Push and Pull Factors
The war against Germany had left most of Europe destroyed both financially and socially. Germans were prosecuted for their actions during the war and Jews were free from the power of HItler. But the death of the Allies greatest nemesis didn’t make the Europeans lives any less wretched. Many sought the safety of another country and the opportunity to start over. The tension between the United States and Russia didn’t improve the conditions of the Europeans. A war had ended, but it seemed as if another was about to start. It was a case of Capitalism versus Communism. The Russian Army had the manpower to defeat America, but America had the threat of an Atomic Bomb. These push factors played a large role in Australian Migration Post-World War Two.
Australia had had never had war reach their soil, surely a relief to those migrating away from a war-torn country. Not only was Australia free of war but also offered the democracy and freedom migrators were denied during the course of World War Two. Their new life was not without sacrifice, they left behind family and friends and the journey was not an easy one. Once they had completed the long and arduous journey, they faced another trail: integrating into Australian society. At first the migrants were treated with suspicion and uncertainty, but their new life offered the opportunity for employment, a safe environment and freedom of thought and choice.