2007-11-13 00:08:44 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
The surrender of Singapore was one of the largest and most dramatic reverses suffered by British forces in the war, or indeed in modern British history, with 130,000 personnel becoming prisoners of the Japanese, included in this total were 15,000 Australians. Understandably, Singapore has become a focus of major historical contention ever since.
The fall of Singapore caused a drop in the Austrailian public's wartime morale and this was made worse when the Japanese bombed Darwin.
2007-11-13 00:14:18 · answer #1 · answered by ng_resa 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The fall of Singapore would start a chain of political events that in time would change Australia's attitude to her membership within the British empire and how she saw herself in the world. Australia also saw that Britain had her own agenda, and could not be relied upon to come to Australia's aid in a time of national crisis. John Curtin recalled Australian troops en route to europe and, for the first time in Australia's history, stopped towing the Empire line. It ended with Australia demanding control over her own foreign affairs and complete independence from the British government.
2007-11-16 15:40:11 · answer #2 · answered by cc_of_0z 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
it, along with the bombing of Darwin, drove home to the Australians, that, the traditional reliance on Great Britain to defend them was no longer valid....in fact, with the Australian Army in North Africa fighting Italians and Germans, there was little between the Japanese army and Brisbane but 2 brigades of Aussie and Americans troops, and the brilliance of a 70 year old general named MacArthur.
This was the beginning of the American Australian alliance, with the Yanks replacing the Brits as the guarantors of Australian independence.....
2007-11-13 08:32:11 · answer #3 · answered by yankee_sailor 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I believe it was the last stronghold of British or Allied influence in that part of the world not captured by the Japanese. Hong Kong, Indo -China, Formosa, Indonesia, the Philippines & Burma had all fallen under control of Japan leaving Australia the next target for invasion.
2007-11-13 08:27:50 · answer #4 · answered by rsmtico 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
They lost a lot of men and it isolated Australia from India
2007-11-13 12:34:07 · answer #5 · answered by brainstorm 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It showed the British Empire was paper thin, and if they wanted defence they'd have to look to the Americans.
2007-11-13 10:22:26 · answer #6 · answered by gravybaby 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋