Analysis of Australian Attitude and Involvement in World War I Essay

This essay delves into the Australian attitude towards World War I, examining the initial enthusiasm and support for the British army at the war's outset. It traces the Australian military's active involvement, including the deployment of troops to Egypt and the Gallipoli Peninsula, showcasing their bravery and determination. The essay highlights the formation of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) and their contributions on the Western Front, detailing the significant casualties and key battles. It also explores the internal divisions caused by conscription debates and the eventual exhaustion and withdrawal of the military force. Furthermore, it discusses the war's impact on Australian society, including social and political divisions and the psychological effects on the population. The essay references key battles and the impact of the war on Australian society and military actions.

Running head: AUSTRALIAN ATTITUDE TOWARDS WORLD WAR I
Australian Attitude towards World War I
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Author’s Note:

1AUSTRALIAN ATTITUDE TOWARDS WORLD WAR I
The outbreak of the World War I had occurred in the year 1914 and the Australian or the
Australian military had greeted the war with a lot of enthusiasm. There had been a promise on
behalf of the Australians to support the British army, during the war. The army had at once
started preparations for sending their troops to the Britain and encouraged them to engage in the
sudden conflict.
There had been an active involvement from the part of the Australian army in the World
War I. The first military troop that left the shores of the Australia departed the nation in the
month of October 1914. Initially they were diverted and in spite of facing the cold winters of
Britain, they reached Egypt. They attempted to invade Turkey in the due course and open the
Black Sea for the Allied forces so that the Russians can use the route for their supplies. The
troops later landed from the sea to the lands creating a strange history for the Australians. The
army landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula and successfully repelled and fought back the attempts of
Turkey to send the military back to the sea. In this manner the Australian army showed their
bravery and determined involvement in the conflicts. The Australian Imperial Force (AIF)
recruited a larger number of people and more than 320000 Australians effectively contributed to
the national reason.
After the recruitment of the people in the army, the Australians made their way to the
French region and the Western Front. This was another evidence of the enthusiasm from the ends
of the Australian army since they were the first ones to travel through the lands and the sea to
help the French in their time of crisis. As the World War I continued, the Australians contributed
a lot during the years of 1916 and 1917. The Australian military suffered huge number of
causalities in just one night which almost accounted for 5500 deaths. This had been marked as

2AUSTRALIAN ATTITUDE TOWARDS WORLD WAR I
the worst day in the history of the Australians. However, they continued to fight against the crisis
and the causalities increased to almost 21 thousand.
With the increasing number of causalities there had been lesser number of people in the
military of Australia, since the nation also needed people to serve at the factories and schools and
shops. However, the enthusiasm did not lessen and the war patriots wanted the Australians
belonging to the correct age group to join the army. Thus there had been a demand from their
end to the government of Australia to introduce conscription. Two conscriptions had been lost in
the year 1916 an d 1917 due to the divisions that were caused as a result of this, in the society
(Donoghue and Tranter 2015).
However, the year of 1918 marked the greatest victory for the Australian powers which
had been led by the commanders. In spite of facing innumerable causalities and losing a great
number of people throughout, the battalions of the Australian Imperial Force gained remarkable
victories. These included the victory at the Villers- Bretonneux in the year 1918, victory at the
Battle of Amiens and also at Peronne, Mont St. Quentin and at Hamel (Panayi 2016). However
after all such victories, the army had been exhausted and this was the beginning o fteh
withdrawal of the military force from the continuous fighting. After immense losses, the
Australians withdrew themselves from the fore front.
The world war had not only caused innumerable causalities, but it had also ended up
destroying the social and political harmony of the nation. The Australian nation had suffered
bitterness, which led to divisions among the people of the community. There had also been
religious divisions among them. Almost more than 60,000 Australian people were killed at the
World War I and almost 150,000 people had returned to their homeland being severely wounded

3AUSTRALIAN ATTITUDE TOWARDS WORLD WAR I
and affected (Waterton and Dittmer 2014).The Australians had to fight a war against the
Ottoman Empire, moving out of their comfort zone, in rough weather conditions and in harsh
terrains. According to Ueffing, Rowe and Mulder (2015), the Germans who had been living in
Australia developed anti-German feeling for the Australians which had been against the peace of
the nation. Thus due to the psychological effect among the Australians, they had to withdraw
themselves from the war, in spite of having great enthusiasm at the very beginning.

4AUSTRALIAN ATTITUDE TOWARDS WORLD WAR I
References:
Donoghue, J. and Tranter, B., 2015. The Anzacs: military influences on Australian
identity. Journal of Sociology, 51(3), pp.449-463.
Panayi, P. ed., 2016. Minorities in wartime: national and racial groupings in Europe, North
America and Australia during the two World Wars. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Ueffing, P., Rowe, F. and Mulder, C.H., 2015. Differences in attitudes towards immigration
between Australia and Germany: The role of immigration policy. Comparative Population
Studies, 40(4).
Waterton, E. and Dittmer, J., 2014. The museum as assemblage: Bringing forth affect at the
Australian War Memorial. Museum Management and Curatorship, 29(2), pp.122-139.