Australias Involvement in the Vietnam War Essay - 978 Words

Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War was a result of a combined fear of communism and the fall of freedom from danger in Australian democracy and society. The growing web of communism saw the fall of many countries closing in on Australia and New Zealand, and it was believed Robert Menzies’ government that they would find communism at Australia’s shores. Australians were anti-communist during the Vietnam War; due to a level of hype that the society, the media, and the government were exposed to. The â€Å"domino effect† was a popular analogy during the Vietnam War, which represented the spread from communist Russia’s web of power was growing into South East Asia and the halt of communism in Vietnam would signify the half of communism’s†¦show more content†¦The SEATO Treaty was formed in 1954. The South-East Asia Collective Defence Treaty provided for defensive action to be taken in the event of an attack on the United States Britain, France, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, the Philippines or Pakistan. South Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos were also guaranteed protection under the treaty’s security arrangements. (see appendix II). The generalized view of the Vietnam War from the people of the world saw a defiant and definite collection of Western countries (‘Western Bloc’, fighting for fr eedom against a primitive evil Eastern organism of countries (‘Eastern Bloc’). Capitalist versus communist countries, i.e. the Western Bloc versus the Eastern Bloc were linking to the events dominating the politics of the world the Cold War. In the aftermath of World War II, the conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union governed the tension surrounding communist growth and fears. These two nations had become the new superpowers, with the communist Soviet Union heading an ‘Eastern Bloc’ of countries and the capitalist United States heading a ‘Western Bloc’. In 1947, the United States declared a new policy to check the growing power of communism; ‘to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation [complete control] by armed minorities or by outside pressure’. The conflict between the Eastern and Western blocs became known as the Cold War. It centredShow MoreRelatedAustralias Involvement in the Vietnam War888 Words   |  4 PagesAustralia had quite a large involvement in the Vietnam War and it is still considered an important part of our history, as it is the longest Australia has been involved in any war. We were involved in the war from 1962 to 1972 and roughly 60000 Australian men and women served there. Our initial involvement was with military advisors to support the South Vietnamese army and then that escalated to sending fighting troops, as it was more difficult for the South Vietnamese army to defeat the Viet CongRead MoreAustralia’s Involvement in the Vietnam War939 Words   |  4 PagesAustralia’s Involvement in the Vietnam War By Taylor, Aleisha and Alec. There were two important reasons for Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War: 1. Fear of Communism 2. Obligations to Allies Fear of Communism In the period following WWII there was a growing fear within Australia of communism. The common belief was that communism would spread from the USSR to Asian countries and eventually reach Australia. This theory is known today as the domino theory. Australia wasRead MoreThe Reasons For Australia s Involvement During The Vietnam War1207 Words   |  5 PagesAssess the main reasons for Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War. After gaining independence from France in 1954, by the leadership of Ho Chin Min, Vietnam was posed with the task of creating a political faction. Due to the country’s diverse political views Vietnam was temporally split in two (at the 17th parallel). The north side was lead by Ho Chi Minh, a popular leader allied with communist China. Having freed the people of Vietnam from French occupation, many Vietminh supported his everyRead MoreHistory Course Outline787 Words   |  4 PagesAustralia in the Vietnam War Era * Changing Rights and Freedoms * People Power and Politics in the Post-war Period * Australia’s Social and Cultural History in the Post-War Period Australia in the Vietnam War Inquiry questions †¢ How did the Australian government respond to the threat of communism after WWII? †¢ Why did Australia become involved in the Vietnam War? †¢ How did various groups respond to AustraliaÂ’s involvement in the Vietnam War? †¢ What was the impact of the war on AustraliaRead MoreReasons for Australias Changing Attitude Towards the Vietnam War791 Words   |  4 PagesAustralia’s involvement in the Vietnam War started in 1962-75. Some of the reasons for Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War were mostly to do with the fear of communism and using the â€Å"forward defence† strategy to prevent the domino theory from happening. During this time Australia’s attitude towards the war changed due to the protesting of anti-war groups such as ‘save our sons’, it was believed that it was more of a civil war then a communism war,   and because it was a television war. CommunismRead MoreWhy Did Australia Become Involved in the Vietnam War Essay892 Words   |  4 PagesThe Vietnam War which went from 1965 to 1975 involved America and its allies, including Australia, aiming to prevent South Vietnam from an invasion by the communist North Vietnaese. There were many key reasons for Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War. The Americans provided valuable support when they arrived at our aid during the WWII so Australia felt a responsibility to return a favour to the US to maintain healthy foreign relations. Australia also became implicated in the war due to theRead MoreEssay on The Effect of the Vietnam War on the Australian Society912 Words   |  4 PagesThe Effect of the Vietnam War on the Australian Society The Vietnam War had great political impact and led to deep division within Australian society. The Australian people were forced to take the issues about the Cold War, Vietnam and the arms race seriously because of Australia’s military involvement in Vietnam from 1962 to 1972. As a result, our fear of communism and of Asia increased dramatically. Australia, occupying a large mass of land, yet having a small Read MoreImpact Of The Anti War On The Vietnam War Between 1965 And 19751051 Words   |  5 PagesYear 10 Australian History Why was Australian society divided over the issue of our involvement in the Vietnam War between 1965 and 1975? (750-1000 words) During the decade of 1965-1975, Australian society was controversially divided over the involvement of Australian troops in the Vietnam War. At the peak of the nations involvement, some 8,500 troops were serving for their country. Vietnam was split into the â€Å"democratic† north and the communist south, which was highly supported by the USA andRead MoreCosi876 Words   |  4 Pagesominous presence of the Vietnam War, Nowra explores the insanity of the war; and the need to condemn war and to protest against Australia’s involvement in Vietnam. The main presence of the institution and involving patients explored the inhumanity and ineffectiveness of the mental health system in the 1970’s in Australia. Nowra used the ‘play within a play’ to explore the Importance of theatre, as a way of enriching people’s lives with ‘art’, In the 1970’s, the Vietnam was had been going for nearlyRead MoreAustralia s Historical Fear Of Invasion951 Words   |  4 Pagesarguing that Australia’s historical fear of invasion does continue to influence Australia’s foreign policy today. This essay believes that the fear of invasion in Australia has evolves and changes over time from a traditional realist perspective that focused on states, to one focused on individuals and non-state actors. Firstly, this essay will briefly discuss the previous fears of invasion, from the introduction of the White Australia Policy to the War on Terror, and how events in Australia’s past shaped