The argument of this book is that “in recent years Anzac – the idea as much as the actual army corps – has become the dominant force within Australian history, overshadowing everything else. The commemoration of Anzac Day is bigger than ever, while Remembrance Day, VE Day, VP Day and other military anniversaries grow in significance each year. Pilgrimages to Gallipoli, the Somme and Kokoda are commonplace and popular military history dominates the bestseller lists. Anzac has seemingly become a sacred, untouchable element of the nation.” The book goes on to conclude that “the Anzac obsession distorts the rest of Australia’s history”.

The book is a polemical work that argues that the Anzac legend has an exaggerated and unhealthy predominance in Australian identity, and especially in Australian schools.

The argument goes:

• Australian national identity is too much focused on the Anzac legend
• It excludes other key elements such as the development of democratic traditions, Indigenous people’s rights, and women’s equal rights
• What is learned about the Anzac legend is terribly distorted, ‘militaristic’ and romanticising the idea of war
• This distortion is caused by the teaching materials sent to schools by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA)
• These materials are promoted by a conservative government plot to foster a conservative nationalism rather than a more socially critical one.

I have real concerns about these arguments, not the least is that Australian is only one hundred and twenty three years old. During that time we have had WW1 (4 years), WW2 (5 years) Korean War (3 years), the Malayan Emergency (8 years), Vietnam (11 years), East Timor (14 years), and Afghanistan (21 years), just to name a few! That is a total of 66 years of war or a total of 53.65 % of time that Australia has been a nation. As a nation we have been at war more years than we have not.

Unfortunately war and the ANZAC tradition is very much a part of our nation. I wish it wasn’t but it is. Fact!

Australia became a Federation of Sovereign States on 1 of January 1901. Prior to that existed six separate Colonies of the United Kingdom. It could be argued that Australian history only began with Federation, and that prior to that it was only Colonial history, but I will leave that alone!

Robert Lewis states, “The problem is not that they mount an argument against the Anzac legend, but that the argument is consistently a weak one, or worse. This is not helped by a complete failure to define the key assertion: what exactly is meant by the ‘militarisation’ of history.”

For me it is even worse, as Historians they quote sources by only citing “some say”, they make assertions without any basis other than their own ideology, and they have even admitted not reading the documents they are condemning.

They have a right to their opinion but not to present ideology as fact.

I suggest that you read the full rebuttable from Robert Lewis in his Quadrant Online article “Cultural Warriors” which is linked above.

I am glad I read the book as it opened my eyes to the amount of twaddle out there posing as fact! Read it but borrow it from the library and don’t waste your hard earned on it like I did! If you do read it make sure you read it in conjunction with Lewis’ article and make up your own mind.

I have! I have given it two stars for having the guts to write this drivel!