Editing Anti-German sentiment (section)

=== Australia ===
[[File:Lindsay German monster.jpg|thumb|Anti-German propaganda cartoon from Australia, [[Norman Lindsay]], between 1914 and 1918]]
When Britain declared war on Germany in 1914, naturalized Australian subjects born in enemy countries and Australian-born descendants of migrants born in enemy countries were declared "enemy aliens".<ref>{{Cite web |title=German Australians suffered 'enemy heritage' persecution during war: historian |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/german-australians-suffered-enemy-heritage-persecution-during-war-historian/vhqnmgw9u |access-date=2023-01-16 |website=SBS News |language=en}}</ref><ref name="awm.gov.au">{{Cite web |title="Enemy aliens" {{!}} Australian War Memorial |url=https://www.awm.gov.au/learn/schools/resources/anzac-diversity/european-anzacs/enemy-aliens |access-date=2023-07-24 |website=www.awm.gov.au}}</ref> Approximately 4,500 "enemy aliens" of German or Austro-Hungarian descent were interned in Australia during the war.<ref name="awm.gov.au" />

An official proclamation of 10 August 1914 required all German citizens to register their domiciles at the nearest police station and to notify authorities of any change of address. Under the later Aliens Restriction Order of 27 May 1915, enemy aliens who had not been interned had to report to the police once a week and could only change address with official permission. An amendment to the Restriction Order in July 1915 prohibited enemy aliens and naturalized subjects from changing their name or the name of any business they ran. Under the [[War Precautions Act]] of 1914 (which survived the First World War), publication of German language material was prohibited and schools attached to [[Lutheran]] churches were forced to abandon German as the language of teaching or were closed by the authorities. German clubs and associations were also closed.<ref name="jupp">{{cite book |last=Jupp |first=James |title=The Australian People |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-521-80789-0 |pages=371–372}}</ref>

The original German names of settlements and streets were officially changed. In [[South Australia]], ''Grunthal'' became ''[[Verdun, South Australia|Verdun]]'' and ''Krichauff'' became ''Beatty''. In [[New South Wales]] ''Germantown'' became ''[[Holbrook, New South Wales|Holbrook]]'' after the submarine commander [[Norman Douglas Holbrook]].<ref name="jupp" /> This pressure was strongest in [[South Australia]] where 69 towns changed their names, including Petersburg, South Australia, which became [[Peterborough, South Australia|Peterborough]] (see [[Australian place names changed from German names]]).

Most of the anti-German feeling was created by the press that tried to create the idea that all those of German birth or descent supported Germany uncritically. This is despite many Germans and offspring such as Gen. [[John Monash]] serving Australia capably and honorably. A booklet circulated widely in 1915 claimed that "there were over 3,000 German spies scattered throughout the states". Anti-German propaganda was also inspired by several local and foreign companies who were keen to take the opportunity to eliminate Germany as a competitor in the Australian market. Germans in Australia were increasingly portrayed as evil by the very nature of their origins.<ref name="jupp" />