The Winds of Change is a phrase that says about the change of different social, political, and economic conditions in Australia. The phrase also describes the events that indicate the end of the White Australia Policy in the mid-20th century. The change resulted in the displacement and marginalization of Indigenous peoples of Australia and led to the European settlements, violent conflicts, dispossession of land, forced assimilation, and the impact of disease. These all played a significant role in shaping the history of Indigenous displacement in Australia.

In this article, we are going to discuss the Winds of Change in Australia in detail.

Australia – Displacement and Winds of Change

Displacement comes from a Latin word meaning “to drive away or remove.” It is about forcing indigenous people out of their homes and lands all over the world. This word describes how people and cultures have been forced out or moved throughout history. It talks about how Native Americans were moved from their homes to reservations by others, like governments or settlers.

• Until the 1920s, Native Americans in the USA and Canada faced ongoing problems.
• In 1928, a social scientist named Lewis Meriam did a survey called “The Problem of Indian Administration.”
• It showed how hard life was for Natives on reservations.
• This led to an important law in the USA in 1934 called the Indian Reorganization Act.
• It let Natives on reservations buy land and get loans.
• In the 1950s and 1960s, the US and Canadian governments wanted to end special rules for Natives. But Natives did not agree.
• In 1954, Natives made the “Declaration of Indian Rights.” They agreed to become US citizens if their reservations and traditions were left alone.
• Something similar happened in Canada. In 1969, the government said they would not recognize Native rights. Natives protested and had debates.
• In 1982, the Constitution Act in Canada accepted Natives’ existing rights.

Australia- Winds of Change

The history of Australia has typically been told from a European perspective, focusing on Captain Cook’s ‘discovery’. There were no treaties formalizing the takeover of land from the natives by Europeans. Instead, the government labeled Australia as terra nullius, meaning it belonged to nobody. There’s a sad history of mixed-race children being taken from their indigenous families. In 1968, anthropologist W. E. H. Stanner delivered a famous lecture titled ‘The Great Australian Silence’. It discussed how historians had ignored the indigenous people. By the 1970s, things started to change. People began to ask more about the native Australians. Efforts were made to better understand their culture. ‘Multiculturalism’ became Australia’s official policy, respecting both native cultures and the various cultures of immigrants from Europe and Asia.

Aborigines

• They are the original people of Australia are known as aborigines.
• They started arriving in Australia over 40,000 years ago.
• They came from New Guinea when it was connected to Australia by a land-bridge.
• In the late eighteenth century, there were between 350 and 750 native communities in Australia.
• Another significant indigenous group, the Torres Strait Islanders, live in the north.
• Unlike aborigines, they are not called ‘aborigine’ as they’re believed to have come from somewhere else and belong to a different race.

The Settlers

• Lots of the first people who came to Australia were criminals sent from England.
• After they finished their jail time, they could live freely in Australia but could not go back to England.
• They started sheep farms, mining places, vineyards, and wheat farms.
• The native people worked on farms in tough conditions like slavery.
• Chinese immigrants came to work for less money, but later, they were banned because people were uncomfortable with ‘non-white’ folks.
• Until 1974, the government tried to keep out ‘non-white’ people with its rules.

Factors Of Winds of Change In Australia

There are some major factors those lead the Winds of Change In Australia as mentioned below.

• Europeans were unfriendly to the natives of Australia for a long time. They did not really try to help them.
• They thought of themselves as better than the natives in their writing.
• W.E.H. Stanner’s book “The Great Australian Silence” urged Europeans to learn about the history of Australian natives.
• Henry Reynolds criticized the usual way of writing Australian history in his book “Why Weren’t We Told.” He pushed for understanding native culture.
• Universities created special departments to study native culture. They also set up museums and galleries with native art.
• Judith Wright who was an Australian writer, led a movement for native rights. She warned against the dangers of keeping whites and natives separate.
• Natives realized no agreements were made with them. The Australian government called the land Terra Nullius, meaning it belonged to nobody.
• Mixed-race children were forcibly taken from their native families. They were denied rights and separated from their culture.

Also Read:

• Capital of Australia
• Independence Day of Australia
• List of States and Territories in Australia

FAQs – Australia- Winds of Change Class 11 Notes

What are the winds of change in Australia Class 11?

The Winds of Change projected as the history of Australia began with Captain Cook’s ‘discovery’. Australia had no treaties with the natives formalizing the takeover of land by Europeans. The government had always termed the land of Australia terra nullius, i.e. belonging to nobody.

What is the wind of change in Australia?

The wind of change is an old saying that refers to how social, political, and economic conditions can change over time. In Australia, the phrase “the winds of change” is often used to describe the social and political events that led to the end of the White Australia Policy in the mid-to-late-20th century.

How did the advent of Europeans change the life in Australia Class 11 history?

The economic development of Australia was mostly under European settlement. Sheep farms and mining areas were set up at a large scale and over a long period of time, employing intense labour. Vineyards and wheat farming followed this. The aforementioned avenues defined the country’s prosperity.

What is the significance of the year 1974 in Australian policy Class 11?

From 1974, the White Australia policy ended, resulting in the entry of Asian immigrants. This gave rise to Multiculturalism as an official policy that gave equal respect to all cultures, including native culture.

What was the impact of the wind of change of 1970s on the life of Australia?

Overall, the “winds of change” in Australia resulted in the displacement and marginalization of Indigenous peoples. The arrival of European settlers, violent conflicts, dispossession of land, forced assimilation, and the impact of disease all played a role in shaping the history of Indigenous displacement in Australia.

What is the wind of change Class 11 history?

From 1920s, things began to improve for the native peoples of the USA and Canada. White Americans felt sympathy for the natives. In the USA, the Indian Reorganisation Act of 1934, which gave natives in reservations the right to buy land and take loans.

What was the great Australian silence Class 11?

In 1968, people came to know about the trials and tribulations of the Native Aborigines through a lecture by the anthropologist W.E.H. Stanner titled ‘The Great Australian Silence’, which was about the silence of the historians on the Aborigines.