The Role Of The New Left Movement In The 1960s And 1970s

The New Left Movements of the 1960s and 1970s were successful in their aim to influence the government to withdraw Australian troops from Vietnam; however, it was not the only defining factor. The New Left Movements (also referred to as social movements) were successful in seeking social and political change in the rapidly changing era of the 1960s and 1970s. Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War spurred from its national interests, not only combating the threat of communism but to align themselves as secure allies with the United States. As Australian troops were deployed throughout 1964 and 1965, the social movements in Australia were only practiced by small, scattered groups. However, as conscription was widely used and the Holt’s government increase of Australian involvement, the social movements questioned the morals of the Australian public (Flanagan, 2012, pg. 208-09) and their support for the war. As both soldiers and civilians
Although the aims of these social movements were also portrayed by extreme left parties, the social movements had a significant influence on the withdrawal as it involved all aspects of the Australian public, with Barry York describing that the movement involved “many diverse elements” (Burgmann, 1993, pg.190). The New Left movements were at first developed by small, scattered protest groups. In particular, the concept of conscription sparked opposition from students and middle-aged women whose sons were to enrol for the birthday ballot (Flanagan, 2012, pg.206). However, the call for conscription by Prime Minister Robert Menzies was supported by the general public, due to their “faith in Menzies” (Flanagan, 2012, pg.204). Similarly, Australia’s involvement was seen to be vital for the nation’s security against the threat of communism, as well as ensuring Australia gained a strong alliance with the US (Flanagan, 2012,