Why Australia Became Involved in the Viettnam War
Australia 's Involvement in the Vietnam War, the Political Dimension Part 1
© Brian Ross, 1995
Introduction
This is the second post promised analysing why Australia entered the Vietnam War. American readers should be warned that because it looks primarily at the domestic political scene in Australia at the time, it does as a consequence refer to characters and events which most of you will not be aware of. However, I have included a short preface, attempting to identify most of the major players and the themes which ran behind the scenes in Australian society.
Preface:
There were, during the 1950 's and 1960 's three main political parties in Australia. They were: The Australian Labor Party (ALP). A mildly left-of-centre, socialist party, the ALP was conceived, like its British and New Zealand counterparts to represent the rights of the workers against those of the employers. It held power during the years 1941-1949, being defeated after a series of disastrous Communist led coal strikes which had crippled the economy and because of fears within the electorate that its plan to nationalise the banks in 1949 meant that it was moving too far to the left. The Liberal Party. A mildly, right-of-centre, conservative party, the Liberals (a misnaming if ever there was one in my opinion), were created out of the remains of the United Australia Party, which had dissolved as a consequence of losing government in 1941 as the result of a no-confidence motion in the then Prime Minister, R.G. Menzies. Menzies had then been re-elected in 1949 after skillfully making use of the electorate 's fears of Communism. This "kicking the Communist can" as it became known was an electoral tactic which the Liberals used time and time again successfully as a means of keeping the ALP in Opposition. The Country Party. A party which was and still is basically a mix of elements of both left and right and designed to represent the interests of the country dwellers and farmers of Australia.
© Brian Ross, 1995
Introduction
This is the second post promised analysing why Australia entered the Vietnam War. American readers should be warned that because it looks primarily at the domestic political scene in Australia at the time, it does as a consequence refer to characters and events which most of you will not be aware of. However, I have included a short preface, attempting to identify most of the major players and the themes which ran behind the scenes in Australian society.
Preface:
There were, during the 1950 's and 1960 's three main political parties in Australia. They were: The Australian Labor Party (ALP). A mildly left-of-centre, socialist party, the ALP was conceived, like its British and New Zealand counterparts to represent the rights of the workers against those of the employers. It held power during the years 1941-1949, being defeated after a series of disastrous Communist led coal strikes which had crippled the economy and because of fears within the electorate that its plan to nationalise the banks in 1949 meant that it was moving too far to the left. The Liberal Party. A mildly, right-of-centre, conservative party, the Liberals (a misnaming if ever there was one in my opinion), were created out of the remains of the United Australia Party, which had dissolved as a consequence of losing government in 1941 as the result of a no-confidence motion in the then Prime Minister, R.G. Menzies. Menzies had then been re-elected in 1949 after skillfully making use of the electorate 's fears of Communism. This "kicking the Communist can" as it became known was an electoral tactic which the Liberals used time and time again successfully as a means of keeping the ALP in Opposition. The Country Party. A party which was and still is basically a mix of elements of both left and right and designed to represent the interests of the country dwellers and farmers of Australia.
Bibliography: Primary Sources: Commonwealth Parliamentary Debates, House of Representatives. Current Notes, Vo1.28, November 1957 Secondary Sources: Andrews, E.M., A History of Australia 's Foreign Policy: from dependence to i n dependence , Longman Cheshire , Melbourne, 1979. Cain, F.,`Australia 's road to Vietnam - Non-Labour and Anti-Communism 1920-1966 ', original manuscript supplied by the author Clarke, G., 'Vietnam, China and the Foreign Affairs Debate in Australia, a personal account ', in King, P., (Ed.), Australia 's Vietnam, Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 1983. Cooksey, R., 'Assumptions of Australia 's Vietnam Policy ', World Review, October 1966. Renouf, A., The Frightened Country, Macmillan, Melbourne, 1979. Pemberton, G., All the Way, Australia 's Road to Vietnam, Allen &; Unwin, Sydney, 1987. Sexton, M., War for the Asking, Australia 's Vietnam Secrets, Penguin Books, Ringwood, 1981. Watt, A., Vietnam, An Australian Analysis, F. W. Cheshire, Melbourne, 1983. Wiesbrod, H., 'Sir Garfield Barwick and Dutch New Guinea, Australian Quarterly, June 1967. Brian Ross "For I will work the work in your days which ye will not believe, though it be told to you" Habakkuk, 7th Century BC Copyright (c) 1995 Brian Ross. Non-commercial distribution for educational purposes permitted if document is unaltered. Any commercial use, or storage in any commercial BBS is strictly prohibited without written consent.