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PRESENTATION TOPIC. “War and Australian Nationalism: Gallipoli and the ANZAC Legend” Wayne Muller Griffith University 24 th June 2008. Australia and the USA- Contrasting Military Legacies. Australia has had: No War of Independence No civil war No equivalent of Arlington National Cemetery
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PRESENTATION TOPIC “War and Australian Nationalism: Gallipoli and the ANZAC Legend” Wayne Muller Griffith University 24th June 2008
Australia and the USA- Contrasting Military Legacies • Australia has had: • No War of Independence • No civil war • No equivalent of Arlington National Cemetery • Australia and the USA have fought together in: • WW1 • WW2 • Korean War • Vietnam • Gulf Wars 1 and 2 • Afghanistan • Australia and the USA both remember the sacrifices made in war: • Australia- ANZAC Day (25th of April) • USA- Memorial Day (Last Monday in May)
A Profile of “Australians at War” • The Boer War- 1899-1902 • WW1- 1914-1918 • WW2- 1939-1945 • The Korean War- 1950-1953 • The Vietnam War- 1962-1975 • Iraq War 1- 1990 • Iraq War 2- 2003 to the present • Afghanistan- 2002 to the present
WW1 and the Evolution of the ANZAC Tradition • The evolution of Australian nationalism post federation in 1901 • Reasons for Australia’ participation in WW1 • England as the “Mother Country” • War and “mateship” • Genuine patriotism and concept of being a “real man” • Social pressure not to be seen as a “slacker” (coward) • War as an adventure and a chance to travel • War as “sport” • Believed that the war would be over very quickly • Effectiveness of recruitment strategies • Recruitment
War as a manifestation of “Mateship” Concept of “mateship” High levels of volunteerism by rural youths Aspects of Australian “diggers”: Cynical about military leaders- names of Australian generals “Larrikin” behaviour Very strong bonds between soldiers-> “stand by your mates” War as “sport” and as an adventure Naïve conceptions of the nature of the conflict Perception that the war would be brief Movie “Gallipoli”- playing AFL near the pyramids
The Gallipoli Campaign • The events of the 25th of April 1915 • A planning and military disaster which achieved nothing • The role of war historian C W Bean in creating the mythology of ANZAC
The “Western Front” • More significant than the Gallipoli Campaign • Scale of conflict • Scale of casualties • Duration of conflict • Successful conclusion
The Conscription Debates and Referenda • The “politics” of and justifications for conscription • The role of the Prime Minister W M Hughes • The role of the Catholic Church • The results of the two referenda
World War 2 • The more muted significance of patriotism, nationalism and the “ANZAC Spirit” • The theatres of WW2 • The war in Europe • The desert campaigns • The Pacific campaign • A move away from Britain to the USA as our “powerful friend”
The Vietnam War • Australia’s first ‘controversial war” • Engagement with the USA • Based on the climate created by the Cold War- Communism versus Democracy • Also based upon the “domino principle” of the potential spread of Communism in Asia • The controversy of conscription and the method of selecting conscripts • The statistics on military deaths in Australia and the USA • The first “television war” and the implications of this • Military defeat in Vietnam- implications of this • Vietnam veterans- post war traumas
Iraq Wars One and Two • Immediate involvement of Australians in both • Iraq war 1- to repel a dictator’s invasion of Kuwait • Iraq war 2- “Regime Change” and attempted democratisation • Politics and controversies regarding Australia’s involvement in Iraq War 2 • Scale of Australia’s involvement- symbolic rather than significant • The current Australian withdrawal from Iraq
The “Rebuilding” of the ANZAC Tradition • A strategy of the conservative coalition government elected in 1996 • The personal background and values of Prime Minister John Howard • Increasing participation in ANZAC day parades in Australia and Australians travelling to Gallipoli • Declining role of the RSL and declining number of surviving veterans prior to Vietnam