ANZAC Story and Australian Identity - Essay Example

ANZAC story and Australian identity Name Institution Course Lecturer Date Introduction In the last century, every Australian was affected by the civil war in a certain way. The entry of servicemen and women in wars had such a great impact to Australia. Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) comprised of Australian Imperial Force troops and New Zealand Expeditionary Forces during the World War 1. This body was founded in Egypt in the year 1915. It participated in the Battle of Gallipoli. The name was adopted when Australia’s and New Zealand’s troops which were set out for Europe were diverted to Egypt following the onset of winter season in Europe. The troops were supposed to undergo further training in Egypt shortly after General William Birdwood assumed command on 21st December 1915. Later on, they were to move to Western Front. In 1916, the troop was disbanded after Allied evacuation from Gallipoli peninsula in November 1915. The story of the return of ANZAC who had participated in Gallipoli peninsula became a tradition which continued to change its nature over the decades. By looking at the aspect of time, continuity and change, ANZAC’s story brought about significant ideas about people and events that ultimately contributed to Australian’s identity. This discussion aims at deriving in-depth information on how the identity of Australia’s contemporary society was developed. It focuses on the changing nature of Australian identity from ANZAC experience, World War I, through World War 2, and Vietnam and Korean wars. The contact with Britons and Americans has been given a major focus in the discussion. World War 1 The ANZAC story formed an important part of the history of Australia, which led to evolution of a culture that demonstrated a positive attitude towards war. As Goldsworthy (2002) points out, Australia’s long relationship with Britain significantly influenced its decision to join World War 1. This was particularly evidenced by ANZAC’s participation in the war. Gerster & Pierce (2004) observe that there had been a strongly established sense of commonness between Australia and Britain, since most Australians had their native roots in Britain. The enthusiasm for the war was heightened by the ability of the soldiers to endure hardships. After the war, the government ordained the surviving Australian males to mythic heroes. As Slade (2003) stipulates, the decision by Australian corps to participate in World War 1 in Europe was highly regarded. Australia’s image in the war was meant to make people feel good and allow the whole nation feel part of Britain. It also helped in managing the international perception of Australia by other nations (Seal 2004). In his speech, former PM Honorable Mr. Keating stated that World War 1 became a great element in development of national identity (Smith 2006). Keating referred ANZAC’s experience to be at the heart of Australia. It became a legend as it exhibited victory against the odds. The speech praised ANZAC’s courage and identified Australians as independent and free spirited. Since then, many speeches have been given to recall the velour, comradeship, endurance and resourcefulness of the brave men. Mantle (2008) observes that Australia had great interests in Britain and the traditional loyalty was manifested in World War 1. ANZAC participated in the war despite the fact that its members were not well trained. For Australian soldiers, this became a remarkable starting point that compelled them to pursue national attachment and identity with Britain. As Seal (2004) points out, World War 1 steered the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps to participate in the battle at Gallipoli Peninsula. The return of survivor corps sparked a spirit of achievement as well as a positive national-esteem. To ensure the long-lasting and strongly established relationship with Britain, the government approved the experiences of its soldiers even though there were quite a number of casualties (Smith 2006). The survivors were also identified as legendary ANZAC soldiers. The affirmation of the military prowess was expected to prove to the world about Australia’s ability and competence to participate in international matters. Australia also identified itself with significant military powerful nations like Britain and France (Goldsworthy 2002). As Meaney (2001) stipulates, the first half of 20th Century was perhaps dominated by cruelty between nations. It was therefore a matter of establishing greatness by being identified with the strong nations that emerged victorious in World War 1. The incidence played a great role in the subsequent involvement of Australia in World War II. Having had such praise by the government, and with acknowledgement that the Corps only had little training in war, Australia was challenged to continue its loyalty to Britain in World War 2. As a result, Australian corps were trained and dispersed into different wary areas. (Gerster & Pierce 2004) World War 2 Following World War 1 aftermath, there was no apprehension of another kind of war in the world. However, two decades later, world dictators; Hitler of Germany, Mussolini of Italy and Emperor Hirohito of Japan came together with the interest of joining their powers in order to tighten their controls. As such, Britain and France had enough time to reorganize their structures and form alliances with other countries for war. Despite being an independent Commonwealth nation, Australia continued to show its strong sense of duty to Britain (National Heritage Centre 2010). The assessment of the nation after the war was different. The government had used the ANZAC’s experiences to assert its competency in military capabilities. Subsequently, the identity greatly influenced Australia’s collective view that they would help in opposing the interests of Japan which was against the Allied (Seal 2004). From 1939 to 1945, Australians were involved in battles on their land and overseas. In 1939, war broke in Europe and RAAF aircrews flew to Britain to aid in serving fighters with squadrons. In January 1941, Australia was attacked by Japan in retaliation for their union with Britain. Gerster & Pierce (2004) note that, the war was fought by Australians with the support of United States troops who were against the Japan invasion and occupation of sea routes. Australian army repelled Japanese with the help of US troops who invaded Papua in 1942. The involvement of Australian Army in World War 2 had a significant impact on the world affairs as it broadened Australian experiences and interaction with US culture. Most of the victorious battles in the East were particularly led by Australian fronts. National Heritage Centre (2010) indicates that the events of World War II led to a shift of Australia’s interests and loyalty to the United States. This occurred when British Garrison surrendered to Japanese army in 1942 where 13,000 Australian troops were imprisoned in Singapore. In addition, there was high influx of US troops in Australia where over 12,000 soldiers joined in the course of war to fight Japanese (Macintyre & Clark 2003). Military engagements after World War 2 Not only did Australia participate in World War II but also in Vietnam and Korean Wars. Following the first perception that the government created concerning ANZAC’s victories, it was therefore inevitable for Australia to participate in future fronts (Mantle 2008). Australia’s involvement in both Korean and Vietnam wars formed a strong identity between them since the US led their forces in these wars. Phillips & Holton (2004) further points out that, the implications of the Australian prowess in the last two wars led to its involvement in future wars in Asia (Gerster & Pierce 2004). According to Macintyre & Clark (2003), the Gallipoli incidence with ANZACs gave Australia an international stand and an opportunity for future wars. As Jones (2001) observes, Australia was increasingly prepared for conflict and defense as far as Middle East, Europe and the Gulf through its military involvement. As Macintyre & Clark (2003) observe, Australia’s relationship with Britain changed and particularly after World War 2. The long standing identity with Britain declined specifically when UK applied for membership in European Economic Community in 1961 (Robertson & Singleton 2000). According to Goldsworthy (2002), UK also decided to conclude its military roles and Defense Policy in the east of Suez which indicated that Australia and Britain were no longer countries with common interests. McDougall (1997) also noted that, after UK’s withdrawal from Suez incidence, Australian assimilation policy was dismantled and the long established race patriotism declined. The White Australian policy which operated from 1900 to favor immigrants from Britain and Ireland was abandoned. Australia was therefore forced to accept the world’s reality and forsake its strong believe in British identity and evolve its distinct national character. Since 1950 to 1956, about 17, 000 Australians served in defense forces in Korea and its adjacent seas. Australian Armies engaged in one of the longest war, Vietnam War that lasted for ten years. In the ten years, 60,000 Australian army personnel were involved. According to Wiest (2002), the nation entered in the war with just a limited initial commitment. It had provided 30 military advisors only. Later on in 1965, it grew into a battalion and in 1966 to a task force. The three service soldiers were directly involved though dominant in the war field. In both Korea and Vietnam War, Austrian Royal, Australian Navy, Royal Air Force and Australian Army men and women were highly engaged. ANZAC and Australian Identity in popular culture Techera (2007) observes that as a result of the several engagements in wars, Australia’s culture became popularly founded on stories of battle, brave soldiers as well as bushrangers. In addition, there were stories of working and sporting heroes as well as plucky migrants. Aboriginal heritage became an element in defining Australian culture (McInerney 2008).The country experienced a mix of cultures, a thriving scene of arts and innovative ideas. Mate ship and ‘fair go’ are among Australians beliefs which increased their affection for battlers. The values were based on convicts who struggled and survived in unfamiliar and harsh environments including unjust authority. According to Tranter & Donoghue (2008), Ned Kelly who is a famous Australian bushranger protested against the exercise of injustice and poverty that was being executed by the British class system. His heroic fight for justice and liberty for the innocent people was incorporated into Australian’s national culture. It inspired movies and books scripting and writing respectively. The courageous ANZAC soldiers in their service at Gallipoli brought about a new meaning to the term ‘tough Aussie.’ Castles & Miller (1998) observe that since the end of World War II in 1945, there are more than six million people who have come to live in Australia. This is as a result of the diverse culture that developed from the interactions between Australians and people from other countries during battles. According to Sheridan (2000), food is one of the cultural diversity aspects in Australia. It embraces most of the world’s cuisine as well as several fusions of the same. European flavors, and enticing Asian, African and Middle East bush tucker are offered everywhere in the country’s food premises, for instance; Italian pasta, Thai take-away and Spanish tapas (Camorra & Cornish 2011). Australia has also embraced sparkling events in festivals such as; samba and capoeira at Bondi’s Brazilian South American festival as well as the dance that takes place behind the dragon parade during celebrations of Chinese New Year (Yu & Xiong 2012). Australia has demonstrated deep love for arts both in the theatre and literature. People flock in movies galleries in large numbers. The cities host an array of cultural festivals, offer music, dance performances and exhibitions of art. In conclusion, ANZAC involvement in World War 1 sparked ideas among Australians that later determined Australia’s participation in war events. ANZAC’s incidence at Gallipoli came when Australians had strong links with Britain. ANZAC’s story then brought Australians close to events and people, particularly the Americans who had a different culture other than the previous and strongly held British identity by many Australians. The influx of US troops in Australia during World War 2 led to increased preference of American culture by Australians. Different cultural festivals were held as well as art exhibitions. There was change in the food culture which has presently become an Australian identity. At the same time, the failure of Britain support for Australian prisoners of war, UK’s application for EEC membership and conclusion of its military involvement east of Suez highly dissociated Australians with the strong identity they had with Britain. Australia continued to create links with United States after World War 2 in Vietnam and Korea wars developing a strong identity with Americans. References Books Camorra F & Cornish, R 2011, MoVida: Spanish Basics: Spanish culinary adventures, Murdoch Books, Sydney. 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McDougall, D 1997, Australia and the British military withdrawal from east of Suez, Australian Journal of International Affairs, Vol. 51, Iss.2, p.183-194. McInerney, M 2008, Personal investment, culture and learning: Insights into school achievement across Anglo, Aboriginal, Asian and Lebanese students in Australia, International Journal of Psychology, Vol.43 Iss.5 p.870-879. Sheridan, S 2000, Eating the other: Food and cultural difference in the Australian Women's Weekly in the 1960s, Journal of Intercultural Studies, Vol.21 Iss.3 p.319-329. Techera, J 2007, Protection of Cultural Heritage Times of Armed Conflict: The International Legal Framework Revisited, Macquarie Journal International & Competence Environmental Iss.4 p1. Tranter, B & Donoghue, J 2008, Bushrangers: Ned Kelly and Australian identity, Journal of Sociology, Vol44 Iss.4 p.373-390. Yu, S & Xiong, J 2012, The dilemma of interdependence: current features and trends in Sino-Australian relations, Australian Journal of International Affairs, Vol.66 Iss.5 p.579-591. Reports and other publications Castles S & Miller J 1998, The age of migration: International population movements in the modern world. Macintyre, S & Clark, A 2003, The history wars, Sydney Papers, Winter/spring publications, Vol.15, p.76-92. Meaney, N 2001, Britishness and Australian identity: The problem of nationalism in Australian history and historiography, Australian Historical Studies, Vol.32, Iss.116, p.76-90. National Heritage Centre 2010, World War II 1939 – 1945, Australian Migration History Timeline, Retrieved on 9th Oct 2013 from . Phillips, T & Holton, R 2004, Personal orientations towards Australian national identity among British-born residents, Ethnic and Racial Studies, Vol.27, Iss.5, p.732-756. Robertson, P & Singleton, J 2000, The old Commonwealth and Britain's first application to join the EEC, 1961–3, Australian Economic History Review, vol.40, Iss.2, p.153-177. Seal, G 2004, Inventing Anzac: the digger and national mythology, University of Queensland Press: Queensland. Slade, P 2003, Gallipoli thanatourism: the meaning of ANZAC, Annals of Tourism Research, Vol.30, Iss.4, p.779-794. Smith, T 2006, Conscripting the Anzac myth to silence dissent, Australian Review of Public Affairs, Vol.11. Wiest, A 2002, The Vietnam War 1956-1975, Vol. 38, Osprey Publishing: Oxford. Read More