28th of July, 1914 marked the beginning of one of the most gruesome and brutal events in our history, the First World War. The war led to the deaths of 9 million soldiers in uniform and 10 million innocent civilians. The war would go on and last for 4 years. The war resulted in many empires crumbling while some nations gained power. During the war Australia played a huge part in the defeat of Germany, with over 400,000 Australian soldiers enlisting and going to war. The war killed tens and thousands of Australian soldiers, with many wounded, injured or taken as prisoners. The war left a long lasting impact on Australia in many aspects which will be discussed throughout this essay. Australia’s society was significantly impacted by the war both …show more content…
During the war, Australia was required to mobilise resources to maximise war effort. This led to the increase of government spending to build, as the country was investing in building more infrastructure and increasing the production of goods. With the increase in government spending and shortage of goods leading Australia’s economy to inflation This means the cost of living inclined making it hard for Australians to afford basic necessities required in day to day life. Another impact of the war was the rise in employment. With so many men fighting at war, it left many jobs unoccupied causing wages to increase and employers competing for workers. The lack of workers also allowed the amount of women at work to vastly increase with many jobs being done by women which are traditionally done by men. Overall the impact on Australia’s economy was mainly negative with some positivity coming from the rise of …show more content…
One of the most significant political discussions after the First World War was about conscription. The government proposed conscription, or compulsory military service which was made necessary due to the decline of men enlisting for war. However, this was protested against and there were slight divisions between Australia’s population power in 1914 just before the war. An anti-conscription group was formed which heavily opposed the idea of conscription. After the war, Australia played a significant role in the development of the League of Nations which helped it shape Australia’s view to international diplomacy, Australia’s involvement in the League of Nations helped shape its identity all around the world further helping Australia develop into an independent entity in the