australia in the vietnam war era

Question 1

world’s ‘superpowers’ after WW2

Answer 1

United States + Soviet Union

Question 2

what happened during the closing years of WW2

Answer 2

Soviet Union took over some European countries previously under the Nazis while United States + British allies liberated western parts of Europe

Question 3

Soviet Union 1949

Answer 3

set up communist governments in eastern European states and Britain + US didn’t like that

Question 4

eastern bloc vs western bloc

Answer 4

eastern bloc: soviet union + countries
western bloc: US + allies + australia

Question 5

eastern vs western bloc

Answer 5

eastern bloc: soviet union + countries
western bloc: united states + allies

Question 6

australia’s foreign policy

Answer 6

• communism = threat to australia
• australia cannot properly defend itself, and must rely on allies, US + britain
• 1950s: wanted to prove loyalty as an ally
• in australia’s best interest to face threats as far away from australia as possible

Question 7

australian prime minister in 1949

Answer 7

robert menzies

Question 8

australia + korean war

Answer 8

• started when north korea, communist, invaded non-communist south korea
• 1950: australia sent two battalions to korea to take part in forward defence
• proved communism was bad and australia was loyal to US

Question 9

ANZUS treaty

Answer 9

australia, new zealand, US
- allies against communism
- lots of issues in asia, such as ho chi minh against the french

Question 10

domino theory

Answer 10

if communism wasn’t stopped it would spread all throughout asia

Question 11

menzies election campaign

Answer 11

strengthened his election campaign by using the Petrov spy scandal to show communism = bad

Question 12

menzies election campaign

Answer 12

strengthened his election campaign by using soviet russia to show communism = bad

Question 13

how did the 1954 election affect the labor party

Answer 13

split them up, caused long-term effects on political history

Question 14

WW2 + Indochina

Answer 14

originally controlled by the french, but after WW2 asian nationalism became a thing

Question 15

what hapened after defeat of Dien Bien Phu

Answer 15

1954 - france left indochina, vietnam became North Vietnam, under Ho chi minh, and south vietnam, supported by the us

Question 16

what hapened after defeat of Dien Bien Phu

Answer 16

1954 - france left indochina, vietnam became North Vietnam, under Ho chi minh, and south vietnam, supported by the us

Question 17

what hapened after defeat of Dien Bien Phu

Answer 17

1954 - france left indochina, vietnam became North Vietnam, under Ho chi minh, and south vietnam, supported by the us

Question 18

australia joining the vietnam war

Answer 18

• because they thought communism was a threat and helped the US
• 1965: sent combat forces to south vietnam

Question 19

australia’s public opinion

Answer 19

supported decision to sent troops to south vietnam
- more troops as war intensified

Question 20

1966

Answer 20

federal election: Holt government came into power

Question 21

1967

Answer 21

more australian troops sent to south vietnam

Question 22

opposition to military involvement in south australia led by??

Answer 22

australian labor party

Question 23

when was conscrition introduced

Answer 23

1964, for twenty year olds

Question 24

when did the opposition to the war increase

Answer 24

since 1966, due to conscription demands and the size of australia in south vietnam

Question 25

when did the peace movement begin

Answer 25

around 1969, in universities

Question 26

Save Our Sons

Answer 26

a movement which led a protest against conscription and vietnam war

Question 27

Vietnam moratorium marches

Answer 27

1970, large anti-war rallies

Question 28

what kind of war was the vietnam war

Answer 28

• guerilla war: small villages, jungles
• was hard to find the enemy
• really bad chemicals: napalm + defoliants

Question 29

vietnam veterans

Answer 29

• since opposition to the war increased, it became unpopular and veterans were treated with disrespect and not accepted back into the country
• 1979: vietnam veterans association formed, pressuring government to investigate
• 1987: welcome home parade for vietnam veterans despite politics of vietnam war

Question 30

when did the vietnam war end

Answer 30

1975

Question 31

origins of the vietnam war

Answer 31

Vietminh, led by Ho Chi Minh
- Ho Chi Minh: nationalist ho wanted free Indochina under communism
- with US help, they waged war against the french, and kicked them out in 1954 through the battle of Dien Bien Phu
- then vietminh vs vietcong(south vietnam nationalist groups) = vietnam war

Question 32

vietminh + vietcong

Answer 32

vietminh: ho chi minh, north vietnam
vietcong: south vietnam

Question 33

US support in the vietnam war

Answer 33

• president john kennedy sent military advisers + aid to assist the vietcong

Question 34

why did australia enter the vietnam war

Answer 34

belief in the domino theory, to support the US > Britain

Question 35

when did australia enter the vietnam war

Answer 35

1962 - military instructors
1965 - batallions were sent

Question 36

how did australia get ballz deep in the war

Answer 36

1966/1967: request from US for australia to send more troops, as they needed support
- new president, harold holt, was loyal to the US president, and sent troops to show their support

Question 37

why did the labor party oppose joining the vietnam war

Answer 37

• they thought it was a civil war
• they thought it wasn’t winnable and promised to withdraw australian conscripts if it won government

Question 38

conscientious objector

Answer 38

someone with extremely good reasons why they couldn’t serve in the military, had to go to court to decide whether they would go or not

Question 39

why was there an anti-war movement

Answer 39

television war
- public rallies and protests increased, especially in universities

Question 40

result of the vietnam war

Answer 40

north vietnam won, south was conquered

Question 41

aftermath of the vietnam war

Answer 41

almost 2 million indochinese refugees

Question 42

australia and indochinese refugees

Answer 42

1976: boats started to come, lots and lots of vietnam people came to australia

Question 43

australia and asia in 1972

Answer 43

white australia abolished, australia had better relationship, fear of communism declined