The Premier’s ANZAC Essay
Australian communities reacted to wartime pressures in divisive responses that caused disagreements in Australia. Wartime pressures are the influence or effect that war has on something or someone. Although some wartime pressures resulted in the uniting of Australian communities, the majority of these pressures caused Australian communities to separate such as the amount of death and casualties, the economy changing, war weariness and the Easter uprising. During World War I (WWI), the conscription of men unwilling to enlist into the war caused a great division as well as the government powers increasing and gaining more authority over what happened in Australia during the war. Women also participated in the workforce, …show more content…
The commonwealth government passed the “War Precautions Act”, “Trading With the Enemy Act” and the “Defence Act”. The War Precautions Act meant that laws could be made that wouldn’t normally be passed into the constitution and the government could make laws that related to the war efforts. By passing the War Precautions Act, the government created loans to raise war money, increased tax incomes and it was compulsory to buy farmed wheat and wool grown in Australia. During the war, the government had power to censor publications and letters. This was very divisive in Australia as private letters to family and friends and publications were being watched and monitored by the government. The commonwealth government could also intern people who were born in or had a connection with enemy countries such as Italy, Germany and Japan. Those who weren’t born in Australia and migrated to Australia and became residents were known as “enemy aliens”. In 1911, a census confirmed that there were 33,381 German residents in Australia who were born in Germany. This divided Australian communities in ways that even caused citizens to turn against their neighbours if they were German. Many of these German-born residents had sons in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) but were still discriminated against because of their race and the fact that …show more content…
During the turbulent years of WWI many Australians were left feeling discriminated against and that they weren’t treated fairly because of the effects of wartime pressures. However, although WWI had many divisive effects on Australians and their communities it nevertheless made us grow and mature into a more developed country with women rights eventually legalised in the 1980’s and freedom of religion and belief included in the Racial Discrimination Act and the Human Rights Commission
Australian communities reacted to wartime pressures in divisive responses that caused disagreements in Australia. Wartime pressures are the influence or effect that war has on something or someone. Although some wartime pressures resulted in the uniting of Australian communities, the majority of these pressures caused Australian communities to separate such as the amount of death and casualties, the economy changing, war weariness and the Easter uprising. During World War I (WWI), the conscription of men unwilling to enlist into the war caused a great division as well as the government powers increasing and gaining more authority over what happened in Australia during the war. Women also participated in the workforce, …show more content…
The commonwealth government passed the “War Precautions Act”, “Trading With the Enemy Act” and the “Defence Act”. The War Precautions Act meant that laws could be made that wouldn’t normally be passed into the constitution and the government could make laws that related to the war efforts. By passing the War Precautions Act, the government created loans to raise war money, increased tax incomes and it was compulsory to buy farmed wheat and wool grown in Australia. During the war, the government had power to censor publications and letters. This was very divisive in Australia as private letters to family and friends and publications were being watched and monitored by the government. The commonwealth government could also intern people who were born in or had a connection with enemy countries such as Italy, Germany and Japan. Those who weren’t born in Australia and migrated to Australia and became residents were known as “enemy aliens”. In 1911, a census confirmed that there were 33,381 German residents in Australia who were born in Germany. This divided Australian communities in ways that even caused citizens to turn against their neighbours if they were German. Many of these German-born residents had sons in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) but were still discriminated against because of their race and the fact that …show more content…
During the turbulent years of WWI many Australians were left feeling discriminated against and that they weren’t treated fairly because of the effects of wartime pressures. However, although WWI had many divisive effects on Australians and their communities it nevertheless made us grow and mature into a more developed country with women rights eventually legalised in the 1980’s and freedom of religion and belief included in the Racial Discrimination Act and the Human Rights Commission