Impact Of Australian Involvement In The Vietnam War

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VIETNAM WAR ASSIGNMENT:
STRUCTURED NOTES
MAIN TARGET POINTS:
 Cohesion and Division
 Social, Political, Economic(minor)
 Differing and Changing perspectives of the impact/ conflict
 Impact/Effects on groups/individuals
 Consequences of Australian involvement
 Continuity and Change

HYPOTHESIS
FOCUS QUESTIONS
NATURE, ORIGINS AND PROGRESS OF THE VIETNAM WAR ON AUSTRALIA
• By far one of the greatest influences of the Cold War on Australia was revealed in the Australian involvement towards the Vietnam conflict.

• The Origins of the conflict in Vietnam stem from various different factors, these of which include:
 Vietnamese aspirations of nationalism and independence: These aspirations derive from colonial rulers such as Japan and France. …show more content…

Evidently, the foundation of Australian society was beginning to be questioned and the anti-Vietnam rhetoric as a catalyst for social reform was ultimately appointed. Thus it is apparent that the social impact of the Vietnam conflict was greatly divisive on any levels opposed to cohesive.
“The Vietnam War was perhaps the main spark, with the whole social movement of the 60’s and 70’s that converted Australia into a more tolerant, liberal society, willing to question authority and find our own place in the world”
-The Age, 30th April, 2005

• The turbulence caused by Australia’s involvement in the war was also a major catalyst to the social impacts caused by the Vietnam conflict. These include:
 The debate over conscription
 A movement away from the consensus about foreign policy
 A culturist rise in anti-authoratarianism and …show more content…

The 1980’s saw a major social impact in distinct pockets of urban Australia, with Places such as Northbridge in Perth conveying Vietnamese identity as being strongly maintained.

POLITICAL IMPACT: The Vietnam War had a significant effect on the political landscape of Australia both domestically and internationally:

• Politically, Vietnam had a huge impact on Australian life. It affected every government from Menzies to Fraser and was a major factor in the elections of 1966 to 1975. From being an issue that galvanised many Australians to support conservative governments, the fear of communism gave way to a growing tide of unease about Australians fighting a war that was too little understood and was sending men too young to vote possibly to their death.
• Perceptions about the conservatives being out of touch resonated through the Vietnam conflict and its irrelevance. Gough Whitlam was a major beneficiary in 1972 from such a perception and although the Australian withdrawal was virtually complete, Whitlam ended the gaol terms of those who had objected at the cost of incarceration.

• Domestically (Cohesive):
1973 Voting age lowered from 21-18 Due to conscription at

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