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Demi Tran 10A History [summaries] Miss Smith
Response to the Threat of Communism in
Asia
TERMS AND DEFINITIONS:
Communism:Communism is a political system where the government controls the nations wealth in the
belief that the state should provide everyone with an equal share, and where private ownership is very limited.
Capitalism: A system based on private ownership of property and business, and where the government
control is limited.
Iron Curtain: The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the boundary of Europe and its divisions into
separate areas after WWII until the end of the Cold War. Each side of the curtain developed their own
international economic and military alliances.
Yellow Peril: This is the colour, metaphor for a race of labourers which originated from Chinese.
KEY EVENTS:
After WWII, the United States and the Soviet Union became the new super powers The Soviet Union were communist and heading an Eastern Bloc of countries while the United
States were capitalists and were heading a Western Bloc.
The Eastern Bloc included countries: Poland, Romania, Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Yugoslavia,Czechoslovakia and East Germany.
In 1947 United States a policy to support free people who are resisting the attempted subjugation byarmed minorities or by outside pressure which aimed to check the growing power of communism.
The COLD WAR was the conflict between the Eastern Bloc and the Western Bloc. This war extended toAsia Pacific.
In 1949 China became communist and it was believed that the domino effect may occur (when allthe countries fall in a line of communism), causing the nations surrounding China to fall into the
trap, Australia was one of its neighbours.
The Australian also feared the yellow peril but a greater threat was the Soviet Union as they swept ared tide across the world.
Communism had become a threat to the national security. Each side accused the other of warlike intentions, so large armies were kept ready for war. The world lived in fear of the Cold War as this could escalate into a huge warfare, so countries stocked
destructive weapons and a lot of money was spent on defence.
In 1945, the term COLD WAR not only described the situation of mutual hostility and suspicion, butalso the fundamental clash between ideologies and interests
There was an atmosphere of paranoia and so Senator McCarthy sent out investigators to search forun-American activities
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Demi Tran 10A History [summaries], Miss Smith
KOREAN WAR:
From 1945, Korea was divided into two after the Japanese were forced out The South was occupied by the Americans and the North was occupied by the communist Russians The North was the Democratic Peoples Republic Korea and the South was the Republic Korea Each side wanted to unite the country On 25th June 1950,North Korean troops crossed the 38th parallel, where the country was divided as
they thought that the Americans were no longer interested in the South
The South was not expecting this invasion and was not prepared, the capital, Seoul, was captured. The South was assisted by the United Nations, and troops were sent in from 15 Nations, including
Australia
Australias involvement was providing American with airmen who arrived from the Japan Base, theseairmen began to take defence against the communist.
The country did not oppose to this action as they thought that is was necessary to stop the spread ofcommunism
The UN forces were under the command of General Douglas MacArthur They launched a massive counterattack against the communist in September 1950 The capital of the North, Pyongyang, was captured The Republic of China became involved and highly disciplined troops from China forced the US to
move back to the Chongchon River.
The UN was supposedly pushed backwards to the South. The troops of the UN were no longer able to defend the city and the Americans exited January 1951 The rest of the troops faced the communists at the 38th parallel and fought for another 15 months The UN attempted peace negotiations and this truce was finally signed, leaving the country in the
same position where it had started
On the 27th July 1953, the troops exited, including Australia
ANZUS TREATY:
While the Korean war was being fought, Australia, New Zealand and the United States signed theANZUS Treaty in 1
stSeptember 1951
This treaty resulted from a fear of communist expansion in the Asia- Pacific region and Australiasdesire to have America as a strong and powerful ally
America saw it was an opportunity to have two or more countries publicly take its side in the ColdWar
The Parties will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any one of the, the territorialintegrity, political independence or security of any of the Parties is threatened in the Pacific
ARTICLE III OF THE ANZUS TREATY, 1951
This treaty offered New Zealand and Australia with the protection against future aggression by Russiaor China
Side of the North Koreans Side of the South Koreans
USSR Communist China North Korea
United States United Kingdom Philippines UN countries South Korea
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For the USA, it offered a secure stake in the Pacific helping contain Communist powers in the world This signing of the treaty was significant as Australia joined this alliance without Britain In 1986, New Zealand was suspended from the treaty as they denied the access of the US ships after
their concerns of nuclear products onboard
This treaty is still continued with Australia and America, and the partnership is still strongSEATO TREATY:
SEATO was created to combat the further communist gains in South East Asia The SEATO alliance was organized on the 8th of September 1954 under the South East Asia collective
defence treaty by:
o Australiao Franceo Great Britaino New Zealando Pakistano The Philippineso Thailando United States of America Each member of the treaty was expected to come to each others aid in the event of external
aggression
American wanted the SEATO treaty to be limited and wouldnt sign it unless some conditions wereagreed to:
o At least one other European power would become involved in any conflicto They would only provide for the air and sea cover, not ground troopso They would only act against communist aggression and was not prepared to commit forces to Asian
inter-country conflicts
o SEATOs main role was to give the OK to the US in Vietnam because France and Pakistan did not agreeto send in troops.
o It was disbanded in 1977Strengths Limitations
Protection against future aggressionby Russia or China
Set goals of economic, social orcultural co-operation between the
countries Included countries from different
parts of the world- some being
powerful allies
Reassurance that Australia was notjust an isolated country but a major
player in the world stage
ANZUS did not force the countries tofight to defend each other, just
consult
There was no large military forcecreated
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Response to the Threat of Communism
within Australia
MENZIES COMMUNIST DISSOLUTION BILL
TERMS AND DEFINITIONS:
Double dissolution: ends the term of parliamentarians in the House of Representatives and the Senate and the
results in the new election
Espionage:the practice of spying or using spies to obtain information about the plans and activities especially
of a foreign government or a competing company
LIST OF EVENTS:
1949: Menzies makes communism an election issue Raises fear amongst Australians that communists were gaining control of unions, political parties and
government organisations
27th April 1950: presents the Communist Party Dissolution Bill in the HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 28th April 1950: Royal Commission investigating communist activities in Victoria reported that the Communist Partyaimed to use armed insurrection to siege power of workers and smash the states as we know it Menzies Bill was opposed in the House of Representatives by the leader of the Opposition, Ben
Chifley, but because the majority of the Lower House voted for, it passed
When the Bill reached the Senate, the Labor controlled Senate proposed many amendments andreturned it to the Lower House
The Labor Party was split over whether to support or oppose the Bill. When the vote was taken, 11 ofthe 34 members attended Parliament but it was eventually passed.
March 1951: After the Communist Party of Australia challenged the new Act in the High Court At this time Menzies also had a bill that aimed to prevent any Nationalist Banks Menzies reaction to the High Courts decision was to have the Governor General dissolve both houses
of Parliament.
The election was held on the 28th of April in 1951 and resulted in Menzies and his coalitiongovernment controlling the Senate; however, he lost 5 seats in the House of Representatives- he was
able to pass the Commonwealth Bank Bill
On the 22nd of September, Menzies moved to change the Constitution to legally ban CommunistParty by holding a referendum on communism.
Results: 2 317 927 YES (49.52%) 2 370 009 NO (50.48%) Menzies failed to gain support to ban the Communist Party because many Australians didnt feel
threatened.
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Demi Tran 10A History [summaries], Miss Smith
PETROV AFFAIR:
Vladimir Petrov: a Soviet (USSR) ministry member attached to the Russian embassy in Canberra, married to
Evdokia
Evdokia Petrov: wife of Vladimir
Robert Menzies: Australian Prime Minister, leader of the Liberal Party, anti- communist, facing election
Herbert Evatt: Leader of the Opposition, Auatralia Labor Party
Colonel Charles Spry: Director- General of ASIO (Australian Security Intelligence Organisation)
Joyce Bull: Airline hostess on the flight carrying Mrs Petrov out of Australia
Menzies and the Labor Party were losing support and it was expected that Mezies pulled a rabbit outof a hat in order to gain attention and votes.
Evdokia and Vladmir came to Australia as they were undercover as Russian Diplomats and their aimwas to establish an illegal network of spies
THE CASE was concerning leaks of information from the Australian Department of External Affairs tothe Soviet Union
The Petrovs arrived in 1951 and Vladmir defected on the 3rd of April 1954 under top secretconditions. The reason was because he befriended man named Bialoguski, not knowing he worked for
ASIO. He told his friend he was a spy and then this lead to his defection.
He was taken to a safe house where he attended serious and tense meetings. Evdokia was his wife and she chose to go back home and stop spying, but she feared execution. When
she arrived at the airport in Austral, Colonel Charles Spry asked her if she wanted to stay in Australia
and seek asylum and she agreed.
Evatt, who was the leader of the Opposition Party believed that this affair was planned and werepart of a sinister conspiracy devised by Menzies so that the Labor Party could claim victory
As a result of the Petrov Affair, the Labor Party split into 2 and this played a major role for when it wastime to vote as the coalition won.
The Petrovs became Australian citizens in 1956 and lived in Melbourne. They lived in fear ofassassination and hardly left the house.
The election is held in 1955Splitting of the Labor Party:
The Labor Party began to fall apart under the strain of ontinuing rumour campaign about Dr Herbert Evatt and
the communist investigation in Australia. The ALP was split, with one side being call the Democratic Labor
Party, DLP, led by B. A. Santamaria, new policies were anti- communist.
Figure 1: Mr and Mrs Petrov
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Demi Tran 10A History [summaries], Miss Smith
Australias Involvement in the Vietnam
War
The main reasons as to why Australia became involved in the war were:
Australias military weakness: meant that they were in potential danger from neighbouringcountries, communists. Indonesia was unstable at the time and Australia would have been an easy
target for attack or invasion
It was in Australias interests to commit to the United States to Asia and fight against communism:Australia and the US had formed a new bond and they fought together in the Korean War. It was
expected that they helped each other once more and Australia
Australia wanted the US to be the new powerful Western Nation to take the place of Britain afterthey withdrew from world commitments.
Australias military force size was small compared to the US, who had a huge force They wanted to support their allies: after signing the treaties, SEATO and ANZUS, America had
become a partner and they agreed to having another European country involved in the same conflict,
also, they agreed to helping each other so by joining the war, they were helping fight against
communism
The main reason as the why Australia joined the Vietnam War was their fear of communism:o There was a growing fear of communismo The invasion of the North Korean communists into democratic South Korea was seen as a threat
to democracy
o Sending troops to Vietnam was a move to support democracy Prime Minister Menzies announced that:
We have decided and this has been after close consultation with the Government of the United States to
provide an infantry battalion for service in South Vietnam
Australian and American politicians felt that if Vietnam fell to communism then other countries such
as Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia would also fall to the communists
SUMMARY:
DOMINO THEORY FEAR OF COMMUNISM LIBERAL PARTY LEADING COUNTRY, HATED COMMUNISM SEATO
Figure 2: Domino Theory
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BATTLE OF LONG TAN:
In 1966, the Battle of Long Tanoccurred with the Australians beating the Viet Cong The Viet Cong were a large group of Vietnamese who specialized in guerrilla warfare The Australians were lured into an ambush in a rubber plantation before being attacked by hundreds
of the Viet Cong The Viet Cong became a growing threat as their group expanded They dug underground chambers filled with traps as well as their own facilities like a medical room They placed Punji traps in the ground, which was a hole large enough for a foot. These traps had
spikes in the bottom which was covered in animal faeces, resulting in the amputation of a leg if a
soldier was injured as this poisoned their blood
The conditions were wet and dark because of the heavy bushes and trees as well as the leaf litter onthe ground, which disguised the traps
Men were being killed by rifle and machine gun bullets The Australians were nearly surrounded and isolated with ammunition running low
EXPERIENCES:
The soldiers were in constant fear as they looked out for enemies, it was guerrilla warfare, whichmeant that enemies could jump out of the jungle unexpectedly
They witnessed a lot of horrific deaths and injuries They were fearful of sudden attacks They were often traumatized by what they saw, because it was seen every day and something so
devastating, they couldnt erase the memory
There was intense fighting and were under heavy fires The leaders or the one in charge of a specific group would often blame themselves if a member died
because it was their duty to command them
The conditions were different to that of Australia, as it was wetter and darker in the jungles, making itharder to fight as they werent used to it
They would have to have good communicating skills in order to send messages because the sound ofmachine guns and artillery was loud
They had to be precise with firing as well as walking around because artillery was pouring one metreahead of the defenders, one slight error could kill someone.
Vietnam was not a war fought on open fronts, with areas of safety to which soldiers could retreat.Soldiers were constantly on alert for the enemy.
Soldiers did not always know who the enemy was. The enemy could be the women and childrensoldiers thought they were protecting.
Figure 3: interpretation of Long Tan Battle
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Demi Tran 10A History [summaries], Miss Smith
Differing views of Australias Involvement
in the Vietnam War
From the day the Menzies government announced Australian troops were to be sent to Vietnam, there was a
division in Australia society- those who supported the decision and those who opposed
THOSE SUPPORTERS:
Liberal Party Returned Services League Catholic Church People who feared communism
The Liberal Party:
Showed a lot of support for the action There was no ideological splits in the Liberal Party compared to the Labor Party Harold Holt, who replaced Menzies after his retirement, announced that when it came to the Vietnam
War, Australia would be
All the waywith LBJ
The RSL:
Supported the policy of the involvement in the Vietnam War Questioned when the conscripted soldiers were used Supported the NASHOS and airmen Previous generations had fought in wars They supported the government also
Catholic Church:
Saw South Vietnam not only as the last democracy in South East Asia, but also as a CatholicDemocracy
Ngo Dinh Diem was a Catholic Leader and there was a widespread support for the government of theRepublic of Vietnam even after his assassination
The Fearful Australian Public:
Those who feared communism supported the war They were afraid that communism would spread into Australia especially after hearing the domino
theory
They saw that by fighting communism in Vietnam, it would prevent it, or have the possibility ofpreventing it from spreading
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THOSE OPPOSERS:
Save our Sons Moratorium protestor Conscientious objectors
Save Our Sons:
Established in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Newcastle and Adelaide as well as America This movement protested against the conscription of Australians to fight in the Vietnam War The movement made conscription of men, especially their sons, their main focus of their campaign They gave out placard, leaflets and wrote letters to newspapers Chained themselves in front of the parliament house Even children carried around signs They believed that the conscription of young men was immoral, unjust and a denial of human rights They circulated petitions and approached members of the parliament Called communists at the time anti- Australians Their protest was successful as they were able to communicate to the public the way the Australian
Government was taking away their sons to fight for the country
SOURCES:
Figure 5: conscription Figure 4: Save our Sons
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Moratorium Movement:
They thought that if they could prove enough popular support for withdrawing from Vietnam, thenthe government would have to listen
This first took place in America when hundreds of thousands ofpeople stopped work for the day andmarched in the streets to protest
In Australia, the moratoriums were organised by leaders of anti- was groups. It was a turning point in the anti- war movement in Australia as it was the first time that there would
be a nationwide response to the Vietnam war
It was a very successful movement as troops were actually being brought back home These protestors continued to protest in order for more withdrawal First moratorium occurred on the 8th and 9th 1970 and over 200 000 took part. It was a peaceful demonstration and no arrests were made
Conscientious Objector:
Were a group of men who when inducted into the military service, they would express their beliefthat is was wrong to kill, by burning draft cards and protesting or just not attending examination
They were morally against the war and refused to take part in it They were often referred to as cowards for not fighting for their country They were people who oppose serving in the armed forces and/or bearing arms on the ground of
moral or religious principles
SOURCES:
Figure 6: Conscientious Objectors Figure 7: Moratorium Movement
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Impact on the Veterans and Families
Veterans:
The veterans were angry and confused by the reaction of the Australian public as they were notwelcomed as expected
Many felt as if they were blamed for the war and they did not have an official welcome parade until1987
They were unrecognised and unthanked They suffered physical and psychological effects of the war The effects psychologically were like any other war, they did not know how to deal with it This war was not fought on open fronts, so the soldiers did not have any safety zones and they were
faced with danger constantly
The main psychological damage was the POST- TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) Studies proved that compared to any other man in the same generation, Vietnam veterans have
higher rates of psychiatric disorders, heart disease, alcoholism and a higher suicide rate
Veterans could not cope with things they were exposed to like blood and brutal killings They lived in stress throughout the war and did not understand the way they felt PTSD was not diagnosed during the war, but later when they had returned home to realise what they
had done and the memories
Many men had become emotionally detached from their lives and families Since the conscription was selective, it meant that while they were fighting, the rest of the men not
selected were carrying on in lives and didnt experience any of the war
When the men arrived home, they felt as though society just shifted and time moved on, with peoplegoing about doing daily routines without them
This meant that only a small section of the population could understand the stress and the pain theywent through
not many people could understand the extreme circumstances those men lived through for two year AGENT ORANGE: these soldiers were exposed to chemicals which affected their health and had
effects on their children, if they were to have any
This chemical was used to kill off the jungle so that the Viet Cong would not be able to hide It affected the veterans as they were more likely to become ill, get cancer and become abnormal They were excluded from the RSL club because the war was not a real war Their return was not celebrated They were spat on and ashamed Their CODE WORD: EMBARRASSED They were physically affected, mainly with the scar of injuries and wounds and amputations They were missing parts of their body
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Families:
Since they could no longer become emotionally attached to themselves and their families, therelationship between the people weakened
Men felt as if they could no love or show affection to their wives and children, even years after thewar was over
Over the long time, their wives or girlfriends would have moved on and possibly cheated on them Because of the AGENT ORANGE, it meant that their children are also affected They had a higher risk of being born ill and deformed. These children would have a higher suicide rate as well as their parents The higher rates of birth defects and miscarriages, depression, suicide, cancers, alcoholism and the
many other physical effects of herbicide poisoning were ignored for a long time.
Figure 9: Disable Vietnam Veteran
Figure 8: Agent Orange sprayed
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Definitions, Facts and Dates
Arms Race: competition between nations in the building up of military resources
Capitalist: describes a system in which the means of production, distribution and exchange are privately
owned and organised
Cold War: An ideological (about different beliefs and ideas) conflict between the countries that supported
capitalism and democracy and the countries that supported communism that emerged after WWII
Communist: a person who believes in a political system based on controlling wealth in the belief that the state
should provide everyone with an equal share
Conscientious Objection: is a refusal to take part in the military service based on moral or religious beliefs
Conscription: the compulsory enrolment of men for services in the armed force
Defection: changing allegiance or deserting from a duty
Double Dissolution: ends the terms of parliamentarians in the House of Representatives and the Senate and
results in a new election
Guerrillas: small bands of soldiers who harass the enemy by surprise attacks
Ideology: the theories, ideas and beliefs associated with a particular political system
Moratorium: a general suspension of something
1951: referendum to BAN THE COMMUNIST party (Menzies)
1951: ANZUS signed
1954: SEATO signed
1950: Korean War starts
1953: Korean War ends
1972: Australia withdraws troops from Vietnam
1964: LOTTERY conscription
1951:PETROVs arrive
Australias response within the country? Referendum t Ban the Communist, Petrov Affair Sent? 5190 Killed? 496 Wounded? 2398 Supporter? Liberal Party, RSL, Uni Cadet Group Involvement? Domino theory, Fear of Communism, Liberal Party leading- anti- communist, SEATO Australias response in Asia? Australia sends military advisors to Vietnam
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