Why were the Australians patriotic in World War 1?

Answer 1

The vast majority of Australians were of British decent even Australians that were born in Australia referred to England as home. So when England ended up at war with Germany they came to the aid of the British.

Answer 2

Hate may be the wrong word. Before Australia and the British Empire went to war with Japan in December 1941, the bulk of the Australian Army was already far away, helping fight the Germans and Italians in Africa and the Middle East. This left Australia undefended and American troops were sent to protect Australia, at least until some Australian troops could be freed up to return home, and even after that Americans remained in Australia as a base for operations elsewhere against the Japanese. I have never heard or read anything from an American other than great admiration and fondness for the Australians, who welcomed them very warmly, went far out of their way to be friendly, frequently invited American servicemen to their homes for a meal, threw dances, and so on. The resentment I believe is mostly on the side of Australian servicemen, who were off in North Africa or Palestine, while the Yanks were having a great time with their wives, sisters and girlfriends in their homeland. There were tens of thousands of Australian "war brides" who married American servicemen. Understandably this stuck in the craw of Australian troops. Life Magazine did a big story on the war brides, which caused outrage among Australian troops, who may not have realized the extent of what had been happening at home. Also American troops were paid several times what Australian and British troops were paid, which was another source of resentment, and thought to provide an unfair edge in romantic efforts.

Answer 3

The Australians were patriotic for several reasons.

Federation

Australia was a new, young nation. Little more than a decade earlier, the states of Australia had been federated under one Federal government. The new country was full of promise of new opportunities - financial, employment, education, freedom of religion, and more. Australians were proud of their new country, and eager to show "Mother Engalnd" that they were independent and capable of "going it alone".

Patriotic Literature

Australian poets such as 'Banjo' Paterson had a way of championing the underdog, which is how Australia was regarded. Paterson himself had been a war correspondent during the Boer War at the turn of the century, and his stories were full of praise for the courage and bravery of the Australian soldiers.

Propaganda

The government was keen to keep up morale, both on the war front and at home, so embarked on a very effective Propaganda campaign designed to make Australians believe that everything they were doing was for the good of the country and absolutely invaluable. Naturally, their efforts were valuable, but the proaganda from the government increased this sense, and indeed the motivation to do even more and be even more devoted to their country. The propaganda posters were particularly emotive and influential.