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Source 7.85. Political-legal reasons for Australia joining WWI extract from Chapter
13: The nation is born reads: (Lawrence et al., 1986, p. 288)
Source 7.85 also emphasizes the emotional connection and sentiment expressed towards
Britain and the British Empire, providing an explanation for it, rather than seeing it as an
unjustified or irrational feeling: “after all, 98 per cent of Australia’s population came from
Britain or part of the British Empire. Britain was often referred to as the “mother country” or
the “old country” or “home”.” (Lawrence et al, 1986, p. 288). By referring to both politicallegal
and emotional reasons for Australia’s connection to Britain, it is evident that the authors
are trying to put forth a balanced or measured history narrative; and although it presents all
information as a factual truth with no space for knowledge fluidity, at least more than one
perspective is included that attributes Australia’s allegiance to Great Britain.
7.18 Category 5: World War I (WWI)
7.18.1 Discourses of blame and defeat.
The discourse of blame towards actions taken by Great Britain towards use of Australian
troops in Gallipoli is strong in The modern world emerges (Lawrence et al., 1986). The
following terms are examples of those used to describe failings of actions by British
commanders and government: “disaster”; “error”; “underestimated…size and quality of the
Turkish forces”; “neither side gained ground”; “hills covered with dead, and the stench of the
decaying bodies became unbearable”; “not let them retreat” (Lawrence et al., 1986, p. 295);
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