History Week 6 – 14 September 2014 – The Great War
It was to be “the war that will end war” as H.G. Wells commented in August 1914. From the heights of hope to the horror of the trenches, the Great War changed the world irrevocably. It separated families and lovers, turned young men into soldiers and young women into nurses, converted friends and neighbours into enemies. The unusual circumstances of warfare intervened with each aspect of life. In which ways did the conduct of war shape, change and inform those fighting and those remaining on the home front? How have historians approached complex topics surrounding it, such as the scale of violence, women’s involvement in war, forced migration? What impact did the Great War have on the cultural memory of those involved – allies and enemies? In the aftermath of 1915 Australians elevated the Gallipoli landing into a foundation story, which claims that the nation was born on this battlefield, but there are more layers of remembrance yet to be uncovered and examined. History Week 2014 will explore the impact of World War One abroad and at home.
