Australians and the First World War

Abstract

The First World War was a turning point in the social and cultural history of death and bereavement in Australia. The mass slaughter of young me and the interminable sorrow of so many families helped to create a new model of suppressed and privatised grieving which deeply constrained the next two generations. During and after the First World War a deep social and cultural change occurred which lasted until the 1970s. Emotional and expressive grieving became less common than in the nineteenth century, mourning ritual was minimised and sorrow became a private matter. The war itself was a powerful catalyst for change, especially as the traditional Christian culture of acceptance of death was in decline.