Reasons for why Australia groups supported the involvement in Vietnam war?

Answer 1

It was given as an attempt to stem the spread of Communism in southeast Asia.

In favor of Australian involvement

Domino Theory: If Vietnam fell to communism, South-East Asia would follow, and South Asia would be at high risk of communist invasion.

Forward Defense. The fear was raised that an enemy not engaged in Vietnam would be fought eventually onshore in Australia.

Perpetuating Alliance. Australia had grim memories of the Japanese advance and the inability of Britain to help. Australia had then needed and continued to need alliance with the United States of America for its security.

Repelling communism. The Russian and Chinese leadership were perceived as openly threatening to the non-communist world. The mercurial Sukarno had been courted by the Soviet Union, and had the awkward habit of referring to Australia as "Irian Jaya Selatan" - the great hot South Land, as though it would in time be part of the Indonesian archipelago. Australia had been involved in the repulsion of communist guerillas in Malaya.

Supporting the non-communist people of South Vietnam.

Against Australian involvement

Vietnam had been a French colony, and was fighting for independence. The war was a perpetuation of the colonial system.

The war in Vietnam had characteristics of a civil war. Honourable support would be to bring the conflict to a negotiating table.

Guerilla war is a catalogue of atrocities, with no possibility of defining the enemy on the ground. Thus all civilians are at risk of death or injury.

Prosecution of the war by use of napalm, bombing and defoliants caused revulsion

• Although there are some important factors presented in the answer above, it has not answered the question exactly; There were six main reasons for Australia's involvement in the Vietnam war. The defeat of the German and Japanese in WWII did not bring upon the expected times of peace, but instead a new conflict called the Cold War arose between those of Democratic and Communist countries. During the post-war period, Communism was viewed as a threat to Australian democracy because of the way rights and freedoms were taken away from citizens. There were six main reasons for Australia's involvement in the Vietnam war these were; the ANZUS treaty of 1951 and the SEATO treaty of 1954, closer ties with our 'Great and Powerful friends' (particularly the United States), Forward defence, the request from the Vietnamese Government and finally support for non-communists in Vietnam for Humanitarian reasons but the most vital reason upon which the Australians decided to fight in Vietnam was the Perceived threat of communism.
• An exceptionally important reason for Australia's commitment in Vietnam was the perceived threat of communism. Australians had a dominant fear of communism and this fear was enforced and fed by the Australian Government and media, things like the obsession of Reds Under The Bed, which was the allusion that the 'reds' (communists) were everywhere and plotting a revolution, as well as the use of propaganda as a political platform, Australia had experienced 20 years of the Liberal Govt. enforcing the fear of communism, and there was also a belief and fear of the Domino Theory, which meant that if one country fell to communism, one by one, so would those around it, Australia's fears were worsened in 1949 when China fell to communism. "Get Smart" the tv series was a form of propaganda against communism, the communists painted as the "villains" and the Democratic's as the "Heroes", other forms of propaganda include "The Red River" and "Nearer, Clearer and Deadlier". Even the reasons mentioned below all link back to the perceived threat of communism, the perceived threat of Communism is definitely the most vital reason upon which Australia decided to fight in the Vietnam War.
• Another reason that is not as vital, but still important is the desire for closer ties with our 'Great and Powerful friends' as Menzies reffered to them. Particularly the United States. During this time of war and indecision, Australia needed to ensure it's safety and engage in closer ties with our 'Great and Powerful Friends' particularly the United States as well as "Cultivating our relationship with the United States" as stated by Percy Spender. Lyndon Johnson, the President of the United States at the time introduced the 'More Flags Campaign' in order to involve more countries in the Vietnam war, Australia was one of the first countries to volunteer to fight, in order to build up credits with the U.S, to help ensure Australia's security from future threats. The United States was a country of great power and influence, also known as a world power, Australia also desired for closer ties with the U.S in concern of the 'Domino Theory' and fears that communism would reach Australia, The United States was leading the fight against The Soviet Union in the Cold war and Australia supported the same ideologies as the USA. The desire for closer ties with the U.S, although not as important as the perceived threat of communism is still a major reason why Australia fought in the Vietnam War.
• Of slightly less importance but still linked to the reasons above was the question of alliances such as; ANZUS and SEATO. The ANZUS treaty was signed in 1951and involved; Australia, New Zealand and the United States. The SEATO treaty of 1954 was created in order to combat the threat of communism, the countries that were involved included; The U.S, Australia, New Zealand, Britain, France, The Philipines, Pakistan and Thailand. Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam could not sign the treaty because they were included in the sections of the 1954 Geneva Convention. Although Vietnam was not a signatry of SEATO, Australia still went ahead and fought in Vietnam, communism had become a worldwide threat. Both Treaties ANZUS and SEATO had very little legal effect, the ANZUS treaty stated the requirement to "consult", this is a clear indication on the limitations on the treaties. Therefore it is clear, that while still important, the Alliances were an important but not vital feature that pushed Australia to fight in Vietnam.
• Of lesser importance but still significant was the policy of Forward Defence. Robert Menzies stated; "If there is a war of our own existence it should be carried out as far from our soil as possible". The general idea of Forward defence was the need for battles to be carried on away from Australia. Menzies had sent troops to Korea and Malaya in order to enforce this belief. Although Vietnam was a good distance from Australia, this was a surefire tactic of stopping the spread of communism in SE Asia. Forward defence wasn't the most important reason for Australia's commitment in the Vietnam war, but it was still a significant contributing factor.
• The request from the Vietnamese Government was of minor importance as it was a token invitation that was received on the 29th of April, 1965, Ambassador Anderson states; "Australian Government's offer to send Vietnam an infantry batalion of 800 men with some 100 logistical personel to serve with the United States forces in assisting the defense of the Republic of Vietnam". The war in Vietnam was a civil, nationalistic war, fighting in order to become united, In actuality, Australia had no real obligation to send troops to Vietnam and fight with the South, But it would please the U.S to show support therefore it is clear that the request from the Vietnamese government was not one of the most important reasons for Australia's commitment in the War of Vietnam.
• Another important reason but certainly not of the same importance of thos above would be the concern of the Australian Public for the non-communists of Vietnam. Australians would have sympathized with the Vietnamese under communist rule, as there were many freedoms that were taken away from them by the Government, this included; freedom of speech, movement, enterprise and press, the people of South Vietnam would be affected by communism particularly, economically and socially. Communist countries do not value personal freedoms and completely control the direction of one's life. The 60's and 70's was a time of great change for rights, and people were outraged by the lack of freedoms that the Vietnamese people possessed, although it was not one of the most important reasons for Australia's commitment in Vietnam it managed to fuel the fire on the fear and perceived threat of communism.
• Subsequently it is clear that the prominent reason for Australia's commitment in Vietnam was the percieved threat of communism. Although there were several reasons of different importance for Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War like; the desire for closer ties, the alliances, forward defence, the request from the Vietnamese Government and Australia's concern for non-communists in Vietnam. By far the most significant reason for Australia's commitment in the Vietnam war was The perceived threat of communism, as all reasons can be traced back to this particular notion.

Answer 2

Australia became involved in the Vietnam War to help support other countries involved and to protect themselves from communism.Australia had 3 policies inforced during this time ,1. To join organisations that could provide mutural support against the spread of communism,2. To support other countries in the fight against communism and 3.The forward defence policy,this meant to stop the problem before it hit Australian shores.Also, Australia was worried about the "domino effect".This was if one country was taken over by communism then the rest would follow.

Australia felt that if they helped the United States in the fight,then the US would help Australia back. Therefore Australia became involved in the Vietnam War so if we helped the US,the US would help us back if we needed it.
Australia was an ally of the U.S and had a responsibility to back the US troops. Australia claimed that the government of China and the Soviet Union were planning to take over the whole of South East Asia. This was known as the " domino theory". Australia was scared that communism would overtake their own country, therefore feeling the need to partake in the fight to stop it.
Three Reasons: 1. Australia, under the Menzies Government, was very anti-communist during 1950's-1960's. To stop communism, Australia was taking an active part in the politics of the East Asian region. Australia. saw it as better to fight communism over there rather than in Australia. 2. It was seen as part of our alliance obligations under the wing of the USA. 3. Australia wanted to support the USA.

Answer 3

Apart from the growing public opinion against the war in Vietnam, one of the 1972 pre-election promises of the soon to be Whitlam government was that Australia would pull out of the Vietnam War. The ALP had always been opposed to Australian involvement in the Vietnam War. There was also a promise that an election win for the ALP would see the end of National Service conscription as well, but this was also the intention of the incumbent Liberal Government and, an end to conscription was actually implemented prior to the election. The Australian Labour Party was elected in a landslide in November, 1972, and was followed by a staged withdrawal of Australian troops.

Answer 4

in the period between the end of WW 2 and American and Australian involvement in the Vietnam war The non communist parts of the world as a result of a barrage of fear mongering were convinced that the whole world was going to end up under the control of various communist dictatorships. Australia was even more paranoid having china directly to its north. many Australians had been thoroughly hoodwinked by this Propaganda especially the older generations who because of their involvement in WW 2 felt under threat and knew what war was. They were told that the Vietnamese needed protection from the communist north and they believed it. They were coned. no doubt there were special interest groups that stood to benefit financially by the carnage.

Anti-war protests had been taking place in Australia since 1962 when the first military advisors had been sent in to Vietnam. Since then, protests had taken place for various reasons at various times, but it was not until the announcement in April 1965 that they really began to take shape.

The Australian Labor Party (ALP)

The ALP was against the commitment of troops to Vietnam but it was difficult to form a coherent policy for a party that was very widely split over many issues. The Labor leader Arthur Calwell had the unenviable job of responding to the government in parliament. While being against the War, he could not be seen to be anti-American or worse, unpatriotic. He supported the ideas of the British and Canadian governments who had wanted the United States to enter negotiations with North Vietnam. Labor saw the war as essentially a civil one in which Australia should not get involved. Calwell did say that they would back the Australian troops and not deny them the support they would need. As time went on, Calwell's' party was pushed into a firmer anti-war stance by the Liberal Party who knew that it would not be a vote winner for Labor. Calwell maintained that they supported the troops, but Labor's anti-war leanings were unpopular with many people. In 1966 Calwell was shot, but not killed, after attending an anti-Vietnam rally in Sydney.

The trade unions

Many of the trade unions called the government support of America's foreign policy in Vietnam 'blood for dollars', or 'diggers for dollars'. They believed the Australian government was sacrificing the lives of Australian troops to ensure that America would boost the economy by spending more money in Australia.

In response to this belief and the announcement of troops being sent to Vietnam, unions like the Waterside Workers Federation, wanted to hold work stoppages in protest. The Australian Council of Trade Unions (the ACTU), which followed the Labor Party policy of not supporting the war but not denying the soldiers support, said no action would be taken. Some of the more militant unions took independent action to protest the announcement and held some work stoppages which the ACTU did not support.

Meanwhile within the union's membership there were differing opinions over the war. The leadership of the major unions wanted to avoid the possibility of internal conflict by staying out of the politics of the war as much as possible. The ACTU openly opposed the government's decision, but did not call for any direct action to be taken by its members.

The Protestant churches

Unlike the Catholic Church, the Protestant churches were divided over the issue of Vietnam. Even before Menzies had committed the troops, a group of Anglican bishops had asked him in a series of open letters to the newspapers, not to increase the Australian commitment in Vietnam. After the announcement, the Anglican Church hierarchy supported the decision and opinion was divided - some Anglican clergy believed that Christians should always be the peace makers, while others condemned the idea of peace at any price. The Methodist Church came out as strongly anti-war. They supported the idea of a group of churches coming together to oppose the government as had happened in America. The Protestant churches formed the committee for Canberra Vigil, a prayer vigil outside parliament house to condemn both the communists in Vietnam and the government for sending troops. See animation

The universities

In later years, no other group would be more associated with anti-war activities, but reaction in the universities immediately after the announcement was quite mixed, with some support as well as opposition. Division down party political lines was present and the ALP and DLP both had their adherents in the universities. The first student opposition was cautious in its approach. It was mainly made up of open letters to newspapers, putting the conflict in its historical and political perspective and predicting a long and drawn out affair. The letters encouraged the government to engage in negotiations with the Viet Cong and North Vietnam. It was really only after the start of conscription the next year that students began to come out in force against the War.

Wider community opposition

Although there was support for the government and also an ethos of 'it doesn't concern us' among the wider population, there was also a large and angry anti-war movement growing. In the month between the announcement and the deployment of troops in Vietnam, anti-war demonstrations had begun. Wives of soldiers who were deployed received angry phone calls and letters and anti-war literature was handed out. The departure date and time of the 1st Royal Australian Regiment was kept secret in order to avoid angry scenes or protests at the dock side.

Answer 5

In the beginning, Australia commitment to support America's stance in Vietnam was only a team of 30 military advisers, who oversaw training of the south Vietnamese forces, the Australian army training team Vietnam (AATTV) trained the Vietnamese in weapon use, jungle warfare, and tactics. The original intention seemed to be that the AATTV would be Australians part in helping American operations in Vietnam, however with the American president Johnson deploying the US marines, Australian prime minister announced they would send one Royal Australian Regiment (RAR) to assist in the defense of American bases. As the war progressed, Australia sent in more battalions of men, armored tank support, artillery, and even the RAAF, as its roles shifted from defensive to offensive, the number of Australian sent to Vietnam reached 8300 in 1967.

Australia's fears of communism were always there, as it is the only European settled country in Asian region. This fear of communism had first let to a series of harsh Immigration policies ushc as the "white Australia policy" it also led to the belief in the "domino theory" which was that if we allowed communism to continue in the south-east Asian countries, it would soon take over each minor country one by one like falling dominoes. This theory was applied to Vietnam with some people believing that if we did not stop communism there, it would soon spread all nearby countries including Australia. The domino theory was one of the reasons of Australia's commitment to the Vietnam war.

For the greater part of the 1950's and 1960's, Australians foreign policy was a policy of forward defense. Forward defense was a policy of meeting every threat to Australia as far as possible from the mainland. In response to the communist movement in Vietnam and it being a deemed threat to Australia, the Australian government under prime minister Menzies, and later on continued by the Holt government, used the forward defense policy as one of the reasons Australia got involved.

Ever since Australia was first colonized, we have relied on "great and powerful friends" in terms for our defense. Before WWI this was primary Great Briton, however after the world war America should the would that it was going to a dominating power in world politics. Quoted from Alan Renouf, secretary at the Australian embassy in Washington "pick up a lot of credits with the United States" this was another view that some Australian politicians had, we help America now, they would in turn help us. This stance was also in view with the treaties established a decade ago, the ANZUS treaty and the SEATO treaty.

Answer:There are many theories/reasons as to why Australia became involved in the Vietnam War. The most popular, 'official' reasons for Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War include:

• That "the takeover of South Vietnam would be a direct military threat to Australia,"5 and so, a policy of forward defence must be adopted.
• That if surrounding countries fell to the "red threat" then Australia would to, in what is known as the domino theory,
• To honour the SEATO (South East Asian Treaty Organisation) and ANZUS (Australia, New Zealand, United States) treaties
• To strengthen an "insurance policy" with the US by supporting the US in Vietnam. Supposedly the US would return the favour if Australia was ever under threat.
• For political gains - kicking the "communist can".

Answer:Many groups also attribute Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War to Australia's subservience to the US. Another, less publicised reason is that Australia aimed to draw the USA into more heavy involvement in the Southeast Asian area. This view is supported by the fact that Menzies government took the initiative of supporting the South Vietnamese regime without request from either the US government or an invitation from the South Vietnamese, and also sent ground troops to Vietnam before the US had comitted. By having the US involved in the Southeast Asian area, it increased Australia's sense of security. Answer:Australian support (attack of) for South Vietnam in the early 1960s was in keeping with the policies of other nations, particularly the United States, to stop the spread of "communism" (the economic and social development of third world peasants while stealing their tin, rubber and other assorted resources) in Europe and Asia. In 1961 and in 1962, Ngo Dinh Diem (A dictator who, with complete support from the US, had already murdered 100,000 Vietnamese people by 1960) leader of the government in South Vietnam (Soon to be executed by the US and replaced with a series of military juntas), repeatedly asked for assistance from America and its allies to help its security (the US blocked every effort for negotiated settlement of Vietnam including withdrawing from world approved elections then when they simply couldn't contain the population itself they invaded the country). Answer:There were 7 main reasons for Australia's involvement in the Vietnam war, they were;

1. Fear of the Domino Theory - that if one country fell to communism (believed in dictatorship, no rights) than the rest would fall like a pack of domino's

2. Containment - We wanted to control communism and disallow it to spread any further

3. Forward Defence - We wanted to attack communism where it was at so it couldn't spread anymore (similar to containment)

4. Fear of Indonesia - It was feared that communism had already spread to Indonesia and Australia was next

5. SEATO 1954 (South East Asian Treaty Organisation) and the ANZUS treaty 1951 (Australia, New Zealand, United States) to have mutual defence.

6. PM Robert Menzies anti communism policy - Menzies was against communism and tried to ban the communist party

7. Supporting allies - Australia wanted to support their allies (in this case US) so if we ever needed them they were there

Answer:Australian support for South Vietnam in the early 1960s was in keeping with the policies of other nations, particularly the United States, to stop the spread of communism in Europe and Asia. In 1961 and in 1962, Ngo Dinh Diem, leader of the government in South Vietnam, repeatedly asked for assistance from America and its allies to help its security. Australia eventually accepted and sent 30 military advisers from the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam. By 1965 it was obvious that South Vietnam could not be beaten by the communists, so America sent over 200,000 more troops and requested its allies more support from its allies (Australia). Answer:Three Reasons: 1. Australia, under the Menzies Government, was very anti-communist during 1950's-1960's. To stop communism, Australia was taking an active part in the politics of the East Asian region. Australia. saw it as better to fight communism over there rather than in Australia. 2. It was seen as part of our alliance obligations under the wing of the USA. 3. Australia wanted to support the USA. Answer:The Australian government were worried that if Australia didn't help south Vietnam fight, then communism would spread to Australia.

Answer 6

For the same reasons as the Americans were, but on a smaller scale, as the population in Australia is smaller than America's population.

Answer 7

because they didnt want to lose the beyblade battle

Answer 8

Australia was an ally of the US and sent combat troops to assist in the fight against communist forces in Vietnam.

Answer 9

Over 50,000 Australian Servicemen fought in the Vietnam War.