How Did World War 1 Change Australia

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At the conclusion of World War I, Australia saw the daybreak of great change. The diggers returned from war to search for employment and a country that resembled the tranquility of pre-war years. Men which returned able-bodied found it easier to settle and return to a ‘normal life’ however the numerous soldiers which experienced physical injuries and post traumatic stress disorder found settling arduous. The diggers encountered the atrocities of war, these experiences could only be understood by their compatriots. Upon return they were confronted with a mature Australia, one that had evolved with confidence and had taken place on the world stage. The diggers had to find their place in society and become accustomed to a peaceful way of life in the Australia that had been assured by British Prime Minister David Lloyd George as he stated that they would return to a “world fit for heroes,” he may have genuinely believed it as he felt a sense of accountability to provide the soldiers with a job and a stable country. As time went by and the war progressed diggers experienced the horrors of war, …show more content…

Women worked as efficiently as men and often were only paid half of what men were. Employers often would not fire their female employees in favour of returned soldiers. Source B, a cartoon from Punch Magazine, 1916, shows a soldier seeking to get his job back. As shown by the sign next to the counter and current women worker the employer is now paying to have the same job done for less money. This reflects the changes of women entering the work force. During the war, technology advanced tremendously, factories were built which replaced the work of unskilled workers with machines. Due to this many soldiers lacked skills needed to do basic work. Australia was unprepared for the influx of workers as they had not been there for the past years which caused the country to learn how to endure without

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