Mark Edele, ‘The history of their family, the history of their community’ Early Cold War Migration & its Impact on Australia

The dismantling of the White Australia Policy was a long process, but its tentative beginning may be dated to the initial wave of post-war migration which served to expand the definition of ‘Australian’ beyond descendants of the British Isles. An early and large proportion of these migrants were displaced persons from Eastern Europe who did not want to return to homes that had been absorbed into the Soviet sphere. Many had to lie about their identity in order to avoid forced repatriation, and their stories are personal, intriguing, and multi-faceted. Collectively they helped to transform their adoptive country, playing an important role in informing contemporary fears of communism which were a defining aspect of the Menzies era. This special episode of the Afternoon Light Podcast is a recording of a talk delivered by Hansen Professor in History Mark Edele on ‘Early Cold War Migration and its Impact on Australia’, presented at the University of Melbourne on 31 August 2022.