Australia at 20th beginning

Australia became a dominion of the British Empire in 1901 with its own government. The Commonwealth of Australia was a federation of the continent’s states and offshore territories. The executive authority was concentrated in the federal government. It was appointed by a British governor general according to the local Parliament that was elected by adult male suffrage. Most of the five millions population was concentrated on the coast and about 200, 000 native Australians were living in the interior.

At the end of July 1914 war started in Europe. Few time after, Joseph Cook’s liberal administration lost the election and was replaced by Cook’s predecessor. The new Prime Minister, Labour Party leader Andrew Fisher, easily won election but both main parties were agree to aid the British war effort. In Australia, many of the European inhabitants were of British descent. So early public enthusiasm was similar as in Great Britain. But things changed significantly as Australian casualties increased on the Gallipoli front. The physical requirements for military service was reduced from mid-1915 to revive waning enlistment rates. News of conditions at ANZAC Cove made British C-in-C Hamilton the most unpopular man in Australia.

Fisher resigned in late 1915 and was replaced by former attorney general William Hughes. He used to ignore mounting popular disapproval of Allied war management and preferred to pursue a pro-British policy. Hughes faced a political crisis when he promise to introduce conscription in Australia. Those idea was against Labour Party policy and was refused by the Australian electorate in two referenda in 1916. Hughes left the Labour Party to stay Prime Minister with a mostly liberal coalition, which remained until 1923. He represented Australia at the Paris Peace Conferences arguing firmly for Australian mandate control over New Guinea.

Australia benefited from wartime economic conditions. Its economy was healthy with important annual export surplus, excellent port facilities and many railways links. But the country was not enough developed in 1914 to achieve great industrial expansion. Trade in meat and metals to Europe considerably increased but the lack of shipping space limited food exports. The diminution of imports from Europe at the same time encouraged the first penetration of Australian markets by the Japanese cotton industry. From 1913 to 1923, Australia’s share in world trade still rose by 25%. A quick post-war industrialization was the consequence of wartime pressure to establish own armament and manufacturing capacity.