The Anzac legend is one built around the ideals of “Spirit of Australia,” the “working class man” and “having a fair go.” Throughout the entirety of WW1, this legend was born, developed and changed form on a number of occasions, emerging as something completely different to what it originally began. Three key factors developed the Anzac legend into what it was at the close of the First World War, each of these have had a profound effect on the shaping of the Anzac legend and contributed to the many variations that is has held in the years since pre 1914. The first factor was the inevitable link to Britain and more specifically England and the common pre war trend to focus on being all things British, religiously, socially and racially. The second key factor was that in a war that drags on for over four years, the public need a reason to keep sending troops over to the battlefield, especially with no active conscription policy. As a result of this the government and the media worked to justify the war and encourage Australian citizens to bravely defend their country. The final factor, which is very much predominant today, is the sense of patriotism, national pride and individual identity that is associated with the efforts of Australian soldiers and to a point Australian society in itself. It will be clear that the Anzac legend is in itself as a whole was not consciously planned out by a government or individual, but rather a series of mainly consciously shaped ideas and factors that have been naturally developed over time to form the version of the Anzac legend that exists today.
The Australian cultural landscape pre WW1 was vastly different compared to today’s standards. This was a direct result of the social mentality of the time in which Social Darwinism had a large role in shaping. “ They did not want a brotherhood of man in Australia. They refused to embrace those who were not of their race…essentially when they referred to race they meant a union of...