Australia in the Vietnam War era Essay

Submitted By doces
Words: 2216
Pages: 9
Open Document
Topic 5 – Australia in the Vietnam Era

Responses to communism:
How did Australia respond to the threat of communism after World War II? (Syllabus Question)
Australia’s response to the threat of communism in Asia after WWII included:
Korean War
ANZUS Treaty (1951)
SEATO Alliance (1954)
Australia’s response to the threat of communism within Australia included:
Referendum to ban Communist Party
Petrov Affair

The background to communism after 1945:
After WWII, a new conflict arose called the Cold War:
Cold War: A contest between the democratic, capitalist nations of the West, led by the USA , and the communist countries in the East, lead by the Soviet Union.
Communism: State ownership of all enterprises; a centrally controlled economic system that would provide equally for everyone, and a one-party (communist) state.
Non-communists: Private ownership, allowing the free forces of the market to run the economy and giving the people a democratic choice of government.
The cold war:
Had a policy of trying to dominate certain parts of the world
Used spies, economic pressure and propaganda against each other
Steadily built up all types of weapons
‘Took each other on’ by threatening armed conflict but always pilling back from the brink.
Supported ‘proxy wars’ around the world (helped smaller nations or groups who were fighting nations or groups sympathetic to or receiving aid from the other side).
Western capitalist nations feared communist spread and hence Americans sought policy of containment (prevent further spread of communism).
Eastern communist nations believed the capitalist West were trying to destroy communism.

The spread of communism:
1945 Onward – There was a great fear in the West that communism had become an unstoppable force that might take over all capitalist countries.
There were many attempts by communists to seize power in many parts of the world, e.g. Latvia, Estonia, Lithuanian, Eastern Europe (except Yugoslavia), East Germany, China, South Korea and French Indochina.
As communism was spreading all over the world, it was feared that it might come to Australia by one of two ways:
From communist China pushing down through Asia
From within, as a result of Communist Party activity in Australia

The Korean War:
Following Japan’s defeat in 1945, the Korean Peninsula was temporarily occupied by Soviet forces in the north and US forces in the south.
US forces left the peninsula in 1949.
Consequently, in June 1950, North Korean forces invaded South Korea.

Action:
The US sought UN action against the invading North Korean forces.
The UN voted to send multi-national UN force to support South Korea.

Australia’s Involvement in Korea:
A naval force comprising an aircraft carrier and two destroyers
A squadron of the RAAF
Two army battalions
The ANZUS Treaty (1951):
In September, 1951, the United States, Australia and New Zealand signed the ANZUS Treaty
It implied that each nation would assist the other in the event of such an attack.
The Australian government feared the aggressive communism and needed a strong ally in the dangerous cold war climate of the time (US and New Zealand).
The ANZUS Treaty still exists and was used by some to justify Australia’s involvement in the Iraq War of 2003
New Zealand is currently not a part of the ANZUS Treaty.

The SEATO Alliance (1954):
In September, 1954, the South East Asian Treaty Organisation (SEATO) was signed.
It was a treaty between, US, Britain, Thailand, Pakistan, the Philippines, France, New Zealand and Australia. It implied the defence of each nation in the event of an attack.
It bound Australia closer to the US, acknowledged the dangers in the region and backed the idea of ‘forward defence’ as it took Australia’s ‘front line’ into Asia.

The response of Australian governments to the threat of communism (Syllabus Question):
The response to the threat of communism within Australia included:
Referendum to ban the Communist Party
The Petrov Affair
In 1949, the Liberal Part of
Show More

Related Documents: Australia in the Vietnam War era Essay

Essay on Australia in the vietnam war

\Should have Australia been involved in the Vietnam War? Australia became involved in the Vietnam War for a number of reasons. The reasons were based on politics, strategy and defence. The main reasons Australia became involved in were because of a fear and threat of communism arose due to its expanding, to keep true to the SEATO and ANZUS treaties that were signed, to support the United States following WWII and to gain a connection with the United States and to support the fellow anti-communist…

Words 1327 - Pages 6

Essay Austalias envolment in the vietnam war note

Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War Source C Australia sent combat troops to Vietnam in 1965, many of the troops had been conscripted into the armed forces, not volunteering to fight. Almost 60,000 Australians, including ground troops and air force and navy personnel, served in Vietnam; 521 died as a result of the war and over 3,000 were wounded. Conscripted: People who have no choice but to enlist, or be sent to jail. Australian support for South Vietnam in the early 1960s was in keeping…

Words 309 - Pages 2

Term 3 2014 History Assignment Essay

Term 4 yr 10 History Assignment- the Vietnam War Men aged between 18 and 30 during the 1960s. 1. Synopsis In today’s Australian society, young men from the ages of 18 to 30 are usually starting their lives as independent citizens- graduating from school, going to university, getting employed- even starting families. But in the 1960s, this age group faced other issues- the effects of the Vietnam War. Reduced supplies, national disquiet, and even conscription threatened these young men’s way of life…

Words 3610 - Pages 15

Michael Dransfield's 'Outback'

Michael Dransfield is renowned for his talent in representing the truth behind Australian culture and humanity’s impacts during his era of the Vietnam War. His poem “Outback” exhibits his hippie nature which argues pro-environment through his poignant words, enabling the readers to witness their own and cumulative society faults. This poem delivers a distressing call to Australia in effort to waken the people, activating a population to protect this last remaining and irreplaceable gem of Mother Nature’s…

Words 144 - Pages 1

Essay about Popular Culture in the 1960's

statement +what life was like in the 1960’s The 1960’s in Australia were a decade of change. It was the beginning of many things including women’s and aboriginal rights. The 60s were when the children of a post war era began to mature and influenced by the Australian cultural landscape and started to lean new things such as changing beliefs. These influences resulted in large protests and demonstrations against many issues including the Vietnam War, women’s rights, fair wages, free education and the recognition…

Words 2083 - Pages 9

Vietnam War Influence

The Vietnam War was by far the most unpopular American-involved war of the 20th century. From the harsh stories of war to the images shown on the television, the Vietnam War was, simply put, one of the most detested wars in 20th century American history. The Vietnam War created a questioning for US moral superiority and the United States’ status as a “rightful, freedom fighting country”. This created a new era of literature, where war protests were accompanied by overwhelming amounts of anti-war literary…

Words 1153 - Pages 5

Essay about Vietnam War final

Vietnam War and New Zealand’s involvement Kathryn Butcher The New Zealand’s contribution of military personnel and the involvement in the Vietnam War caused a significant division amongst the nation’s people with people having opposing opinions on whether New Zealand’s response was justified. The Vietnam War was essentially a civil war between the divided South Vietnam and North Vietnam and the two…

Words 2234 - Pages 9

The Sapphires Film Analysis

and where they live, but what is a true Australian is it the white supreme race in Australia at the time or was it the native people of Australia the aboriginals this movie helps you see what it was like to be a true native Australian and how they were treated. The plot of the sapphires is about a group of 4 Aboriginal girls and one Irish man that travels to Vietnam to preform music for the soldiers going to war. One of the aboriginal girls is from the stolen generation which means that their skin…

Words 684 - Pages 3

Australia and Migrants Essay

Immigration in the 1950s Throughout the 1950s, a flood of migrants transformed the shape of Australian society. Australia suffered a huge shortage of workers for the nation's reconstruction efforts and the nation embarked on a programmer to boost its population. In 1950, it was estimated that 170 000 migrants arrived in Australia. By the end of the decade, this figure would reach one million. Most migrants hailed from Britain, or European countries, such as Greece and Italy. They had a major…

Words 683 - Pages 3

Essay on Counterculture: Changing American Identity

Changing American Identity When, “4 Kent State Students killed by Troops” would be the first-page headline of the New York Times, any reader can assume there are problems in America. This article is one of the examples of traits in the changing era published in the front page of the New York Times on May 4th, 1970. Oppressed with racism, gender issues, consumerism, and the conservative nature of the society in general, American youths led the move for a new way of life going against traditional…

Words 1380 - Pages 6