The legend is that Gallipoli created the Australian nation, but the reality is that First World War tore the nation apart. The fragile Federation was wracked by industrial turmoil, political crisis and crippling debt.

The Great Depression shattered Australian society. The international financial crisis damaged Australia deeper and longer than almost any other nation. The class divisions between rich and poor were the most profound in our history. Yet we survived.

In a nation only just recovered from the First World War and the Great Depression, the thought of another war was unthinkable. Yet as the 1930s unfold and The Great Depression loosens its stranglehold it becomes clear that the fragile Federation is under threat once more.