Howard on Menzies: Building Modern Australia (ATOM Study Guide)

Howard on Menzies: Building Modern Australia (Simon Nasht, 2016) is a two-part documentary series about Australia's longest-serving prime minister, Sir Robert Menzies, and the creation of post-war Australia.

It is presented as an investigation by the second-longest-serving prime minister and fellow Liberal Party member, John Howard, and is his exploration of the following questions: What did Menzies contribute to the development of modern Australia? Was the Menzies period, as former prime minister Paul Keating claimed, the 'lost' decade? Or did Menzies establish the basis of Australia's post-war affluence and development?

This is history told from the inside, from one master of the political game about another. Many of the situations faced by Menzies were also faced by Howard, and his personal insights provide a unique insight into the dynamics at play.

Howard has a case to make for Menzies, but he is generous in including the voices and perspectives of prominent Menzies critics.

Curriculum applicability
Howard on Menzies is relevant for Year 10–12 students of:

• Australian History (post-war Australia 1945–1965);
• Political Studies;
• English (biography);
• Media Studies (documentary);
• Art (including portraiture and cartooning).