Product Overview
Please note: This study guide contains two versions – a full-colour guide and a text-only version for printing and referencing.
The explosive story of how Australia enabled hundreds of alleged Nazi war criminals to enter Australia and avoid scrutiny after WWII, and the last-ditch bid to bring them to justice.
Curriculum Links:
The Hunt for the Last Nazis is suitable for students in Years 10-12 and can be linked to the following subject areas within the Australian Curriculum:
- History
- Civics and Citizenship
- Legal Studies
- English
- Media Arts
General capabilities:
- Ethical Understanding
- Critical and Creative Thinking
- Intercultural Understanding
- Literacy
Learning intentions:
The Hunt for the Last Nazis provides opportunities for students to:
- Investigate how Australia's post-war immigration policy enabled alleged Nazi war criminals to settle in the country.
- Examine the role of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) in attempting to prosecute Nazi war crime suspects in Australia.
- Analyse how political decisions, evidentiary challenges and the passage of time prevented convictions.
- Evaluate Australia's moral and legal responsibilities towards victims of the Holocaust.
- Explore how documentary filmmaking uses classified documents, eyewitness testimony and archival footage to reconstruct history.
- Consider how societies confront their dark pasts.
- Develop historical thinking skills by examining primary sources, bias and the reliability of evidence.
- Discuss the contemporary relevance of war crimes accountability.