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why was Australia involved in the vietnam war?

<< Back to: soc.history.war.vietnam FAQ: Australian Involvement (1/3)

Answer by vincent Li
Submitted on 4/1/2004
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� One of the reasons for Australia�s involvement in the Vietnam War was because they required to keep with the policies of other nations, particularly the United States, to eradicate the extend of communism in Europe and Asia. Many people within Australia believed that if South Vietnam became a communist country, other countries would soon follow. Some Australians saw what was happening in Vietnam as a threat to Australia�s security. � The Australian�s helped in the war because they needed: 1. Keep up with America and other nations. And to make sure that the communist stuff stayed in Vietnam. � Australia wanted to kick the communist can and overcome communism with its forward resistance policy before the domino effect took place and communism reached Australian shores. Menzies created a fear of communism and 'reds under the bed' and made Australians feel vulnerable. Most Australians didn't like the idea of involvements with their wealth and wanted to maintain their money to themselves. �

Answer by lisa
Submitted on 5/4/2004
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there are several reasons 1. Because the communism was seen as an aggressive force to destroy the western society of catipalism and democracy. in 1945, there was one Communist state in the world, Russia by 1949 with the rise of Communism in China led by Chairman Mao 11 countries were now communists. Australia was fearful of the domino theory where Australia would fall under the power of communism also. 2. The forward defence strategy sees communism to be kept as far away from Australia as possible and contained within the countries 3. the ANZUS treaty (between Australia, New Zealand and United States signed in 1951)binds the countries together by a sense of obligation to assist one another in times of need

Answer by The real Answere guy, dont steal it. NUTMEG!! wheee. derrr... sorry
Submitted on 6/10/2004
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Australia and the Vietnam War Hypothesis: The only reason Australia joined the war in Vietnam was because America did. The Australian government had many reasons to go to war, one of which was to show support for America. This is because, after World War II, Indonesia wanted to become independent and to get rid of Dutch influence in the nation. When Australia supported this push, Washington and London frowned upon this decision. They believed that the land above Australia should be kept in �friendly�, meaning allied hands. So, when America called out for military aid in Vietnam from as many places on the globe as possible, Australia�s government saw the diplomatic value of providing a token force. This token force of 30 military trainers and advisers grew into Australia sending thousands of Australian troops and vehicles, working to control the North Vietnamese Army. But this is not the only reason, at the time there was a big anti-communist �crusade� happening to stop the world wide threat of communism and Australia greatly feared what may happen if Vietnam succumbed to the Domino effect. If Vietnam was taken over by Communism, this could make it easier to take the next in line, until war is finally on Australia's doorstep. To stop communism and the domino effect, Australia took an active part in the politics of the East Asian region. Australia saw that it was better to fight communism over in Vietnam instead of closer to home, on Australian soil. Australia felt it was their duty to stop this communist threat and that Australia owed America for its protection in WWII and to honour the ANZUS alliance by coming to assist America in this war. The main theory of defence during the sixties was the containment of Communist China using the "Forward Defence" tactic. Australia�s �forward defence� policy was simply to attack before being attacked. This Defence policy relied heavily on the presence of America in Southeast Asia combating the perceived Chinese threat. In Vietnam, this translated into the policy of supporting American military involvement and encouraging the continuation of this involvement until such time as China was dissuaded from any further adventurism or Australia could more capably defend itself.

Answer by Undertaker
Submitted on 8/17/2004
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Australia's 10-year commitment to the Vietnam War from 1962-1972 represented our longest and most controversial wartime involvement. The war began when North Vietnamese leader Ho Chi-Min attempted to remove the French occupancy from South Vietnam and turn the entire country into a Communist state. The South Vietnamese turned to the United States for help. The US was concerned that once South Vietnam fell to the Communist parties the neighbouring countries would soon be under control. This theory, called the "Domino Effect", also worried Australia's political leaders. In August 1962, Australia sent a team of 30 military advisors known as the Australian Army Training Team of AATTV to South Vietnam. In November 1964, Robert Menzies' Liberal-Country Party Coalition government introduced national service or conscription for young men whose 20th birthdays fell on certain dates. Five months later, the first Australian troops were sent to Vietnam. "The takeover of South Vietnam would be a direct military threat to Australia and all the countries of South and South-East Asia," said Robert Menzies in a 1965 policy speech. "It must be seen as a part of a thrust by Communist China between the Indian and Pacific Oceans." Another reason why Australia got involved in Vietnam is it was hoping to gain the support of the United States in case of a regional conflict. Australia was concerned about the possible threat emanating from Indonesia but was unsure of whether the US would come to their aid if a war erupted. All up, more than 46,000 Australian personnel served in Vietnam and at the height of Australia's involvement, there were 8,600 troops committed. By the time Australia finally withdrew in 1972, 3,000 Australian troops had been wounded and almost 500 were killed. Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War attracted strong criticism with many believing it was "someone else's war" and that the civil conflict that erupted in Vietnam had nothing to do with us. Following the Tet Offensive in 1968, US military strategists started to question whether it was possible to win the war. In 1970, troops crossed over into Cambodia, a sovereign state which was previously neutral. This fuelled the growing anti-war movement in Australia and violent protests erupted all over the country. A "don't register" campaign that attempted to dissuade young men from registering for conscription, gained increasing support. Many draft dodgers, protesters and "conscientious objectors" were jailed, which only inflamed anti-Vietnam sentiment further. Eventually, the war was lost and the South Vietnamese capital Saigon fell to Ho Chi-Min. Some Australian troops who had served in Vietnam met a hostile reception on their return home.

Answer by hhii im a nerd
Submitted on 8/18/2004
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But conscription still shouldn�t of happened and the Australian government was not justified in sending troops to Vietnam, because in 1962 thirty military advisers were sent to Vietnam, witch spread to over four thousand five hundred troops witch included conscripts. The Australian citizens did not make a very big deal about this at this time; accept for a few anti-conscription groups as these soldiers had been sent over because of a request of military support from the Vietnamese government. But what they didn�t know was that Prime Minister Menzies had actually requested the Sth Vietnamese government to send the invitation. My second point for why Australia was justified in sending troops to Vietnam is talking about the ANZUS treaty, which, like I have said in the above paragraph, was an agreement signed in 1951 by Australia, New Zealand and the United States. This treaty made clear that if one of these three countries were to be attacked they would act as if it was their own battle and fight for each other. So Australia felt it was their duty to stop this communist threat and that Australia owed America for its protection in WWII and to honor the ANZUS alliance by coming to assist America in this war. The main theory of defense during the sixties was the containment of Communist China using the "Forward Defense" tactic. Australia�s �forward defense� policy was simply to attack before being attacked. This Defense policy relied heavily on the presence of America. So fighting under the wing of the United States in Vietnam was important in applying our �forward defense� policy of attack before being attacked.