Preview

Issue of Conscription in Australia Essay Example

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
478 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Issue of Conscription in Australia Essay Example
During World War I, conscription was a big issue for Australia, Labour Prime Minister Billy Hughes want to enforce conscription, following the footsteps of Britain and New Zealand, who introduced conscription earlier in the year.
Hughes wanted conscription because if Australia helped to fight against Germany, it could stop them from possibly invading the ground of Australia; also it is because people who are willing to join the army were dropping, so he wanted conscription to pass in the parliament. Unfortunately, conscription did not pass, because too many politicians, particularly the Labour Party, opposed the idea of conscription.
This issue deeply divided Australia with a large amount of meetings fighting for and against.
There were many debates between both groups of whether or not conscription is required in Australia. Some considered it as a good idea while others think of it as a harsh idea. At that time, there were many advertisements and posters trying to convinced Australian Voters to vote either YES or NO on the day.
The supporters of conscription agreed with Hughes thinking that conscription could be a help for Britain as to Britain were at danger at that time and thinks that if we can help Britain, then they may reserved us a spot as an ally for future battles. Also they believed that the reason to why fewer men are going to war because eligible men are avoiding their duty as an Australian and also considered those who opposed conscription as a coward.
While the people who opposed the idea of conscription thinks it is unfair for working men and lower class family because they would be harmed the most if conscription were to be passed. Also they believed it is unfair because they think that the higher class family can avoid being forced to attend war and considered Hughes and its supporters as murderers.
Women were the main target for propaganda. Their opinion about conscription is largely different. Some of them who had their husband and

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    This is the second post promised analysing why Australia entered the Vietnam War. American readers should be warned that because it looks primarily at the domestic political scene in Australia at the time, it does as a consequence refer to characters and events which most of you will not be aware of. However, I have included a short preface, attempting to identify most of the major players and the themes which ran behind the scenes in Australian society.…

    • 7337 Words
    • 30 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Conscription also known as Australia’s National Service ‘Scheme’ was introduced to Australia by the Menzies Government in 1964. The selection of conscripts was determined by a televised ballot system based on date of birth, 20 year olds were obligated to register for conscription which required them to give two years of national service.…

    • 561 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Honourable Prime Minister William Hughes has represented Australia on the world stage as a strong and independent nation. Firstly, Mr Hughes argued that Australia, and indeed other British nations be privately represented in President Wilson’s proposed League of Nations. Although a strong supporter of British rule, Mr Hughes noted that Australia’s considerable war effort justified the need for our nation to be independent in this regard. The Prime Minister also argued for compensation of Australia’s war costs, stating that Germany should pay for our war expenditures. Finally Mr Hughes lobbied against the inclusion of a clause to be included in the treaty guaranteeing the “Equality of nations and equal treatment of their nationals.”…

    • 563 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the beginning of war, young Australia wanted to prove their loyalty and worth to their “mother country” which they mostly still relied on. At the time, other nations had more men in their army then Britain, so Australia was keen to provide them with soldiers. When enlisting soldiers, the government hid their true thoughts and only provided the public with the exaggerated truth. As the war went on and more people died, Australians finally realized the truth of war. Even though their opinions changed, they still provided Britain with needed soldiers. Even when the armistice was signed and the war ended, the impacts was still felt in Australia for years…

    • 735 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When it was first announced in April 1962 that Australia was to fight in Vietnam it was seen by the majority as necessary and needed. Many Australians supported the war because of their fear of communist advancement and the Domino Theory. They were motivated to support the war by the common dreaded thought that Australia might fall next to communist rule. Furthermore many Australians believed fully in the government as a protection strategy. This policy advocated…

    • 973 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The 29th of April 1965 was a pivotal moment in Australian military history. In parliament, Robert Menzies proposed his arguments for sending Australian troops into South Vietnam and subsequently announced that Australia would be joining the United States in the Vietnam War. He believed that Australia’s allies would need help and that it was best to stop the spread of communism before it reached Australia: a forward defence technique. The pressure and increasing fear of communism amongst the Australian public would have also influenced parliament. Although faced with opposition, the proposition advanced, and later that year, the first 800 Australian troops were dispatched to Vietnam.…

    • 644 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The accuracy of the statement that Australian wartime controls in World War I had greater impact than they did in World War II is contentious. However, government sanctioned wartime controls in World War II had greater impact due to the more developed and efficient manner in which it was conducted. The World Wars were fought using enormous numbers of materials and millions of people. It became the duty of the civilian population to produce the masses of equipment, ammunition, weapons, food and transport necessary to continue the military effort. This collective effort was cited as ‘total war’, due it being a new type of warfare which required the involvement of total economies and societies. The Commonwealth government accordingly implemented…

    • 1378 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Australia in World War I is known to be a divided society, with its people and its government constantly fighting. Many Australians believed that the war wasn’t theirs to fight in; others believed that they should all support its mother country Britain. Half of the government believed conscription was the way, the other half not so much. The onset of war brought in…

    • 776 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    World War II did indeed influence changes in the Australian home front; some long term and others short term. The evident threat of invasion by the Japanese forced the Australian government to turn to their American allies, forging new foreign policies and a sense of ‘Americanisation’ of Australian cultural. Minority groups including women and Indigenous Australians also experienced changes pushing for equality. Amidst the pinnacle of World War II, forsaken by her mother country, Australia felt vulnerable to the emerging threat of the Japanese in the Pacific; so in turn, then Australian Prime Minster John Curtin called upon the United States allies for support. This new allegiance came as a shock for many older Australian citizens who still…

    • 1056 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    On May 27th 1967, the Holt Liberal government held a referendum to determine whether or not two sections of the Constitution should be removed, as it discriminated against Aboriginal people. As a result, almost ninety-one percent of Australians voted ‘yes’ to alter these constitutional references. This significant event permitted the Commonwealth Government to…

    • 333 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The performance of the conservatives during this time period does infact support the validity of this statement in that Labour had won a landslide victory in the earlier election. The conservatives did not support the ideals of the public in most instances, especially when it came to such matters as the military vote due to the conservative’s naturally warmongering attitude. Military personnel were not ready and did not want to become involved in another war. Although the conservatives were not without their share of the vote, it is true that in the number of votes they were not the most popular party which would support the validity of this statement.…

    • 467 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    “Recruiting” shows that the reality of war is different to the propaganda recruitment, the poem contains bitter criticism of the politicians who sent the soldiers off to war and the journalists who write about it. The poem comments on the recruitment drive in Britain; taking issue in particular with posters encouraging young men to sign up to the army. Mackintosh focuses on the discrepancy between the image of war as presented by the advertising campaign of the “fat civilians” and the reality of war as experienced by the young “lads” called up to fight.…

    • 4027 Words
    • 17 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The treatment of Indigenous Australians by the government has been an issue of controversy since White Europeans settled in Australia. Throughout history Aboriginals have developed and hosted many protests, sometimes with the help of the White Europeans that wanted to make a difference to get back rights and freedoms of Aboriginals.…

    • 1104 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    their war to fight but they must fight because their under British rule. Since they have to work (as in…

    • 1247 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Australian Government also had a main part in the country's involvement in ‘WW1'. They wanted Australia to be feared by other countries and wanted to show adherence to Britain. This also gave Australia the upper hand as Britain would return the favour by joining Australia's side in battle if needed. Australian troops were also very naive at the thought of war and took it as an adventure. Pay was also far substantial to the average working wage which also influenced more volunteers to sign up.…

    • 446 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays