The postwar era was marked by an increased dependence on the United States, and an influx of European immigrants. By 1970 "White Australia" policies, were discarded and a large immigration arrived of middle class Asians, especially Chinese. A series of economic booms and recessions confronted the nation the challenge of surviving as an offshoot of European civilization in a largely Asian region and securing a prosperous future with declining support from European markets and investment.
===Melbourne===
Between 1950 and 1970, Melbourne became, for the first time since the 1880s, the fastest growing major city in Australia. Perhaps more than any other Australian city it exemplified the modern paradigm of urban growth-high investment in manufacturing, especially of protected consumer products such as cars and electrical goods, high levels of immigration, high levels of car and home ownership and high levels of government intervention in the provision of infrastructure. Melbourne became the main beach-head of American economic and cultural influence and the leading centre of modernist innovation in art, architecture and design. Its sponsorship of the 1956 summer Olympics brought world recognition. Journalists speculated that the expected floods of American tourists, accustomed to central heating and prompt room service, would react coldly to the standard Australian hotel routine of getting out of bed on to the chilly linoleum, and tip-toeing across the floor to the old-time wash basin and jug. What would sophisticated Frenchmen make of a city where it was impossible to get a drink after six o'clock at night? Melbourne, they feared, would be regarded as a hick town, too provincial and too staid to be entrusted with the hosting of a world event. A small but vocal minority of Labor politicians and welfare workers opposed the Games as an unjustifiable extravagance; in rural Victoria the folk saw the event as yet another treat for city people. Some clergymen feared the approach of that iniquitous institution, the 'Continental Sunday'. However the Chamber of Commerce won the day, hailing the Olympics as a boost to tourism and investment. Modernist architects and designers embraced the Games as their chance to bring local taste before the bar of international opinion. The Olympic Pool, for example, was hailed for its high originality and imagination. The hotels were modernized, residents took in guests, and even the Japanese--the hated foe of the 1940s, were made welcome. In the event the preparations transformed and upgraded Melbourne's self-image as a bastion of modernity, and the rest of the world paid little attention.<ref> Graeme Davison, "Welcoming the World: The 1956 Olympic Games and the Re-Presentation of Melbourne," ''Australian Historical Studies'' 1997 28(109): 64-76 in [[EBSCO]]</ref>
===Sports===
Since the 1970s the evolution of sport in Australia has paralleled the transformation from a modern to a postmodern society and economy. Ambiguity, spectacle and excitement, nostalgia, and technology are elements of the postmodern ethos found in sport, driven today by media coverage and a corporate mentality. Marketing and image have replaced older, more traditional bases of sport. Whether it is cricket, Australian Rules football, soccer, rugby, or basketball, everything has changed, from patterns of fan support to modes of income generation.<ref>Bob Stewart and Aaron Smith, "Australian Sport in a Postmodern Age," ''International Journal of the History of Sport'' 2000 17(2-3): 278-304 </ref>
The Melbourne Olympic Games in 1956 were well handled, but few international tourists showed up. By contrast when Sydney hosted the 2000 Summer Olympic Games, it gained global attention for an efficiently organized world-class event. The Queen opened the 1956 games but was not invited in 2000, as the spirit of republicanism was too strong. However, many of the hoped-for legacies failed to materialize. General levels of participation in physical activity and sport did not rise, although passive spectatorship including television watching did. Many of the costly Australian facilities built for the games remain underutilized in their wake. While in the short term, some of the economic and political goals were achieved, and a new and better method to collect and disseminate knowledge about games preparation was established, such events remain problematic in their long-term effects on local, populations, societies, and environments.<ref>Kristine Toohey, "The Sydney Olympics: Striving for Legacies - Overcoming Short-Term Disappointments and Long-Term Deficiencies." ''International Journal of the History of Sport 2008 25(14): 1953-1971 </ref>
==Basic Bibliography==