World War I, also known as the First World War, the Great War and the War To End All Wars, was a global military conflict, which took place predominantly in Europe from 1914 to 1918. The war had a devastating death toll of 16 million, which includes both military and citizens. The primary cause of the war was the June 28, 1914 assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, who was heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, by Gavrilo Princip. It goes down as one of the deadliest conflicts in history, causing major political changes, including revolutions, which involved many countries including Australia. Australia initially got involved in the war when Great Britain called upon them for support in ...view middle of the document...
Through the use of art, poetry and literature, abilities like riding a horse and firing a rifle were highly celebrated, as well as the general image of the Australian as a ‘tough pioneer.’ Certain men enlisted merely because of peer pressure; that is, their friends all signed up, and fear of being left out or being called cowardly by their mates was enough to entice many men into uniform. Men in uniform were attractive to the opposite sex. Failure to join up often brought great discontentment from women. It became common to give men in civilian dress a white feather, which implied cowardice. Finally, many of the troops believed that by Christmas, the war would be over, and hence took the opportunity of a lifetime to visit Europe. This led to the enlistment rush at the start of the war in 1914.
In 1901 when Australia first became a nation with federation, there was a developing sense of being Australian. By then most of the population was native born. In sport, art and literature there was a growing Australian national awareness.
However, Australia was also part of the British Empire and the Australian people had a deep sense of being British. It is almost impossible today to understand the depth of affection and loyalty that Australians felt for Great Britain before 1914. A major part of this feeling
was the pride felt in being part of the British Empire. All schoolrooms had maps pinned up showing that a quarter of the Earth’s surface highlighted indicating the extent of the British Empire
The connections between Australia and Britain and the Empire went very deep. The following are the main reasons for why the relationship between the two nations was so strong. Firstly, the British had settled Australia. Australia’s language, culture and institutions came from the ‘Mother Country’. Lots of Australians who had been born in this country referred to England as their home. Another reason was because Australia’s political and justice systems, its modes of fashion, literature, music and sport were all British. Along with that Australia’s economy was tied closely to that of Britain. It was their largest export market and their most significant source of imports. The ultimate defense of Australia was the British Navy. Australia was isolated from the rest of the world and there was a apparent threat from the Asian residents to the north. It was British power that eventually conserved the British way of life in Australia. Australian children were educated in the British way and learned about the kings and queens of England. In 1914 when war was announced these very same children, having grown up instructed with their nation’s affection for Britain, rushed to enlist to serve and protect the country that they had been raised to follow. As a member of the British Empire, Australia saw it as the greatest empire in the world at the time.
During World War I propaganda played a significant role during 1914, assisting to recruit volunteers in the hundreds of...
