 Commemorating and celebrating the AIF became an entrenched tradition following World War I , with Anzac Day forming the centrepiece of remembrance of the war . The soldiers who served in the AIF , known colloquially as " Diggers " , in time became " ... one of the paramount Australian archetypes . " When the Second Australian Imperial Force was raised in 1939 following the outbreak of World War II it was seen as inheriting the name and traditions of its predecessor . Perceptions of the AIF have evolved over time . During the 1950s and 1960s social critics began to associate the " Anzac legend " with complacency and conformism , and popular discontent concerning the Vietnam War and conscription from the mid @-@ 1960s led many people to reject it . Historians also increasingly questioned Bean 's views concerning the AIF , leading to more realistic and nuanced assessments of the force . However , some historians continue to stress the AIF 's achievements , and state that it was representative of Australia . The " Anzac legend " grew in popularity during the 1980s and 1990s when it was adopted as part of a new Australian nationalism , with the AIF often being portrayed as a uniquely Australian force that fought in other people 's wars and was sacrificed by the British military in campaigns which were of little importance to Australia . This depiction is controversial , however , and has been rejected by some historians . The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History judges that while it is unclear how popular perceptions of Australia 's military history will evolve , " it is clear that the Anzac legend will remain an important national myth for some time to come " . 
