A Military History of Australia

Abstract

A Military History of Australia provides a detailed chronological narrative of Australia's wars across more than two hundred years, set in the contexts of defence and strategic policy, the development of society and the impact of war and military service on Australia and Australians. It discusses the development of the armed forces as institutions and examines the relationship between governments and military policy. This book is a revised and updated edition of one of the most acclaimed overviews of Australian military history available. It is the only comprehensive, single-volume treatment of the role and development of Australia's military and their involvement in war and peace across the span of Australia's modern history. It concludes with consideration of Australian involvement in its region and more widely since the terrorist attacks of September 11 and the waging of the global war on terror.

In the National Interest: Dominions' Support for Britain and the Commonwealth after the Second World War

“…Attlee therefore suggested that an Australian general command the British Commonwealth occupation force, a suggestion Canberra accepted because it allowed Australia to establish itself as a leader in the Pacific. 67 Although this episode confirmed that there was scope for Commonwealth co-ordination in military activities after the war -India, New Zealand and Australia all contributed troops to the force -it also demonstrated that co-operation was possible only if Britain accommodated the individual interests and aspirations of the dominions.…”

Colonial and post‐colonial aspects of Australian identity1

“…The participation of younger Australians in ANZAC Day parades is an example of the way in which notions of national identity are reinforced, as well as ensuring that the sacrifices made by earlier generations of Australian men and women in war are remembered (Grey 1990). The media's interest and pernicious focus on the last World War I veterans, is another example of the ‘banal nationalism’ described by Billig (1995).…”

Good Campers: The History of Australian War Reporting

“…The glaring historical gap in understanding the Australian coverage and media response to war is particularly surprising in a country where in Jeffrey Grey's words: 'War and military service have been among the great defining influences in our history... A majority of Australian still define an important part of the national ethos and national identity in terms of the Australian experience of war'. 64 More uniquely World War I, as articulated by the press, would provide the template for one of Australia's most cherished national mythologies, the Anzac legend. The Anzac soldier perpetuated by the press became the archetypical hero and embodiment of heroic racial characteristics such as a physical courage, moral virtue and mateship.…”