Last year, on the 25th of April was the centenary of the Gallipoli landing. Which, according to the Australian Defence force website, was to be for Australians, “one of the most significant commemorations to take place during their lifetime.” With the centenary looming in the backs of the minds of the Australian people, it is unsurprising that great pains have been taken to construct a three year long celebration that would “encompass a number of historical milestones on Australia 's involvement in conflicts”, such as both World Wars, Korea and Vietnam.
Yet, the amount of emphasis that is placed on the Anzac legend could be argued to be incorrectly placed and channelled by certain groups for their own gain. This essay will argue that the Anzac legacy of the Australians being the perfect soldier is highly embellished and are no more remarkable than any other soldier. Furthermore the importance and Australia’s involvement in the First World War has been grossly inflated. Additionally, this will analyse claims made by historians and other academics about how the Anzac legend has changed overtime, and Australia’s involvement in wars.
In order to understand why the Anzac legend became so prominent, an understanding of Australia’s reasons for entering the First World War must be understood. Firstly, it was the first major war Australia would participate in as a state in its own right, less than two decades after Australian became a federation in 1901. According to Stanley,
The Anzac legend is an important aspect of our identity as a New Zealander. We have every reason to be proud of this historical event. In saying this, many New Zealanders died for us (as New Zealanders) and for our country, in order to give us a chance for a good life and be able to make a success of it. This essay will examine reasons of the Anzac legend and how it has been incorporated into the New Zealand identity. One aspect that this legend evaluates its place in our national identity is our pride. Our pride is shown immensely through the Anzac services that are both commemorated here in New Zealand as well as Gallipoli. We as New Zealanders are so proud that even though we did not succeed in the battle of Gallipoli, we made an effort to fight as brothers in arms until the very end. We acknowledge this proud moment in our history as that is how people recognise and identify us as New Zealanders. Another aspect that made our identity incorporated with the Anzac legend was our Ingenuity that we as New Zealanders were and are still well known for. The other point that makes our identity unique with the Anzac legend was the bonding with our fellow comrades, such as the Australians (as the corps was known as the Australian New Zealand Army Corps). New Zealand has had a long and positive relations with our neighbour Australia, especially during the time of the Gallipoli war. The bonding with the Australians was very important during this battle as they had to rely on each
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
Australian nationalism and pride was very importunate at the time causing a huge amount of men rushed to enlist in World War 1. Australian men viewed themselves as ‘tough pioneers’ and the Australian sense of self was bloated by events such as the occupation of indigenous land, the gold rush and the exploration of Australian land. Amongst the pride of national identity, peer
‘A massive increase in the popularity and national significance of ANZAC Day’ (Source 1), grew throughout the twenty-first century. Since the landing of Gallipoli, it has been celebrated and as it continued, it quickly adapted to the cultural change of the media and technology which further improved the growth of its popularity. This day joins all Australians as one, in celebration to show their respect, compassion and pride for those people who sacrificed their lives for our freedom. Damian Morgan conveyed the change in society, but also the well-kept, treasured ANZAC Spirit.
“The driving need to celebrate the deeds of past serviceman and promote conceptions of national identity wrapped in the imagery of war have come to dominate our national discourse” (Stockings, n.d.) Professor Craig Stockings of ACSACS (Australian Centre for the Study of Armed Conflict and Society) states on the topic of the ANZAC myth. This quote is simply stating that WWI changed Australia’s views on war - in the way that we celebrate it as if it was the countries biggest victory. In truth, Australia’s outlook on war didn’t change in this perspective; our idea of the bronzed, larrikin soldier still stands strong. However, when World War II (WWII) rolled around, men didn’t want to enlis; they’d seen the detrimental health effects on soldiers and the many lives lost. War, in short, was no longer a celebratory thing then (Rush to enlist, n.d.). However, this year, the government spent millions of dollars on ANZAC celebration to fuel the, essentially, trivialisation of war - the ANZAC legend. (AWM, n.d.) Australia’s view on war changed in that we thought of it as a celebratory act in modern times - this proves, it was not justified because of the trivialisation that goes on in
As it not only marks the initiation of our controversial war history, signifying the first time our country joined together in unity. It becomes the focal point for remembering all the soldiers who have fallen in horrors of war, the continuous suffering which family members endured. Through the ANZAC legend, future generations have a responsibility to remember not only those who served, but all contributions made, during the era in which the legend was born. We have an obligation to respect the soldiers, honouring the unique characteristics of each individual, ensuring we don’t stereotype the courageous
One of the great untold truths of Australian history has been the courageous contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to the Australian Defence Force. For decades this contribution was unacknowledged and their sacrifices were unmentioned at official ceremonies.” Alistair Nicholson, Reconciliation Australia (2014).
World War 1, or the “Great War” as many referred to it, is considered to be one of the worst and deadliest conflicts in history of earth. During a stretch of four long years, more than 9 million soldiers and 7 million civilians were killed, as well as resulting in crippling war debts that reached 6.6 billion. France, Germany, Britain and Italy were considered the Central Powers of the war, despite multiple other countries participating. This report will cover the main aspects of Australia’s involvement in the war, as well as how it affected Australia as a nation.
Some would say The Anzac Legend all began when Britain declared they were in need of help and it was Australia’s duty to go to their aid. Australia tossed aside experience and opted for youth. There were big incentives to go. To travel and visit foreign places, economic reasons, to be with their mates but the most incentive of all was that Britain needed help.
Knowledge: Australia at war (1914 – 1945): World War I: Different historical interpretations and contested debates about World War I and the significance of Australian commemorations of the war (VCHHK144)
The Spirit of Anzac Centenary Experience is a once-in-a-lifetime events that will open in Ballarat daily from 8 - 14 November, 9am - 6pm at the Ballarat Exhibition Centre, 501 - 503 Dowling St, Wendouree, VIC 3355. It tells the story of Australia’s involvement in WW1 and an interactive way to experience and commemorate the war.
World War I (1914-1918) was considered the 'Great War' and Australia’s Gallipoli campaign has always been considered as the pinnacle of the Australian military feats. This is due to the constant glorification of the event despite the fact it was an unmitigated failure. However, the work of the Australian army force in the most important battleground of WW1 the 'Western Front' is often cast under the shadow of Gallipoli. The battles on the Western Front took place in France, Belgium and parts of Germany and this is where some of the most pivotal battles were fought. The contribution and success of the Australians will be assessed through the analysis of several sources related to four major contributions related to the Western Front. These include the amount of Australians involved, the external opinions of Australia in the Western front, The Battle of
The Great War, or what we now call World War I, was devastating for all participating countries, but for Australia, with its relatively small population, the suffering was keenly felt. By 1917, the honour of going to war “for king and country” had faded, and everyone knew someone whose life was lost on a conflict which had little relevance to their lives. Letters from the battlefields of Europe and North Africa conveyed the horror of the first mechanized war.
This article is especially useful in addressing the issues of memory at the heart of the Australian history wars as it examines in detail the effect of the representation of memories, how they are framed, and in which formats they are reported, upon how they are received by an audience and by academia. The article addresses the factor that the relevance and validity of memories can be seen as discredited by academia because, in this case, they have not been sourced from written evidence by the party presenting the memory and therefore decrease their value from an empirical standpoint. The framing of a narrative is also especially important as in this article, the name under which evidence is presented has become key not only to how it is received but
The Anzac legend tells the spirit and qualities of the Anzacs whom fought on the battlefield during the First World War, this legend tells the quality’s and acts of bravery, mate ship, and courage that the Anzacs are believed to have shown on the battlefield. The soldiers used these qualities to help Australian and New Zealand earns its reputation in the world as being a strong and courageousness country when in times of danger.