-
The Fear of Communism in Australia
Throughout the war, Australians were in fear of the increasing communist countries surrounding them. The prime minister at the time, Robert Menzies, was well known for warning Australians about the "Red Menace" and thus increasing the fear. Although this fear occurred right though the Cold War, it was most prominent in the 1950's and the 1960's when Menzies was in power. -
The ANZUS Pact
in 1951, a three-way pact was formed between Australia, New Zealand and the US. This alliance stated that each nation must agree to cooperate on defence matters and come to the aid of the other in case it was attacked. Although New Zealand withdrew from the treaty in the 1980's, ANZUS is still a major part of Australia's foreign policy. -
Military Action in Korea
After Japan was defeated in the Second World War, one of the Japanese colonies, Korea, was occupied by Soviet troops in the North and US troops in the south. The aim of the UN was to create a unified country, however, the two forces set up seperate governments. the USSR set up a communist government in the north and the US backed the ROK in the south. Battles were fought involving Australia. eventually an armistice was created to end the conflict. the armistice is still in place today. -
Soviet "spy ring" in Australia
In the lead-up to the federal election in 1954, it was becoming clear that Robert Menzies might not win the election. In order to maintain power, he increased his efforts to find and expose communist spies within Australia. he called this the hunt for 'reds under the beds'. In April 1954, just before the election, Menzies produced his 'spy': Vladimir Petrov, Third Secretary of the Soviet Embassy in Canberra. -
The Domino Theory
The main purpose of the alliances, ANZUS and SEATO, was to quell the spread of communism. The 'domino theory', coined by the Menzies government, stated that if one country became communist, then the neighbouring countries would also fall. it was Australia's intention to support non-communist governments in order to suppress the rise of communism. This backing of other governments, along with the ANZUS pact, got Australia involved in a number of 'proxy wars'. -
The Southeast Asia Treaty Organisation
The Southeast Asia Treaty Organisation (SEATO) was an alliance formed between Australia, France, New Zealand, Thailand, Pakistan, The Phillipines, The U.K and the USA in 1951. The alliance was formed to add to the European anti-communist movement known as NATO. Unfortunately, due to Internal disputes, the treaty was disbanded in 1977. -
Period: to
The Malayan Conflict
Based on Australia's views on supporting non-communist governments, Australia decided to aid the Malaysian government in their defence against communist rebels. -
Period: to
The Vietnam War
Vietnam was the longest war in Australian history and the most unpopular war of the 20th century. It resulted in nearly 60,000 American deaths, over 500 Australian deaths and in an estimated 2 million Vietnamese deaths. -
Australian Conscription Protest
In the early years of Australian involvement in Vietnam, opposition, even to the policy of sending conscripts to a war zone, was limited. The National Service Scheme did attract opponents as soon as it was introduced, but it was only when the government increased the size of Australia’s commitment to the war in Vietnam in May 1966, making the use of conscripts necessary, that significant public opposition arose.
