Vietnam? How Australia Got Involved Essay, Research Paper
1. In what manner was Australia involved in Vietnam in 1965?
In 1962 the Government of Australia decided in, response to a petition from the South Vietnamese Government, to provide them with military assistance. At that clip, 30 teachers were sent to help in the preparation of the South Vietnamese defence forces. Unofficially, in 1962, military personnels were sent in to develop the South Vietnamese and act as a reserves. The Australian populace was non made aware of this until many old ages subsequently after the decision of the war in 1972. In 1965, the war was officially declared and the populace was made aware of this through the media. During this clip ( 1965 to 1972 ) Australia supported the US and South Vietnam. However, Australia and the US were more concerned about the menace of a possible spread of communism instead than the well being of the South Vietnamese. In 1965, muster was introduced to the Australian populace in order to supply farther aid to the South Vietnamese. This was non widely supported by the populace with many people declining to go to the war and being putt in gaol for a lower limit of two old ages.
2. What were the grounds that Prime Minister Menzies gave that we should be contending in Vietnam?
Both Robert Menzies and Lyndon Johnson were willing to direct in military personnels for one chief ground. Both Menzies and Johnson feared or were concerned about a possible spread of communism within South-East Asia and even as far south as Australia. They were non excessively peculiarly concerned about the well being of the Southern Vietnamese. This is portrayed further in? For Australia’s Sake? as a drawing of a communist adult male contending in Vietnam with his shadow stretching down about to northern Australia. Standing on the mainland of Australia is Menzies indicating at the menace. On top of this there is a remark in the drawing, ? A murky shadow has fallen over this portion of the universe, making to our really shores?
3. List the grounds given by the Labor Party Leader, Arthur Calwell why we should non be contending in Vietnam?
Arthur Calwell believed that the determination to direct military personnels to Vietnam was a error. Calwell thought that directing our military personnels to Vietnam would non assist the battle against communism but really harm the battle in the long term. He besides believed that directing merely a one-fourth of our little ground forces ( compared to the United States Army ) was a waste of clip and money. He stated that this procedure was non assisting the South Vietnamese either. Calwell besides said that the war was based on ill-timed premises on the US’s behalf refering the menace of the North Vietnamese. Calwell concluded by stating, ? How long will it be before we are pulling upon our draftee young person to serve these turning and eternal demands. ? 1
4. Who was subsequently proved right? Menzies or Calwell? Why?
In a sense both were proved right in a manner but Menzies was more right in his actions. The war attempt was for the first clip brought into the place via telecasting, which disgusted many people. This turned many
people to disapprove of the war, which was Calwell’s little triumph. This was felt the most on the soldiers upon their return to Australia. They were spat on and jeered at for merely being portion of the war, when most of them had been conscripted and had no say in conditions or non they went to war. Looking back on it now it seems instead immature. Despite this, Menzies attempts were noted and approved by many members of the Australian society. The Australian defence forces were of valuable aid to the American military personnels that farther secured the ANZUS pact.
1. Calwell, A. , cited in Simmelhaig and Spenceley, For Australia’s Sake
5. What was the attitude of the documents at the clip to our determination to direct military personnels to Vietnam?
One of the articles featured in? For Australia’s Sake? is by a author for the Melbourne Herald on the 30th of April 1965. The article favours Menzies? determination to direct military personnels to Vietnam. It besides states that his ( Menzies ) motivation was to protect the South Vietnamese, which was evidently non his chief ground to direct military personnels to Vietnam.
The Hobart Mercury was even more is understanding to Menzies determination. However, the difference between this article and the 1 in the Herald Sun was that the author of that article in the Herald Sun was truly sharply holding with Menzies determination. The author of the Hobart Mercury article nevertheless was concentrating more on differing with Calwell’s sentiment.
6. What was the attitude of the National Times ten old ages subsequently to our determination to direct military personnels to Vietnam? Explain why a alteration of position had occurred since 1965.
The author of the article in the National Times concurs that Menzies program was a catastrophe. He ( the author ) uses many illustrations of mistakes committed by the Menzies authorities. Among these are the undermentioned facts:
– The Australian authorities was non asked by Lyndon Johnston to perpetrate to the war. In fact, Menzies was the one to coerce Mr. Johnston into perpetrating America to the war.
– The populace was non made aware of secret troop engagement from 1962 to 1965.
– The US was carry oning a secret war from 1954 onwards in an attempt to stomp out communism in North Vietnam
There had been a monolithic alteration of position due to the obvious. Over 10 old ages, many probes would hold been conducted to find antecedently hidden / secret facts which had been hidden by the authorities. These would hold surfaced and been published in assorted magazines. From here, the populace would hold developed an sentiment and voiced it in many different ways.
7. Explain why our apprehension of events in history alterations over clip.
Over clip, events are recalled in many different ways. This can be combated by a larger sum of facts. The lone manner to acquire more accurate facts is to make more investigation. This takes an atrocious sum of clip and work force. This is the chief ground why over clip, more facts are exposed refering certain cases. This gives us a farther penetration, over clip, into what truly happened in a certain happening.
