The impact of World war one on Australia can said to have changed dramatically, bringing Australia into a new era. At the start of the war, Australia
This essay posits the deeper motivations behind Australia and its people’s decision to enter WWI, acknowledging the primary role of Great Britain whilst also examining other influences such as domestic politics and societal pressures. Obligations Despite the widespread belief that Australia chose to enter the war on its own accord, the British Imperial Government at the time was still in charge of the Empire's foreign policy, which included war declarations. Therefore, the Australian government’s role was only to determine the extent of its military contribution. In this regard, on August 3rd 1914, the Federal Cabinet presented the British government with two proposals: first, to transfer control of the Australian navy to the British Admiralty, and second, to send an expeditionary force consisting of 20,000 troops overseas.
World War 1, beginning in 1914, resulted in millions of fatalities and casualties; a fragment of those being Australians. Australians were recruited to join the Triple Entente with use of various methods from the governments. Wartime governments used a range of strategies to strengthen the war effort; two of those being, censorship and propaganda. Censorship is, “the suppression or prohibition of any parts of books, films, news, etc. that are considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a threat to security.”
During World War 1, more than sixty-five million men from thirty countries fought. One of these countries was Australia, who joined not long after Britain. The Western Front campaign should not be over shadowed when commemorating Australia’s involvement in World War 1. A commemoration is remembering those who have passed away. The Western Front went from 1916 to 1918 and was situated from north-east France to Belgium.
FACTORIAL EXPLANATION: THE ROLE OF AUSTRALIAN WOMEN IN WW2 Before the World War 2, Australian women dependent, whose fathers or husbands worked to support their family, were paid enough money to support themselves only. They stayed at home and took care of their children. However, when the war started, the role of Australian women changed dramatically. They became an important part of the war. In fact, the women changed a lot of things.
To be able to assist Britain and her allies compulsory enlistment or conscription had to be put in place. Sir Robert Laird Borden and William Lyon Mackenzie King led Canada during these times. Yet, both made a promise to their fellow countrymen upon the issue of conscription but when it was put place in effect,
History notes • The feel in Australia was that the whole country was united in support of helping the British forces during the war, however there is some historical evidence that this is a biased opinion and that many people didn’t enlist and that the anti-war groups just had a hard time getting ways to get their message across • Both Prime Minister Joseph Cook and the Opposition Leader at the time Andrew Fisher, who were both fighting over an upcoming election, both said to support Britain in war • Bitterness and division throughout Australia, women abusing men who didn’t enlist and the general idea is that they were cowards and would be sent a white feather, the sign of a coward • At the beginning of war, many people rushed to enlist in
World War 1 was a devastating period for Australia and Australian’s alike. It was the costliest conflict that Australia has participated in throughout its history, with casualties, both fatal and non-fatal, one of the largest on a per capita basis of the allied nations. 1917 was an arduous year and has been described as “the worst year of the Great War”. There are many reasons why 1917 was a difficult year for all Australians but also why it was not “the worst year of the Great War”. Australian troops, all volunteers, were tough, brave and highly valued in the war.
People started to think less about fighting for Britain and more about the impacts fighting in war brought to Australia. Accordingly, enlistment rates dropped from less than 5000 in the first half of 1917 to 2 500 in the second half of the year. However, despite the diminishing rates of enlistment, there were still people who put their names down to go to war. This wasn’t because of their sense of duty towards the ‘Mother Country’, instead, it was because of the belief to uphold
To what extent did Australians enlist in 1914 to defend the ‘Mother Country’? World War 1 plays a very significant part in Australia’s history. Over 50,000 men enlisted in 1914 after the war was declared in August. A lot of men enlisted in order to defend the empire and Britain as they felt like they had some form of attachment and to the Empire. Most Australians also saw themselves as British so they felt obliged to enlist in the war.
Events from the Home Front #1 - Conscription One of the most serious controversies experienced by many at the home front during WW1 was conscription. In 1914 Canadian Prime Minister Robert Borden declared that conscription would never be necessary in Canada. Only 2810 men signed up to fight during the war but the Canadian government needed more men. In 1917 conscription was introduced and men were forced to enlist for the war as a result of the Military Service Act that was passed by Prime Minister Borden. Men aged 20-45 were forced to leave their families, join the war and fight for Britain.
There was a political debate over governments wish to bring in conscription. Many people had sons, bothers, husband fighting in the frontline knew there were a shortage of men and feared that this would lead to injuries or deaths of their loved ones. There were many pros and anti-conscription forces. The pro of conscription were that Australian units had very high causalities because they were often used as front line troops. Voluntary enlistment had dropped, but the Australian governments committed to the British government to maintain a substantial army.
During the next 20 years’ Australian citizens grew to consider themselves separate from ‘Mother Country’ making Australia a nation in its own right. This line of thought lead to people questioning if it was still acceptable to give everything they had for Britain. In particular, was it sensible to join a war no matter what the cost to
Not only the war had a massive effect on the Indigenous in Australia, The war was a huge boom to the Australian economy and as it turned out another massive factor. As many Australian fundamental products were purchased as could be produced, and secondary, subsidiary industries manufactured many ‘modern’ items for the services. Many men and women retired and fled their careers to accompany the armed forces leading to a ‘deficit’ of labour. New commerce and businesses need to have been created to fund the troops with combat weapons, uniforms and ammunition. Scarce goods needed to be controlled by the Australian Government in enhancing better buying and selling and in ensuring that everyone received a fair share.
The First World War, an international conflict predominantly fought in Europe and the Middle East between 1914 and 1918, was an event that shaped Australian society. One of the most notable events of this period was the debate surrounding conscription. The conscription referenda were a controversial move in the Australian parliament, and created deep social divides. When looking at the issue of conscription, it is important to examine why conscription was suggested, as well as the arguments formulating the debate. These three areas all combined to create significant social change in Australia,
