World War One [WW1] was a phenomenon that greatly affected Australian’s changing society. This event in history is often referred to as the “Great War” and lasted from the years of 1914 to 1918. Australia’s involvement in the First World War began when Britain and Germany went to war on the 4th of August 1914. Australia had pledged full support for Britain and the outbreak of war was greeted in Australia, as in many other places, with great enthusiasm. However, it left a lasting impact on Australian’s Society for the many years to come in the young country’s future. The causes and effects of the war changed the lives of many Australians and the effects of the war are still evident today. It is clearly demonstrated that the war largely impacted …show more content…
Australia’s Society witnessed much devastation during this time period, which lead to significant long-term impacts. The First World War deeply affected Australian women, even though many were 20,000 kilometres away from any major war zones. However as said by South Adelaide Governor at the time, Sir Henry Galway, “The British Empire will never be able to repay the debt owed to the women for their calm self-sacrifice in this great struggle.” (Galway, 1915). When WW1 started, it was uncommon for many women to have jobs. Although, when over 400,000 men enlisted to fight from a country that had a population fewer then 5 million, this changed. Large numbers of women were recruited into jobs previously vacated by men. This advancement in women's place in the workforce was a positive effect from the War, as there was no traditional male dominance present which allowed women to establish themselves as workers. This started the bridging of the gap between inequality. Other then managing children and family responsibilities alone, a small minority of other Australian women served in the Australian Army as nurses. Women are often …show more content…
When the war broke out in 1914, Australia was a country who had federated only 13 years prior. Although the government was keen to support the British Motherland (Cook, 1914), WW1 was a time of change for how the Australian society viewed their own identity. What happened at Gallipoli is well known and the courage, determination, and mate-ship demonstrated by the soldiers helped to form Australia’s new identity. The ANZAC legend and the values associated with it continue to shape the way many Australians view themselves and have become an important part of our national identity. The war brought in a new sense of nationalism and helped Australians form this idea of coming together as one country fighting a large battle as a whole. On the 2nd of July, 1915, Galway said “If any day is to be chosen for Australia’s day I think it should be April 25 . . . Those heroes will hand down the finest traditions to their sons and their sons’ sons, and still further on . . .” (Galway, 1915) which showed how majority of Australian society viewed the significance of the events that took place at Gallipoli and how the fight would be remembered in the hearts of Australians forever. The impact of WW1 on Australia’s growing society is present when focusing on how it defined the countries national identity. The Great war brought attention to many significant events in Australia’s
Source 4 mentions two common sayings to do with Australian realisations entering the war, "here Australia became a nation" and Blightly [Britain] is a failure, take me to Australia" (Stanley, 2011). The service of 320 thousand Australians stimulated the first growth of a self-conscious Australian nationalism. At the landing at Gallipoli Australian troops expected to learn from the British but instead looked down on them as amateurs and were disappointed with their performance, efficiency and supplies. "Real sense of inequality of sacrifice" (Carrodus, Delany, Easton, Howitt and Smith, 2014). Source 5 makes notice of the fact that by the middle of 1915 the reality of war began to dawn. Australians became disillusioned with the news of deaths upon deaths and war waged on with no visible end. Endless, helplessness, unfairly treated feelings. Australia was divided due to the working class feeling exploited and the middle and upper classes being affected less by the war. "It was a hollow mockery for citizens to celebrate the glories of ANZAC Day unless they were prepared to fulfil their promises and do their duty to the men who had fought and suffered through the war." (Brand, 1925). Source 6 is a quote from a recent time after WW1, it shows the pride Australians had in their soldiers, that they thought they were brave and to
Prior to World War 1, Australians on the whole suffered due to their geographical isolation, which technology had yet to defeat. Transport was solely by arduous sea journey, which restricted travel and communication with the rest of the world. The mass transfer of Australian youth to fight in Europe enabled the world to see for the first time the unique culture which was developing in this far away land. Recognition and respect was quickly given for the courage, good humour and strength in adversity displayed by Australian soldiers. The easy going egalitarian troops challenged the military norms of their British counterparts. While this
During the World War II era, the outlook on the role of women in Australian society revolutionised. As a majority of men were at war, Australian women were encouraged to rise above and beyond their stereotypical ‘housewife’ status. They were required to take on the tasks that were once considered predominantly male roles, and also allowed the opportunity to join the armed services as well as enlist in the Women’s Land Army. Many women who doubted their abilities played their part by entering voluntary work. Women had the privilege of contributing in Australian society in many ways that they had never been able before. Thus, it is manifest that the role of women in Australian society had drastically changed.
Many people still thought that a woman's place was "in the kitchen", this changed shortly after the second world war. 500,000 women joined the workforce post WW1 because all of the men had gone to war. This set Australia up and benefited from more people with a wider experience in many jobs.
World War 1 (1914-1918) was the first official war that Australians took part in, only thirteen years after federating as a country in 1901. During this time, thousands of lives were lost, families were torn apart, and friends were never seen again. April 25th became the national day to commemorate the ANZAC soldiers who had served overseas. Even now, 100 years later, people still remember those who sacrificed themselves for Australia, those who fought and fell in many battles to protect the country they lived in. The Gallipoli Campaign is the most famous battle of World War 1, the battle that every Australian household knows about. However, other battles such as the ones on the
Although both the World Wars had significant impacts on Australians, the statement that wartime controls in World War One had a greater impact on Australians than they did in World War Two is fairly inaccurate. There are a number of reasons as to why this was the case, as demonstrated through the government 's wartime controls. One of the wartime controls that was utilised by the government in both World Wars but had greater impact on Australians in World War Two was conscription. Another wartime control that had a higher degree of impact on Australians in World War Two than in World War One was the detainment and isolation of ‘enemy aliens’ when the government again took steps to protect their national security. With such a large number of servicemen deployed overseas, the role of women in Australia also changed drastically to meet the needs of the armed forces, the government and the economy and this influenced Australian life more in World War Two. Therefore, although both wars affected the lives of many Australians in mental, physical, social and economic aspects, the wartime controls of World War Two had a much greater impact on Australians than in World War One.
During World War I, the Australian home front was impacted by a long and varying list of occurrences during the period of time between the years of 1914 to 1918. The home front was influenced politically through the arguments over the conscription vote and as Australia became divided between the different war beliefs. It was also influenced by social change, as the use of censorship drastically altered the Australians’ views of war and women began to pick up odd jobs in order to assist the soldiers as very few of them were allowed to directly help as nurses in Gallipoli. There were also extreme economic alterations as the wages in Australia were pushed down and prices were pushed up, and the country discarded major trade partners who had become their enemy.
The Great War was known as ‘the war to end all wars’ as it had such a dramatic and tragic impact on soldiers and civilians alike. Many aspects of the conscription debate, the home front, trench warfare and weaponry had a significant impact on Australia and its involvement in the war.
To identify, and describe the extent of, the international influences on the role, and lives, of women in Australia before, during and after World War One
In August 1914, after the outbreak of World War I, an immense wave of support flooded Britain from her ally, Australia. All Australian political parties, community leaders, newspapers and churches were on-board with this major movement to help the mother country. All believed it was a morally right and necessary commitment . World War I, 1914 – 1918 had a significant and long lasting impact on the Australian home front. ‘The civilian population ’ had to undergo many changes to cater for the war. At this time women’s push for a larger role in the war effort caused a significant and long lasting impact on the Australian home front, which has helped shape workplace gender equality today. Conscription also impacted the Australian home front, meaning, compulsory enlistment of people in military service. As well as the massive impact on Australia’s economy from the many trading cancellations through abandoned or cut off allies, which has helped build Australia’s economy to what it is today.
The experiences of Australian women in both World War 1 and World War 2 were similar but also different. WWI was fought from 1914 to 1918, and WW2 was fought from 1939 to 1945. These were the biggest military conflicts in the history of man. The main areas of change in Australian women around these times were employment, roles and positions in the war, and the attitudes towards women at these times. In WW1, the main occupation for Australian women was nursing. In World War 2, however, women were given the opportunity to do ‘a man’s job’ for the first time.
There were many impacts on the Australians home front throughout World War 1. World War I also known as the Great War took place from July 28th 1914 to November 11th 1918. These impacts included the Australian Commonwealth Government passing the War Precautions Act that gave the government many wartime powers including which were not supported by the constitution; the impact women made towards the war effort; how people with heritage from countries in the triple alliance who were living in Australia were known as enemy aliens and were often sent to internment camps; and the many different effects on the Australian economy. These different impacts on the Australian home front that created a change in how Australian society worked.
World War I, as we recall it, was a period of intense devastation, death, horror, and national division. Australia, a nation barely a decade old, went into the war often in the name of patriotism and for the hope of adventure, and emerged with 60,000 of the 416,809 men who voluntarily enlisted dead, and a further 156,000 wounded or taken prisoner. The loss Australia felt was immense, and left the nation with scars that took decades to heal. Yet every 25th of April, thousands of Australians rise at dawn to remember WW1 in particular. Why should we commemorate these years of devastation and pain? What do we gain from continuing to gaze back into a bloodstained past? Is there ‘music ... and a glory...’ beyond the devastation?
The Australian public and government showed great enthusiasm during the announcement of war in 1914. The initial response Australia had to the announcement of the war was great enthusiasm, the close ties Australia had with Britain did contribute to this enthusiasm because some saw this as a way to prove their loyalty to the ‘mother country’, Britain. This is evident in primary source 1 where it can be seen that the government sent a letter to Britain to say that they can send men, of any size and any time, to any destination needed to protect Britain during the war. This piece of propaganda is calling for 20,000 men indicating that Australia wanted to get really involved in the war to, again, prove themselves to the mother country. Therefore showing the great enthusiasm and commitment to the mother country and their willingness to serve the mother country.
The Home Front is often overlooked when discussing the impact of World War One (WWI), as the impact is often less glorified when compared to the bloodshed of the battlefields. This exhibition looks at life in Australia during WWI and explores the experiences of those away from the actual fighting who are at home. By extensively using primary sources and brief profiles of both notable and everyday Australians during WWI, the exhibit gives a holistic view on life in Australia during the Great War. The exhibit focuses on the themes of the initial excitement of those in Australia when the war began, technology advancements, how the public received news of the war and their reaction to it, as well as the sense of growing disillusionment that developed as the war progressed. It comprehensively looks at these experiences and emotions and describes them with clarity.