B. A. Santamaria
A fiercely ideological strategist whose behind-the-scenes campaign against communism permanently fractured Australia's labor movement.
1915–1998 (age 83)·Australian political activist and journalist·Birthday: August 14·The Greatest Generation
Biography
B.A. Santamaria was not a politician but an operator, a man whose convictions reshaped Australian politics from a private office. A devout Catholic and lawyer by training, he viewed communism as an existential threat, both globally and within the trade unions. In the 1940s, he masterminded 'The Movement,' a clandestine network that successfully wrested control of key unions from communist influence. His uncompromising tactics and growing power created a fatal rift within the Australian Labor Party, culminating in the traumatic Split of 1955. From the ashes, Santamaria became the guiding force of the new Democratic Labor Party, which, though never winning government, wielded immense power for decades by directing its preferences to keep the ALP out of office. Through his newspaper column and television appearances, 'Bob' remained a polarizing moral crusader, a figure revered and reviled for placing doctrine above party unity.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
B. was born in 1915, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When B. Was Born
The biggest hits of 1915
#1 Movie
The Birth of a Nation
B.'s Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1915Born
The Lusitania is sunk by a German U-boat
President: Woodrow Wilson
1920Started school
Women gain the right to vote in the US
Home: $3,395President: Woodrow Wilson"Swanee" — Al Jolson
1928Became a teenager
Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin; Mickey Mouse debuts
President: Calvin Coolidge"Ol' Man River" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: Wings
1931Could drive
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1933Could vote
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1936Turned 21
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1945Turned 30
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1955Turned 40
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1965Turned 50
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1975Turned 60
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1985Turned 70
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 80
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
1998Died at 83
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
Key Achievements
- Founded and led 'The Movement,' a secret Catholic organization that purged communist influence from Australian trade unions in the 1940s and 50s.
- Was the primary intellectual architect of the 1955 ALP Split, which led to the creation of the Democratic Labor Party (DLP).
- Through the DLP's preference strategy, effectively kept the Australian Labor Party out of federal power for nearly two decades.
- Authored a widely read weekly column for 'The Australian' and later 'The Advocate' for over forty years.
Did You Know?
He wrote frequently under the pseudonym 'John Williams' early in his career.
Despite his immense political influence, he never held public office or a formal position in the DLP.
He was offered, but declined, a knighthood in 1982.
He was a regular panelist on the ABC television debate program 'Point of View.'
“The only way to deal with Communists is to defeat them.”
