2The Great War is now typically regarded as senseless and futile, but most New Zealanders at the time, rightly or wrongly, considered it to be a war to preserve security and freedoms, to punish an aggressive enemy, and to win a better world. Yet the war years proved a tumultuous time, and bitterness and animosities ran alongside idealism and sacrifice. Divisive issues, economic volatility and a rising death toll all threatened resolve. The Home Front offers a compelling account of how a small and developing country confronted the complex questions and brutal realities of a world war.