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How has the arrival of migrants from Europe affected Australia since 1945?
After World War II ended in May 1945 Europe was in chaos. Germany was crushed
and the map of Europe was being carved up by the United States and the Soviet
Union. Western Europe was supported by the United States while Eastern Europe
was invaded by the Soviet Union. Migrants began streaming out of Eastern Europe
to places like Australia and the United States to get away from the oppression in their
homelands by the Soviet Union. (Warner, 1999). The Cold War between the United
States and the Soviet Union meant that nuclear war was a real threat and some
people saw Australia as a safe place to live.
Between 1945 and 1965 more than two million migrants came to Australia. Most
were assisted: the Commonwealth Government paid most of their fare to get to
Australia. In return they had to stay in Australia for at least two years and work in
whatever jobs the Government gave them (www.immigrationaustralia.com.au).The
first wave of post war migration began with Displaced Persons. These people fled
their countries which had been utterly destroyed by war or overran by the Soviet
Union. Between 1947 and 1953 the Australian Government assisted over 170,000
Displaced Persons to migrate to Australia. (www.border.gov.au)
The second wave of post-war immigration arrived in the 1950s and 1960s, and
consisted of those seeking employment and better living conditions. These programs
were an enormous success (Harker, 2003).
However, in some areas, skilled migrants found it hard to find work to suit their
training and qualifications and had to accept what work was available. Immigrants
were called 'New Australian', a term which carried the expectation that they would
adopt Australian ways as quickly as possible. 'Old' Australians were, at the same
time, encouraged to be 'good neighbours' and help new arrivals blend in. (Bennett,
2010)
At the heart of this policy of assimilation was the fear that European settlers would
form enclaves, decline to contribute to the wider community, and threaten
Australia's social cohesion (Reece, 1014).
Ultimately, by the late 1970s, Australia had become far more culturally diverse, with
many ways of being Australian and many new social networks and institutions.