 Perhaps the greatest effect of the war was a psychological one . The heavy losses deeply affected many directly , and war memorials were built all over the country as people sought to remember those that had been killed . However , despite the size of Australia 's contribution to the fighting , there were many Australians who had had no actual experience of it . Realising this , and having witnessed the impact of the war first hand , Charles Bean , who was instrumental in editing and writing the official history of Australia 's involvement in the war , advocated the need for a national memorial and was one of the main architects in establishing the Australian War Memorial in Canberra . The experience of the war also perpetuated many notions about the Australian character and national identity that endure to this day . For many Australians the performance of their soldiers — particularly during the failed Gallipoli campaign — served to highlight the nation 's emergence as a member of the international community , while bringing to the fore a belief in Australians ' natural ability as soldiers . The attitudes of many Australians towards war itself were also greatly affected . There was a widespread revulsion at the large @-@ scale destruction and loss of life that had occurred and a desire that it should never occur again . In many regards this led to a general complacency towards defence and military matters after the war and arguably led to the nation 's lack of preparedness for the next major conflict , while it may still be evident in Australian strategic behaviour to this day . 
