World War I: Experiences

SBS article [25 March 2014] - World War One changed Australia substantially, from its significance on the world stage to the economic impact it suffered as a result of the conflict.

The Effects of World War 1 on the Australian Economy is an excerpt from the film 'Cavalcade of Australia 1901-1951' (34 mins), produced in 1951. Includes background information.

In 2009 the National Archives created the touring exhibition Shell-shocked: Australia after Armistice. A sample of documents and photographs from the exhibition are showcased here.

The population of Australia in 1911 was 4,455,005. In Australia there were about 100,000 Germans in 1914. The First World War was a very difficult time for German-Australians

Article in the Melbourne newspaper, 'The Argus', 30 July, 1818.

The Treaty of Versailles forced Germany to concede vast European territories and overseas colonies. Perhaps the most humiliating portion of the treaty for defeated Germany was Article 231, commonly known as the "War Guilt Clause," which forced the German nation to accept complete responsibility for initiating World War I. Germany was required to make enormous reparation payments. In addition, the German military was to be severely limited in size and armaments.

William Hughes, “The Little Digger”, campaigned twice for national conscription to boost an Australian army decimated by World War One.

Did the Great War really create Australia?The notion that this blooding and the other epic battles of the Great War made the nation has become a truism. But it is one that needs to be examined.

Partners and families of service people had little communication with their loved ones during World War One, and when they returned, often became physical and emotional carers for them.

Article in which Drs Stacy Gillis and Emma Short draw on surviving schoolwork and propaganda to explore how World War One affected all aspects of children’s lives.

Transcript of a paper presented by Dr Rosalie Triolo at the National Archives of Australia in Canberra on 18 March 2009.