Australia 's Involvement During The War

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.

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.

It is well recognised that World War 1 was a traumatic experience for the Australian nation. It claimed 60,000 young lives and another 156,000 men were wounded, gassed, or taken prisoner. But when the trauma abated, it became apparent that Australian society had been changed permanently and positively. Some of the gains realised by Australia as a result of her involvement in WWI included a newfound maturity as a nation, the respect and recognition of other nations, new opportunities for trade and industry, a greater recognition of women’s rights and a massive economic and population boost due to post war immigration programs. This web-site has been created to show you some of the benefits of World War One on Australia.

The Western Front, while the main focus of combat in WW1, many Australians ignore this part of the war, as they focus more on the Gallipoli campaign and its legend. However with the centenary of the First World War here, many people have begun to realise that Australia was involved in other theatres of the war, and not just Gallipoli. The focus of this essay will be on the Events leading up to Australia’s involvement, the weapons of the western front, life in the trenches, trench warfare, The Battle of Fromelles and the End of the war.

After the build-up of tension and the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria, World War 1 began on the 4th August 1914 between the Central Powers, led by Germany, and the Allies, led by Britain. When Britain, in order to defend Belgium, declared war on Germany on the 4th August, Australian Prime Minster Joseph Cook also declared war on Germany. In commemorations which honour the Australians who fought in the war, there should not only be a focus on the events of Gallipoli, but also on the Western Front and the significance of Australia’s involvement in World War 1. Australia had strong ties with Britain and automatically became involved in the war to support Britain. Not surprisingly, many Australians rushed to enlist, for various reasons.

Australia had always acknowledge Britain as the “mother country”. When Britain declared war on Germany for invading Poland, Australia was announced to be at war by the former Prime Minister, Gordon Menzies. “Fellow Australians, it is my melancholy duty to inform you officially that, in consequence of the persistence of Germany in her invasion of Poland, Great Britain has declared war upon her, and that, as a result, Australia is also at war.”

Australia entered the war in 1939 and it became at their doorstep on the 19th February 1942, Nazi Germany and Japan were major enemies to Australia during the war. Australia’s foreign policy and changing alliance during 1942 impacted our national identity because Australia developed a new relationship with America, while it weakened the strong connection with Britain, which demonstrates that Australia was starting to become its own independent country. At the beginning of war, Australia had a strong relationship and alliance with Britain, making Britain their leaders when entering the war. Secondly, as the war progressed Australia began to look to America as an opportunity for protection from the Japanese, while Britain was fighting their own

‘The War to End All Wars’, commonly known as First World War, was one of the largest wars in history global conflict in Europe that commence on 1914 and lasted until 1918. Due to the aggression among the alliances, countries came to each other’s support and evolved in the six main powers of Europe uniting into two large groups: Italy, Austria-Hungary and Germany compose the Triple Alliance, while France, Russia and Britain established the Triple Entente. By the outbreak of the Great War, Australian men hurried to enlist for the cause of supporting the ‘mother country’ as Australia had a deep affection and loyalty towards Britain. As war progressed, Australia became aware of the barbaric reality of war.

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.

Cries of war echoing around London - WW1 was greeted with joy and enthusiasm, each nation as confident as the next. Minds filled with nationalistic pride, the main powers of Europe finally saw this as a way to demonstrate their large armies and navies in a battle fit for the century. Tensions had already been rising from the imperialistic colonisation of Africa - with the race to rule and conquer any countries seen as "inferior". Europe had spilt into two alliances and entente's, each vowing to defend one another if attacked by an aggressor; and it was these alliances that allowed the seamless stream of events that followed the assassination. With the ideologies of militarism, alliance, nationalism, and imperialism jumping at the seams, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Austria-Hungary was the final straw necessary in order for WW1 to come about in full force from the years 1914 to 1918.

250,000- the number of British soldiers to suffer an amputation as a result of the conflict.

World War 1 has attracted much controversy due the conditions, kinds of weapons, and the heavy loss of life. World War 1 went over three years from 1914 to 1918. It killed about seventeen million and injured twenty-one million people. The cost of World War 1 was estimated to be a total of $337 billion which included both direct and indirect costs. The war essentially started with the assassination of Austria’s Archduke Franz Ferdinand. He was killed by Gavril Princip in Sarajevo, Bosnia. Bosnia was a part of Austria-Hungary and the Bosnians were against it. The Serbians wanted Bosnia and Herzegovina to be theirs and it is believed that Princip obtained the gun from the Serbians. Black hand which was a secret society organized by the Serbian

The First World War was the first war that Australian’s ever fought as a Federated nation. World War one was a time of great change for Australia. World War one had an enormous impact on Australian society and I will be support this argument by looking at how the loss of troops meant that more men had to be enlisted to fight and how the role of women changed during the war. I will also be examining the use of propaganda used to influence the civilian population. World War I had a significant and lasting impact on Australian society.

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.

The assassination of Franz Ferdinand is what lead to the immediate beginning of the war. Franz Ferdinand was in line to be the next heir to the Austria-Hungarian throne. He was later shot to death along with the wife during a visitation to Sarajevo in 1914. A Serbian group, known as the Black Hand, was blamed on for the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. This event lead Austria-Hungary to declare war on Serbia for the assassiantion, which led to the beginning of World War 1 (History.com Staff,2009). Other WW1 analysts believe that there might be no single reason that can be attributed for the main cause of the war. These WW1 analysts think that the war might have started as a result of several other factors that lead to the buildup of WW1. These factors could included the development of militarism, imperialism, and nationalism. These factors contributed heavily to create the conflicts that led to the beginning of WW1.