Modern History is undeniably a content heavy subject – there is just so much to know. Unfortunately, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it is actually important that you do know all of your information and do not rely on Ken Webb summaries to ace your HSC. Why? Well, you will soon discover that much of the content in each topic overlaps. Therefore, it is incredibly vital that you do not study each Modern History syllabus dot point on its own, but rather consider how it interacts with other aspects of your study. If you do not understand, do not worry! Here are some examples of how different syllabus dot points can be linked to create a more well-rounded argument.
(I have used the Conflict in the Pacific topic as there are not many resources on it given the lack of HSC graduates who have studied it.)
● Growth of Pacific tensions, including:– economic and political issues in the Pacific by 1937Japan’s population growth: A key issue to consider in Japan at the time was its population growth. During the 1920s, Japan’s population was increasing at a rate of 900,000 per year.
LINK: Japanese foreign policy 1937–1941 > The Greater East Asia Co Prosperity Sphere of 1940 was proclaimed by Japan as a way of liberating the rest of Asia from the rule of Western Imperialism. In reality, this was propaganda and was instead intended to allow Japan to seize the natural resources needed to support its growing population.
Japan’s political instability: There were a growing number of assassinations in Japan in the 1920s. This led to a power vacuum, through which the Japanese army consolidated their power within the political sphere. As a result, political decisions in Japan became more militarily based.
LINK: Japanese foreign policy 1937–1941 > The invasion into Nanjing and Shanghai in 1937 threatened the U.S Open Door Policy with China. This decision demonstrated the power of the army within decision-making in Japanese politics.
– Japanese foreign policy 1937–1941 The two primary points to bring up here, as already explained, are The Greater East Asia Co Prosperity Sphere and the invasion of Nanjing and Shanghai. These, as expressed earlier, are both inherently connected to economic and political issues in Japan by 1937.
– US and British policies in the Pacific 1937–1941The Washington Naval Conference (1922) and Exclusion Act (1924): The WNC dictated that naval presence in the Pacific would be in the ratio of 5:5:2 (US, British, Japanese). The EA excluded Japanese immigration into America.
LINK: Japanese foreign policy 1937–1941 > Both of these policies fueled the Japanese sense of racial inferiority. The Japanese, therefore, in their Greater East Asia Co Prosperity Sphere, also aimed to invade British and American colonies as to prove themselves as the superior race.
The Panay Incident (1937): The USS Panay was sunk by a Japanese ship, resulting in 46 casualties. The Japanese were punished with an apology and indemnity.
LINK: Japanese foreign policy 1937–1941 > The United States were apprehensive to enter foreign conflict with Japan, hence explaining their lenient punishment to the Japanese for the sinking of the USS Panay. However, it can be argued that this Isolationist policy only strengthened Japanese aggression as it suggested to the Japanese that they could expand without serious punishment. Here, this can be linked to Japanese expansionist policy such as the Greater East Co Prosperity Sphere.
The Export Control Act (1940): The US dramatically decreased its export of raw materials to Japan. The Japanese previously relied on the US for 90% of its scrap metal, 2/3 of its oil and 1/3 of its steel.
LINK: Japanese foreign policy 1937-1941 >This can also be linked to the Greater East Asia Co Prosperity Sphere, as the expansion into colonies such as the Dutch East Indies was motivated by its rich source of oil, which was in desperate need following the Export Control Act. You can also make connections to the bombing of Pearl Harbour as PH represented the only real threat to the Japanese expansion into South East Asia – which contained the resources restricted in the Export Control Act.
Past HSC Questions:
Account for the defeat of Japan in 1945 despite its dominant strategic position in 1942.This is an example of a question where you need to know several aspects of the syllabus and how they relate. For instance, here would obviously discuss ‘strategies used by Allied forces against Japan 1942–1945’. However, you could also bring in aspects of the Turning Points of the War as by the end of the Battle of Guadalcanal, the Japanese had lost their dominant strategic position. US and British policies such as the Export Control Act can also be added as while Japan had overwhelming control over the Pacific by 1942, this was unsustainable when considering their limited industrial capacity – which was worsened by the Export Control Act. I just used three different parts of the syllabus to answer one question and there is even more that could be added!
As you can see, it is pivotal in Modern History that you are deeply engaged with all parts of your syllabus and do not view each dot point in isolation. Rather, it is critical that you can understand how each dot point relates to another as to write a more informed response. I hope this has helped you! Unfortunately, not many recent graduates have studied the Conflict in the Pacific topic, so if you have any questions about it do not hesitate to ask!
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