Great War Effects

The effect of The Great War on Australian society was one of the most challenging impacts on Australia. During the great war 60,000 men were killed and 156,000 men were wounded, the grief and sorrow felt from the loss of the men during the great war impacted for generations. Not only were our losses one of the greatest conflict in Australian history but The Great War also began the Anzac tradition, which gradually became a part of Australian identity. Given the appalling conditions of the trenches experienced by soldiers it is not surprising they suffered numerous diseases, illnesses and mental torment from the threat of being bodily harmed or wounded. The mental anguish suffered by returning soldiers would have impacted on the men who fought
In 1914 the liberals were in power, but were soon defeated at the general election at the outbreak of the war. The Australian labour party became the government run by Andrew fisher, then from 1915 William Morris Hughes as the Prime Minister. Hughes, a Welsh immigrant as well as a labour member saw himself responsible for making sure that’s Australia fulfilled its roles as a part of the empire. By 1916 there were great division within the labour parties, Hughes was convincing that the great losses being suffered on the western front could met by voluntary recruiting, and that those men who were not ‘doing their duty’ needed to be conscripted into fighting. After the defeat of the first conscription referendum, Hughes and a number of others who were apart of the labour party and joined with the liberals to form a new nationalist party, determined to do everything possible to win the war. The nationalist party became the government for the rest of the war. Women’s main role was seen to be in the home, the withdrawal of about half a million men most who had been in the workforce however this did not result in replacement by women. Many women thought to become more involved in war related activities such as cooks, stretcher bearers, motor car drivers, but the government did not allow their participation in the war. Many of the women were involved in encouraging men to enlist, as many of the men who did not enlist were looked down upon by the women, the women gave the men a white feather witch is a symbol of cowardness
The war had a great effect on the Australian economy, these changers were mixed. One of the earliest impacts of the war was the governments cancellation of existing trade agreements with Germany and Austria Hungery. Australian industries such as steel making and pharmaceuticals suddenly founf themselves taking up contracts that had previously been filled by German