the mother country first and adopted a policy stance of taking care of the interests of the Australian people first10. Also, the period signified a change in the relationship between the three countries: Australia, Britain and the United States; in that it signified a change in Australia’s foreign policy from primary dependence on Britain to the United States as a primary ally during the course of the war11. Although Curtin’s declaration of war independently from Britain was not the first instance in which the country had asserted its independence, the period in which the task ahead was published underscored a significant moment for the Australian nation; that in which the country recognised the need of and made the move towards depending on the United States as a primary ally in the course of the war – a move which had not been witnessed before12. This fundamental shift was reflected in Curtin’s declaration that: ‘… Australia looks onto America…’13 This fundamental shift in foreign policy objectives was further evident in the events that followed the publication of The Task Ahead. Wood observes that soon after the declaration, the Australian government offered the United States total support in the way the former conducted the Pacific War14. For instance, all Australian forces which included the naval, field formations and several operational units of the air force were put under the command of General McArthur, the supreme commander of the South Western Pacific Area throughout the course of the Second World War15. Also, the shift toward depending on the United States as a primary ally in the course of the war was reflected in the fact that Australia, soon after, started serving as a staging post for the military operations of the Allied forces in the course of the war16. Mark Beeson observes that the current relationship between the United States and Australia has its genesis in the period during the Second World War when both countries started building bilateral relations in terms of economic and security matters17. The response to these advances has remained largely positive in both countries, and has been reflected in the attitude of the public in both countries. In the case of Australia, whereas the population was content to identify itself as part of the British Empire, the decision to depend on America as a primary ally at the expense of Britain was greeted with mixed reactions at first. This was evident in the case of the conservative population that sought to maintain the British identity in terms of both cultural and foreign policy affairs18. However, as Beeson writes, the bilateral relationship between the United States and Australia has remained positive since its beginning in the course of the Second World War19. On the other hand, David Day, writing in 2003, stated that The Task Ahead signified a period in which Australia broke its long historical relationship as a subordinate of Britain and started to build a strategic relationship with the United States20. This was reflected in both the content and timing of the article. Also, that the moment marked a shift in the foreign policy of Australia was also reflected in the fact that after the publication, the Australian government was able to put the interests of the Australian population first as opposed to the earlier period in which the interests of Britain were taken care of at the expense of those of the local population. This development led to many instances in which Australia was at loggerheads with the leading nations of the time during the course of the war21. Although it was not the first time that Australia had showed defiance to its masters with regard to making important decisions about the role of Australian force in the war, the confrontations and moments of defiance after the declaration of war on Japan served to signify the new developing role of Australia on the international stage22. For instance, the ‘Cable Wars23’ that followed the fall of Singapore illustrated an instance in which Curtin was able to withstand intense diplomatic pressure from Britain with regard to whether the Australian forces should be deployed to the defence of Burma or be returned home to offer defence in the event of a Japanese invasion. Whereas Britain maintained diplomatic pressure on Australia to divert the forces to Burma, Curtin maintained the position that the Australian forces had to offer defence on the domestic front. Although it was known that the Australian forces did not stand a chance in Burma, Curtin’s insistence against a diversion to Burma was informed by the need to offer support to the nation rather than the fact that Burma was already falling to a Japanese invasion. Apart from the need to seek defence under the threat of an invasion by the Japanese force, Curtin decided to defy the decision of Britain by maintaining that diverting the Australian forces to Burma would jeopardise the relationship between Australia and the United States. This signifies that Australia, having experienced a desperate situation earlier in the course of the war, had viewed a relationship with the United States as being of greater strategic value than that with Britain. Also, Day states that the Anglo-Australian relations were affected by the conflicting views of how the Pacific War was to be conducted. Whereas Britain wanted to concentrate on fighting the European war in the meantime before turning to the Pacific, Australia saw the Pacific War as a new war altogether and as a result, required that a lot of resources be deployed in fighting it24. This is in contrast with the initial period in which the Australian forces had little say in the way the war was being conducted; leaving the decisions on the general war strategy to the United States and Britain25. This position by the Australian government put a strain on its relationship with the mother country since Britain had indicated its decision to focus on fighting the European war and had counted on the United States as an important ally in terms of resources. In conclusion, The Task Ahead examined the general issue of the relationship between Australia and Britain. Its content and timing of publication signifies the importance that the Australian government put on the need to develop a bilateral relationship with the United States. This was a reaction to the threat of a possible Japanese invasion that Australia faced as the Second World War progressed. John Curtin, being the Prime Minister of Australia during this time, was in a good position to give reliable opinion on the following issues: the relationship between Australia and Britain, the need for Australia to establish a bilateral relationship with the United States and the emerging role of Australia in asserting its interests in the management of global affairs. Bibliography Primary sources Curtin, John, The Task Ahead, Published: The Herald, 27/12/1941, National Library of Australia Secondary sources Beeson, M., Australia’s Relationship with the United States: the Case for Greater Independence, 2004, [Online], http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/eserv.php?pid=UQ:11015&dsID=mbajps03.pdf , Accessed 9/9/2013 Day, D., The Politics of War, Published: The Sydney Papers Summer, 2003, [Online], http://search.informit.com.au.ezproxy.une.edu.au/fullText;dn=839811740515970;res=IELHSS Accessed, 9/9/2013 Grey, J., A Military History of Australia, Cambridge University Press, Melbourne, 1999 Harrison, B., Seeking a Role: the United Kingdom, 1951-1970, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2009 Waters, C., Australia and Appeasement: Imperial Foreign Policy and the Origins of World War II, I. B. Tauris, London, 2008 Wood, J., The Australian Military Contribution to the Occupation of Japan, 1945-1952, 1998, [Online], http://www.awm.gov.au/atwar/BCOF_history.pdf , Accessed, 9/9/2013 Read More

This meant that the country relied on Britain to advance its interest in international matters where much emphasis was made of the fact that Australia remained part of the British Empire in terms of foreign policies. Since both the Australian people and the leaders were content to be seen essentially as part of the British Empire, this subordinate relationship continued throughout the war period. During this time, the government of Australia was content to rely on Britain in articulating its interests in international matters.

Developing independent policy objectives was considered an unnecessary exercise that would lead to chaos and disaster5. That the publishing of The Task Ahead signified a watershed moment in the approach towards foreign policy in Australia is clear when the official foreign policy of the country is compared during the periods under the leadership of Menzies and Curtin. Prime Minister Menzies’ declaration of war on Germany came as an obligation to the Australian nation following the cue from Britain which had declared war on Germany.

The Prime Minister declared war on Germany by stating that Australia was obliged to declare war on Germany, since, ‘There can be no doubt that where Great Britain stands; there stand the people of the entire British world’ 6 This statement indicates three things: first, it shows that Menzies believed that standing with the mother country during the course of the war was not only a national obligation but also presented a strategic significance for the country in terms of defence during and after the war7.

Secondly, the declaration by Menzies was a reflection of the entire population of the Australian people who felt that their country was obliged to follow the position of Britain regarding matters of foreign policy8. Thirdly, this statement shows the belief of Menzies that Australia could not afford to remain neutral during the course of the war and therefore had the obligation to move immediately into war as a result of the decision of the mother country. Prime Minister John Curtin of the labour party took over the leadership of Australia in October 1941 after the collapse of the government that was led by Menzies.

After a brief period in power, this government was confronted by an unprecedented situation that was a result of the goings-on of the Pacific War. The Japanese forces recorded early victories in the course of the war, which culminated in the bombing of the Pearl Harbour. Also, the Japanese forces had registered early victories against colonial powers in Asia. Since Australia depended on the British for military defence in the event of a threat of an invasion, destruction of the colonial forces in Asia presented a direct threat to the Australian nation.

These developments on the war front caused panic in the Australian population as both the government and the people believed in an imminent Japanese invasion. In publishing The Task Ahead on December 27th of the same year, the Prime Minister stated that: ‘The Australian government…regards the Pacific struggle as primarily one in which the United States and Australia must have the fullest say…’9 Many historians have stated that this article marked a moment in which Australia shifted its foreign policy of dependence on Britain in the pre-war period to one that saw the country developing a relationship with the United States in the course of the war.

For instance, James Wood wrote in 1998 that the moment marked a change in the relationship between Australia and Britain in that Australia abandoned the policy of putting the interests of the mother country first and adopted a policy stance of taking care of the interests of the Australian people first10. Also, the period signified a change in the relationship between the three countries: Australia, Britain and the United States; in that it signified a change in Australia’s foreign policy from primary dependence on Britain to the United States as a primary ally during the course of the war11.

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