New Zealand Nationalism

Battlefields, than any other forms of experience, have historically been identified to develop deep emotional feelings. They tend to be poignant reminders of the past and places from where national identity or national pride are normally born or when the country suffered a national disgrace (Ryan 18). This is particularly evident in New Zealand in regard to the country’s involvement in the Gallipoli campaign, whose impact in the country played a central role in developing New Zealand’s national identity in the context of its shift from being a colony to gaining independence and nationhood. The perceived demonstration of national maturity that New Zealand exhibited as part of the Allied Powers in the unsuccessful Gallipoli Campaign brought significant

This was a critical factor informing the involvement of New Zealand in the campaign. Imperialism constitutes of a policy to extend a country’s power and influence either through colonization, militarily or via other means. British imperialism proved to be a major reason that New Zealand was involved in the war as its colonizers took over the country and treated it as its own. In the 1900s, Britain colonized a quarter of the entire world and New Zealand was among the numerous countries under British rule. Consequently, New Zealand was involved in the war as a sign of it being part of the British Empire (Crawford and McGibbon 517).
The prevailing spirit of adventure among New Zealanders proved to be another major factor that contributed in New Zealand’s involvement in the Gallipoli campaign. New Zealander exhibited significant adventurism and willingness to take part in the war under British command. Such is reflected in the high number of those that volunteered to take part in the war and the number involved in the Gallipoli campaign. The sense of adventurism that they associated with involvement with war abroad excited many to attract their involvement to a war that would enable them visit new places (Crawford and McGibbon

Evidently, New Zealanders mark the Gallipoli landings that took place on 25 April 1915 designated as Anzac Day. Moreover, the absence from home, which was mostly apparent for most as the campaign provided them their first opportunity to leave the homeland, further enhanced the sense of who they were and those and the land they left behind (Harper and Jones). An aspect that facilitated closer link that the battle had with the New Zealand, is the relative impact that it had on the New Zealand in comparison to the entire progress of the First World War. With the Gallipoli campaign making no mark in the wider progression of the war, this meant that the significance that the battle had in New Zealand is bound to be magnified in comparison to nations such as Britain, France and Belgium, which experience other fiercer encounters (NZHistory 6). Consequently, the Gallipoli Campaign came to play a crucial role in fostering a sense of New Zealand’s national