On both Left and Right, many like to take the Whitlam dismissal— as it became known — as a constitutional struggle between an old British-oriented establishment and a new, progressive Australia. But in retrospect, it’s hard to doubt that the 1975 dismissal was in fact a soft coup d’état, heavily influenced by US power and influence.
Whitlam was a truly based leftist politician in Australia, with all the good and bad that comes with. Regardless of what his detractors say he dramatically improved the lives of Australian workers during his term and the fact that his democratic mandate was stripped is a stain on Australian political history.