World War I and the Australian Home Front
World War I and the Australian Home front
The First World War was a divisive experience on the Australian home front because when the United Kingdom declared war on Germany, the Australian government followed without hesitation. This was an expectation by the Australia public, as there were a large number of British-born citizens and the strong alliance between Australia and Britain. Therefore, this paper will argue that World War one was a divisive experience on the Australian home front because it caused disagreement and hostility across the country. Which lead to citizens employing various reasons to try and explain Australia’s involvement in World War one. This paper will therefore examine the major reasons to why World War one was a divisive experience on the Australian home front.
In 1914 Britain declared war on Germany, which resulted in many Australian citizens enlisting to go to war. There was no shortage of recruits to enlist for World War one. Although, “continued casualties on the Western Front led to more recruiting campaigns and a reduction in men enlisting for war” (Ergo, 2013). This had a significant impact on the number of Australian troops helping Britain. During the period where there was a decrease in men enlisting, there were many strong advocates for Australia’s involvement in World War One. These people “could not understand how others in society might not share their attitudes that the war demanded every person’s full and total commitment” (Ergo, 2013). However, many other Australians had different viewpoints about the war. They believed “ that there were other priorities that should be pursued, in relation to the economic cost of the war, which pushed wages down and prices up” (Ergo, 2013). This disagreement amongst the Australian public was one of the many reasons why World War One was a divisive experience. During Australia’s participation in World War One there were many divisive figures, one of the most influential figures was
The First World War was a divisive experience on the Australian home front because when the United Kingdom declared war on Germany, the Australian government followed without hesitation. This was an expectation by the Australia public, as there were a large number of British-born citizens and the strong alliance between Australia and Britain. Therefore, this paper will argue that World War one was a divisive experience on the Australian home front because it caused disagreement and hostility across the country. Which lead to citizens employing various reasons to try and explain Australia’s involvement in World War one. This paper will therefore examine the major reasons to why World War one was a divisive experience on the Australian home front.
In 1914 Britain declared war on Germany, which resulted in many Australian citizens enlisting to go to war. There was no shortage of recruits to enlist for World War one. Although, “continued casualties on the Western Front led to more recruiting campaigns and a reduction in men enlisting for war” (Ergo, 2013). This had a significant impact on the number of Australian troops helping Britain. During the period where there was a decrease in men enlisting, there were many strong advocates for Australia’s involvement in World War One. These people “could not understand how others in society might not share their attitudes that the war demanded every person’s full and total commitment” (Ergo, 2013). However, many other Australians had different viewpoints about the war. They believed “ that there were other priorities that should be pursued, in relation to the economic cost of the war, which pushed wages down and prices up” (Ergo, 2013). This disagreement amongst the Australian public was one of the many reasons why World War One was a divisive experience. During Australia’s participation in World War One there were many divisive figures, one of the most influential figures was