Australias Involvement in the Vietnam War - 888 Words

Australia 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 Cong and North Vietnamese army on their own. Our decision to commit troops to the battle was based on the fear of communism; North Korea’s invasion of South Korea was considered a communist danger to democracy. A few of the other main reasons for our presence in the conflict include; to support the United States presence in the region, the belief in the ‘domino theory’ and because of our presence in the ANZUS and SEATO treaties. Australia’s presence in the ANZUS and SEATO alliances has been very important in our past. The ANZUS agreement which involved Australia, New Zealand and The United States said that they would â€Å"*come to one another’s aid in the event of an attack*† (Retro Active 2 p166 paragraph 1). This was formed in 1951. The SEATO alliance (South-East Asia Collective Defense Treaty), which was the one our involvement in Vietnam was based around involved Australia, Britain, United States, France and New Zealand. They all agreed that they would help protect Laos, Cambodia,Show MoreRelatedAustralia’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 MoreAustralias Involvement in the Vietnam War Essay978 Words   |  4 PagesAustralia’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 exposedRead 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. 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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