Vietnam Flashcards
Domino theory
that if one country fell to communism, neighbouring countries would also fall, just like dominos.
To prevent this, it believed Australia had to support non-communist governments
Why we went to Vietnam
Because of fear of communism and to demonstrate support, Australia signed security treaties with the US and fought in their wars.
Cold War
After World War II, two superpowers emerged — the United States of America and the Soviet Union.
These two powers had been allies during the war, but only because they had a common enemy in Germany.
The United States believed in democracy,
This stood in direct contrast to the Soviet communist system,
The United States was also first to develop the world’s most powerful weapon — the atomic bomb.
For the next 50 years the competition between these superpowers, often described as the Cold War, dominated world affairs.
Alliances
Australia signed two major treaties that tied us to the US during the Cold War.
National service and conscription debate in aus
Many Australians soldiers sent to Vietnam were not volunteers but were chosen by conscription. Some people considered it immoral to force someone to fight and kill. At this time the voting age was still 21, yet the age for conscription was 20. Some questioned how a person not yet considered old and responsible enough to vote could be considered old enough to fight and kill.
Protests and peace marches
A large protest movement developed in opposition to the war, holding some of the largest protest marches ever seen in Australia.
moratorium protests - three of them
Fighting in Vietnam
Extreme tropical conditions
Muddy
Hot
Rain
Withdraw
Whitlam had campaigned on the platform of ending conscription. They immediately abolished conscription and freed those who had been imprisoned for resisting it. Whitlam also announced that the last of the Australian troops in Vietnam would come home. Australian involvement was officially over after ten years.
