Reasons For Australia's Attitudes Towards Vietnam War
Australia was involved in the Vietnam War from 1962-1972 with originally thirty army advisors being sent over to South Vietnam. Over this period of time Australian attitudes towards the Vietnam War changed greatly due to two main contributing reasons. These reasons were the media and television viewing the prominent issue of conscription.
When it was first announced in April 1962 that Australia was to fight in Vietnam it was seen by the majority as necessary and needed. Many Australians supported the war because of their fear of communist advancement and the Domino Theory. They were motivated to support the war by the common dreaded thought that Australia might fall next to communist rule. Furthermore many Australians believed fully in the government as a protection strategy. This policy advocated …show more content…
that it was better to fight communism in South Vietnam than on Australian soil.
The US President Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) arrived in Australia in October 1966. He was greeted by a grand welcome. The support of the Vietnam War at this time was in such a majority that the number of troops were increased. Large crowds came to welcome LBJ with cheers, ticker tape parades and welcome parties. Pro-war slogans such as ‘All the way with LBJ’ were commonly on the street with place cards and banners demanding the end of the war.
The issue of conscription made Australians question the viability of Australia being involved in the war due to the obvious lack of volunteers. A limited form of conscription was introduced by Menzies in 1950, abolished in 1953 and then re-introduced in 1964. This required males on their 18th birthday to enlist in ‘national service’. However, the first form of conscription only required home service the 1964 version allowed overseas service. The first ever conscripts to be sent overseas during peacetime in Australian history was in May 1966. These conscripts were chosen by a random birth date lottery. In their first months in South Vietnam the first conscript was killed in action. This death highlighted the impact that the war had on individuals and families. It brought the war from being purely political level but to a more personal level. Australia started to question its involvement in the war, whether it was necessary or worth the
sacrifices that had to be made. The Australian army had traditionally been made up of volunteers, a matter of national pride. The introduction of conscription caused anger and was seen as disillusionment to the Vietnam War and Australia’s continued commitment. An example of this lack of enthusiasm was shown when conscripts had to be used to fill two battalions.
Early protest movements against conscription were in the minority and mainly came from religious groups and the Australian Labour Party.
These protests movements gained support after the 1966 election with the formation of anti-war protest groups and organisations, such as Youth Against Conscription and Save our Sons (SOS). The don’t register campaign caused the government to take a stronger stand against not registering. There were exemptions given to those that could prove to be a pacifist otherwise the sentence for not registering was a two year jail sentence.
Anti-War displays in 1967 were things such as the burning of draft registration cards and the collecting of money for the North Vietnamese as done by the Monash University Labor Club. Pro and Anti was groups used cartoons and advertisements to create public awareness of their viewpoints. Additionally SOS used handouts, printed information, and campaigns such as ‘fill a falsie’ – fill in a false registration card. Originally anti-war movements were only against conscription. Slowly Australians developed these protests movements, against additional war issues and in the end against the war in Vietnam
itself.
Australia’s attitudes towards the Vietnam War changed to such an extent that the 1970’s the anti-war movement was rapidly growing with huge rallies, marches, sit-ins and candle light processions taking place nationally. Not only political radicals and fundamentalists were involved but also not those not normally opposed to government decisions. An example of this was after the headmaster of a Methodist college in Sydney sent a letter to the Sydney Morning Herald encouraging young men to defy national service.
The Vietnam War was more intensely and widely filmed and reported than any other conflict. Many press reports of torture to prisoners such as being thrown from helicopters and mass massacres were released. The Vietnam War was the first television war and bough the true horrors of war and the extent of Australia’s involvement into Australian homes and public eye.
This changed Australia’s attitudes as the images of burning crops, civilian killings and bombing of villages helped them grasp and realise the nightmare of terror involved in war. The TV inspired Moratorium rallies as Australians saw them take place in America. Moratorium rallies started to take place in 1970 nationally with Australians showing support for the end of the war. Thousands of people stopped work in mass protests with two main aims of immediate, total and unconditional withdrawal of Australians and allies’ troops from Indo china and the immediate abolition of conscription.
The strong change in Australian attitudes towards the Vietnam War was proven in the December 1972 elections. Twenty-three years of Liberal government was ended with the Labor party leader Gough Whitlam coming into power. The Labor party under its previous leader Arthur Caldwell was known to publically oppose Australia’s involvement in the war.
Australia became divided in the Vietnam War era between those who supported the war and those against it. However, by the end of the war the Vietnamese war supporters were in the minority. The Vietnam War credited ordinary Australians to become politically involved with long held beliefs and authority being questioned in particular in relation to the media in particular TV coverage the war received and the prominent issue of conscription.
When it was first announced in April 1962 that Australia was to fight in Vietnam it was seen by the majority as necessary and needed. Many Australians supported the war because of their fear of communist advancement and the Domino Theory. They were motivated to support the war by the common dreaded thought that Australia might fall next to communist rule. Furthermore many Australians believed fully in the government as a protection strategy. This policy advocated …show more content…
that it was better to fight communism in South Vietnam than on Australian soil.
The US President Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) arrived in Australia in October 1966. He was greeted by a grand welcome. The support of the Vietnam War at this time was in such a majority that the number of troops were increased. Large crowds came to welcome LBJ with cheers, ticker tape parades and welcome parties. Pro-war slogans such as ‘All the way with LBJ’ were commonly on the street with place cards and banners demanding the end of the war.
The issue of conscription made Australians question the viability of Australia being involved in the war due to the obvious lack of volunteers. A limited form of conscription was introduced by Menzies in 1950, abolished in 1953 and then re-introduced in 1964. This required males on their 18th birthday to enlist in ‘national service’. However, the first form of conscription only required home service the 1964 version allowed overseas service. The first ever conscripts to be sent overseas during peacetime in Australian history was in May 1966. These conscripts were chosen by a random birth date lottery. In their first months in South Vietnam the first conscript was killed in action. This death highlighted the impact that the war had on individuals and families. It brought the war from being purely political level but to a more personal level. Australia started to question its involvement in the war, whether it was necessary or worth the
sacrifices that had to be made. The Australian army had traditionally been made up of volunteers, a matter of national pride. The introduction of conscription caused anger and was seen as disillusionment to the Vietnam War and Australia’s continued commitment. An example of this lack of enthusiasm was shown when conscripts had to be used to fill two battalions.
Early protest movements against conscription were in the minority and mainly came from religious groups and the Australian Labour Party.
These protests movements gained support after the 1966 election with the formation of anti-war protest groups and organisations, such as Youth Against Conscription and Save our Sons (SOS). The don’t register campaign caused the government to take a stronger stand against not registering. There were exemptions given to those that could prove to be a pacifist otherwise the sentence for not registering was a two year jail sentence.
Anti-War displays in 1967 were things such as the burning of draft registration cards and the collecting of money for the North Vietnamese as done by the Monash University Labor Club. Pro and Anti was groups used cartoons and advertisements to create public awareness of their viewpoints. Additionally SOS used handouts, printed information, and campaigns such as ‘fill a falsie’ – fill in a false registration card. Originally anti-war movements were only against conscription. Slowly Australians developed these protests movements, against additional war issues and in the end against the war in Vietnam
itself.
Australia’s attitudes towards the Vietnam War changed to such an extent that the 1970’s the anti-war movement was rapidly growing with huge rallies, marches, sit-ins and candle light processions taking place nationally. Not only political radicals and fundamentalists were involved but also not those not normally opposed to government decisions. An example of this was after the headmaster of a Methodist college in Sydney sent a letter to the Sydney Morning Herald encouraging young men to defy national service.
The Vietnam War was more intensely and widely filmed and reported than any other conflict. Many press reports of torture to prisoners such as being thrown from helicopters and mass massacres were released. The Vietnam War was the first television war and bough the true horrors of war and the extent of Australia’s involvement into Australian homes and public eye.
This changed Australia’s attitudes as the images of burning crops, civilian killings and bombing of villages helped them grasp and realise the nightmare of terror involved in war. The TV inspired Moratorium rallies as Australians saw them take place in America. Moratorium rallies started to take place in 1970 nationally with Australians showing support for the end of the war. Thousands of people stopped work in mass protests with two main aims of immediate, total and unconditional withdrawal of Australians and allies’ troops from Indo china and the immediate abolition of conscription.
The strong change in Australian attitudes towards the Vietnam War was proven in the December 1972 elections. Twenty-three years of Liberal government was ended with the Labor party leader Gough Whitlam coming into power. The Labor party under its previous leader Arthur Caldwell was known to publically oppose Australia’s involvement in the war.
Australia became divided in the Vietnam War era between those who supported the war and those against it. However, by the end of the war the Vietnamese war supporters were in the minority. The Vietnam War credited ordinary Australians to become politically involved with long held beliefs and authority being questioned in particular in relation to the media in particular TV coverage the war received and the prominent issue of conscription.