How was conflict created between the Australians and Germans? (Intro) When WW1 was announced in Australia on the 4th of August 1914, every German person living in Australia was treated with hostility and suspicion as Germany was an enemy to Australia, all Australians thought that the Germans would support Germany, thus the conflict was created. Focus questions: 1. What was the impact for Germans living in Australia during WW1? What happened? When WW1 broke out in Australia on the 4th of August 1914, all Germans who moved to Australia or had lived and had been born there, were impacted. Within one week of war, on August the 10th 1914, the Germans were named the enemies of Australia and were required to report themselves to the nearest police …show more content…
Even if some of the Germans refused to go, neighbors would report them to authorities. Germans were now to be known as ‘enemy aliens’ and were to be regarded with suspicion. They were considered as spies for the Germans and could not be trusted. This was because when Britain went to war with Germany, and as Australia has an alliance with Britain, straight away, Britain’s enemies were Australia’s enemies. Many Germans during WW1 lost their job as people refused to buy anything to do with Germany. The ability to use and speak their language freely and have their children learn the language at school was also cancelled from the school program. Germans had lost their privilege to vote. Even though if the German person was Australian and was born and raised there, they were still open to name-calling and often …show more content…
How were Germans viewed before WW1 started and after it finished? Before 1914, the Germans were a liked and respected community. On September 26, 1999, Governor-General Sir William Deane delivered the opening address at the opening Australian Conference on Lutheran Education at a Gold Coast resort. In his speech, he offered an apology to members of the German–Australian community present at the meeting: “The tragic, and often shameful, discrimination against Australians of German origin fostered during the world wars had many consequences. No doubt, some of you carry the emotional scars of injustice during those times as part of your backgrounds or family histories. Let me as Governor-General say to all who do how profoundly sorry I am that such things happened in our country”. 4. Was every German placed in internment camps and who suggested that the Germans were to be confined in these camps? The internment camps were made for three (3) reasons: - To prevent the internees from helping Australia’s enemies - To satisfy and appease the public’s opinion on their hatred of the Germans - House the internees sent to Australia for the duration of the