In the Shadow of Gallipoli

The Hidden Story of Australia in WWI

Robert Bollard

The fighting Anzacs have metamorphosed from flesh and blood into mythic icons; the war they fought in is distant and the resistance to it within Australia has been forgotten. This book corrects such historical amnesia by looking at what occured on the Australian home front during WWI, showing that the war was a disaster and many Australians knew it. It not only considers the wartime strike wave resulting from the discontent and dissent, such as the Great Strike of 1917, but also the impact of international political events, including the Easter Rising in Ireland and the Russian Revolution. Demonstrating that the first year of peace was tumultuous, as strikes and riots involving returned Anzacs shook Australia throughout 1919, this book uncovers the history that has been obscured by the shadow of Anzac.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• 1.‘To the last man and the last shilling’: Patriotism triumphant
• 2.‘If you want the 44-hour week, take it!’: The strike wave begins
• 3.‘Wherever green is worn’: Irish discontent
• 4.‘I will curse the British Empire with my dying breath’: The first conscription referendum
• 5.‘Fifteen years for fifteen words’: The empire strikes back
• 6.‘Solidarity for ever’: The Great Strike of 1917
• 7.‘We’ll burn the town down!’: The second referendum
• 8.‘Plunge this city into darkness’: The peace turns ugly
• Conclusion
• Notes
• References
• Index