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PEACE PARADE
Peace is relief and joy
Peace Parade
Peace Parade named for the peace which was achieved by the Allied countries at the end of World War 1. At the end of World War I, peace meant a profound and complex mix of emotions and expectations for Australians.
Peace came with the Treaty of Versailles
The Armistice of Compiegne on November 11, 1918, marked the end of hostilities, and the formal peace was later established through the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.
Here are some aspects of what peace meant for Australians at the conclusion of World War I:
Celebrations in Britain After the First World War. Children play on a captured German 10cm Kanone 17 field artillery gun exhibited in Waterloo Place, London 1918. Source Imperial War Museau Collection Public Domain.
Relief and Joy
The end of the war brought immense relief and joy to Australians. The conflict had taken a heavy toll on the nation, both in terms of lives lost and the economic and social impact. Families who had endured the anxieties and grief of having loved ones at the front were relieved to see the end of hostilities.
Women gather around a grave in Yeronga Park, QLD. Source Queensland State Library. Wikipedia Commons Public Domain.
Remembrance and Mourning
The peace also brought a period of reflection and mourning for the many Australians who had lost their lives during the war. Commemorative ceremonies and memorials were established across the country to honour the fallen, and the significance of November 11th became associated with Remembrance Day.
Allied Victory Parade in London, 1946. Servicemen and women of the South African contingent on the march during the Victory Parade in London on 8 June 1946, followed by the smaller Southern Rhodesian and Newfoundland contingents. Source: Wikipedia Commons Public Domain.
Allied Victory Parade in London, 1946
The Canadian contingent (navy, army and air force) followed by the personnel representing the three-armed services of Australia on the march during in the Victory Parade in London on 8 June 1946.
Close view of soldiers waiting to disembark from a troopship after arrival at Outer Harbour from service overseas during World War I 1918. State Library of South Australia. Source Wikipedia Commons Public Domain.
Return of Soldiers
With peace, there was the anticipation and reality of soldiers returning home. The homecoming of Australian soldiers, known as the Anzacs, was a significant and emotional event. Families eagerly awaited the return of their loved ones, but the homecoming was bittersweet, as many soldiers returned with physical and emotional scars from the war.
At a rural locality in the 1920s in South Australia, four men transfer bagged grain from a cart to a railway wagon. While two horses wait, two men are moving bags on the cart to a weighing machine, which another man attends; the fourth is wheeling a weighed bag over a wooden ramp with a hand cart. Unknown author. Source Wikipedia Commons Public Domain.
Reconstruction and Rebuilding
Peace meant a shift from wartime production to peacetime reconstruction. The Australian economy had been geared toward supporting the war effort, and there were challenges in transitioning back to civilian production. The post-war period saw efforts to rebuild infrastructure, stimulate economic recovery, and address the needs of returning veterans.
2017 Anzac Day parade, Warwick. Author Kgbo. Source Wikipedia Commons.
National Identity
The war had a profound impact on Australia’s sense of national identity. The sacrifices made by Australians on the battlefield, particularly at Gallipoli and on the Western Front, contributed to a growing sense of national pride and identity. The post-war period marked a maturation of Australia as a nation and a recognition of its role on the world stage.
A wall map describing the state of the League of Nations as of 1927. The map is complemented by several tables, including one listing member and non-member nations and comparing their relative populations. Author Laura Martin. Source Wikipedia Commons Public Domain.
League of Nations
The Treaty of Versailles, which established the League of Nations, was seen by some as a hopeful step toward preventing future conflicts. There was an aspiration for lasting peace and international cooperation to avoid repeating the devastating war.
Peace After World War 1
It is important to note that the aftermath of World War I also brought challenges and disillusionment. The terms of the peace settlement, economic hardships, and the impact of the war on veterans’ mental health contributed to a complex mix of emotions and attitudes in the post-war period. Overall, peace at the end of World War I was a multifaceted concept for Australians, encompassing relief, remembrance, rebuilding, and a redefined national identity.
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