Australia In The Vietnam War Era Flashcards
(174 cards)
1
Q
Aus’s direct involvement dates from … to …
A
from 1962 (first military advisors) to 1973 (last personnel left)
2
Q
beginning of cold war year
A
1946 as the US and the USSR compete for political domination
3
Q
year china adopts communist government and under who
A
1949 under Mao Zedong
4
Q
korean war went from … to …
A
1950 to 1953
5
Q
malayan emergency went from … to …
A
1950 to 1960
6
Q
year Menzies attempts to ban the Communist Party of Australia
A
1950
7
Q
year anzus treaty signed and between who
A
1951, between Australia New Zealand and the US
8
Q
year french withdraw from vietnam and country divided
A
1954
9
Q
vietnam divided where
A
at the 17th parrallel (latitude) north
10
Q
year seato alliance formed
A
1954
11
Q
who was seato alliance between
A
USA, Britain, France, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan and the Phillippines- all of them anti-communist countries
12
Q
who defected to Aus and what year
A
Vladimir Petrov, 1954
13
Q
Indonesian Confrontation went from … to …
A
1963 to 1966
14
Q
year national service scheme commences and under who
A
1964, under Menzies government
15
Q
australian personnel number reaches peak at what number and in what year
A
over 8300 personnel, in 1969
16
Q
year aus announces will reduce forces
A
1970, april
17
Q
year first Vietnam Moratorium march takes place in melbourne
A
1970, may
18
Q
ground forces and combat troops arrive in Vietnam what year
A
1965
19
Q
year conscription ended in Aus and under who
A
1972 under Whitlam government
20
Q
year Saigon falls to North Vietnamese forces and Vietnam is unified under a communist government
A
1975
21
Q
South vietnamese refugees start arriving in Aus year
A
1975
22
Q
month and year a ceasefire agreement ends the Vietnam war
A
January 1973, last Aus personnel left november
23
Q
year and month aus combat troops withdraw
A
december 1972
24
Q
cold war between who and between what years
A
between US and USSR from 1946 to 1991
25
why called 'cold' war and what used instead
didnt directly fight, used propaganda, espionage (spying) and rivalry from weapons to sport
26
why US and USSR were biggest powers after ww2
most european nations had abandoned or were driven from their colonies as they seeked self-detirmination from 1947 onwards - weakened influenes
27
US and USSR, capitalist or communist?
us - capitalist, USSR - communist
28
why US and USSR had been allies in ww2 despite rivalry
they had a common enemy in Germany, but all the time still had distrust and suspicion
29
snc
the cold war can be seen as a conflict between the values of communism and capitalism
30
communism aimed at:
improving lives of working classes
create society where all citizens offered equal oportunity
also seen as threat to individual freedom and enterprise
31
different views on government between com and cap
com: gov should control economy for benefit of citizens
cap: gov should not interfere more than necessary
32
different views on competition between com and cap
com: put people against each other, all should work together for common good
cap: healthy and encourages individuals to be best they can be
33
different views on profit between com and cap
com: profit kept in hands of a few means exploitation of workers
cap: profits fait rewards, different wages for different jobs encourages people to aim higher
34
way cold war split europe
the eastern bloc- supported USSR, western europe supported USA
35
ways Australia's relationship with Britain changed:
- britain couldnt help them against japanese in ww2
| - aus looked to america instead
36
australia's involvment in the UN
one of founding members in 1945 after ww2
37
australia's historical and ongoing view of asia
- after gold rush, felt being 'swamped' by asians,
| fear of asians combined with fear of communism, especially after china became communist in 1949
38
snc
Asia was seen by US and USSR as a key region of conflict in cold war
39
snc
aus had felt comforted that surrounding countries controlled by european powers, so these changes were seen by aus as potenitally dangerous
40
the dutch had colonised:
Britain controlled:
america controlled:
dutch- indonesia (viewed as aus's 'politcal great barrier reef')
britain- india, pakistan and malaya (now malaysia)
America- philippines
41
menzies government from ... to ...
1949 to 1966
42
snc
aus's foreign policy rested on US and britain hoping they would defend aus 1950s-60s
43
domino theory what:
idea that once one country in south-east asia fell to communism, would lead to fall of all countries in region
44
domino theory emerged how:
from usa after china adopted communist system in 1949, also accepted by aus gov
45
forward defence what:
meet possible threat before got too close to home, meant sending troops ahead to counter potential threats
46
forwards defence stratagy caused aus involvement in and who in support of:
korean war in support of usa and britain as part of un force,
the malayan emergency in support of britain
vietnam war in support of usa
47
snc
korean war, the malayan emergency and the vietnam war involved a clash between representitives of the com and cap worlds and seen as part of a wider cold war conflict
48
malayan emergency, korean war, vietnam war and self detirmination:
the people of respective countries wanted self detirmination- wanted to govern themselves and their own future
49
korea under:
malaya under:
vietnam under:
japan
britain
france
50
malayan emergency, korean war, vietnam war and poverty:
each had large peasant population, communist ideas appealing - offered land reform, which could immediately improve lives of poorest peasant
51
Aus and korean war
| longish
after japan left korea after ww2, split into two, north supported by ussr and south by usa
when north invaded south, aus came in to support us and un
un was winning but then china joined, war finished with same borders as previously
52
aus and the malayan emergency
| longish
against communist uprising against britain power, mostly guerrilla
during involvement, aus become part of anzus treaty and seato alliance
53
year malayan emergency went from ... to ...
1948 to 1963
54
ANZUS stands for
australia, new zealand, united states treaty)
55
SEATO stands for
Southeast Asia Treaty Organization Alliance
56
anzus started in:
| seato started in:
1951
| 1954
57
anzus still features in aus policy today. what was it for?
anti-communist and for long held want to form alliance with USA
58
anzus help to each other
us offered big protection to aus and nz, US wanted visible support so wasn't seen as 'big, bad' world power, wasnt actually much aus and nz could have done for US
59
snc
seato basically cold war pact based on fear of communism
60
why seato never proved to be real guarantee of aus security
- aus already had anzus
- european power clearly in decline
- pakinstan more concerned with india
- thailand was thought to be under threat of comm takeoever- might need aid itself
- philippines looked to USA for security
61
two more alliances/treaties to stop comm spread (not aus related)
NATO- north atlantic treaty organization- west europe and USA
CENTO- central treaty organization - middle east and USA
62
US policy of containment, supported by menzies
by president Truman, to stop spread of comm before became war- left where it is and not allowed to expand
63
snc
aus and usa thought incorrectly that comm was global conspiracy that threatened democracy, actually didnt have any sort of planned scheme, russia and china often even disagreed
64
china and USSR saw these alliances as:
attempted at encirclement by anti-comm countries and threats to their security
65
communist party of aus (cpa): (longish)
formed 1920s
| 1950s- gov saw as threat,
66
why comm wasnt prominant in aus
aus enjoyed general prosperity and workers felt represented in labour party and a strong trade union movement- very different situation to other countries
67
when and why support for cpa increased
1946 after great depression- felt capitalism failed them, never went above 13 000s but quickly dropped again
68
menzies' communist party dissolution bill
passed in gov, challenged by high court, went to referndum, failed closely, people felt party had right to freedom
69
what was ASIO
Australian security intellignce organisation- watched and soemtimes harrassed communists and suspected comms
70
who was vladimir petrov
defected 1954 USSR citizensip to live in canberra, giving aus info about soviet spying to show intention to defect
71
what did petrov affair cause in aus
spread of thought that the comm conspiracy menzies had warned about was here. happened just before election, menzies won easily- he could defend the people
72
what menzies established based on petrovs documents
royal commission on espionage to investigate if a soviet spy ring was opporating in aus
73
from split in lobour party after petrov came what
creation of Democratic labor party from ex-labour party members, was anti-comm, supported vietnam war and to keep labour out of office- succeeded until 1972
74
snc
vietnam part of a region in southeast asia once known as indochina, vietnam occupied by france 1860s until ww2, when japan came in
75
may 1941, who formed to go against japanese occupation
Viet Minh, vietnamese nationalist group, made up of comm and non-comm but mainly resistance group, lead by Ho Chi Minh
76
when Viet Minh got rid of japan in vietnam, what happened
Viet Minh formed a government, declared vietnam's independence and made Ho Chi Minh president
77
when britain tried to get vietnam back french rule..
Viet Minh saw as betrayal as they had supported allies and from dec. 1946 french vs viet minh war went on for another 9 years
78
by 1952 in viet minh vs france war what had happened
viet minh had contol of north cith capital established of Hanoi, france set up rival gov in capital of Saigon under emporer Boa Dai
79
how viet minh vs france ended
france finally withdrew after defeat at battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954
80
at peace talks in what year had vietnam officially divided at what parrallel after viet minh vs france
1954, at 17th parrallel
81
north and south vietnam after end of viet minh vs france agreed to hold elections to form one gov to reunify vietnam.. why didnt happen
idea was opposed by USA as they feared Minh victory. country remained divided and conflict continued
82
in north v vs south v who supported who
soviet union and china supported north (viet minh) and britain supported Boa Dai in south
83
why did usa provide military aid to south v
domino theory, viewed as war between free world and comm.
84
why aus joined v war
following america, also had agenda to encourage usa to send more troops to show more comm opposition as it 'became larger threat to aus'
85
aus involved itself in indonesian confrontation (indonesia vs malaysia) why
support commonwelth to support malaysia, keep indonesian threat away from aus
86
why aus sent combat troops to v
- loyalty to big powers, forward defence, domino theory
- un member obligations
- aus fear of 'asian invasion'
- show loyalty to anzus treaty
87
official, gov released reason for joining v war
gov kept ulterior motives for joining secret, instead told people v had requested help and asked v to send request
88
aus first sent to sv in support in 1962 and boosted to:
30 military advisors to Saigon, then boosted to 100 with small fleet of transport aircraft
89
1965 aus contribution to sv increased to
battalion of combat troops sent
90
by 1973, last withdrawal of aus troops, how many aus people had served
almost 60 000 all up- soldiers, sailers and airforce personnel with 7500+ the peak at one time
91
total aus casualty count from v war serving
520 dead (including 185 national servicemen), 3000 wounded
92
first group of 8000 combat troops arrives in may 1965 sent to:
Bien Hoa province, north of Saigon, and initially oporated under US
93
main aus operations area:
phuc tuy province, southeast of Saigon, opporating independently fron US
94
Australian Task Force, made up of combat troops and support personnel established at:
Nui Dat
95
aus base of medical, engineering, air force main base, postal and more services known as Australian Logistical Supprt Group (wounded soldiers also convalesced and troops went for rest and recreation) place:
port of Vung Tau, 30 km from nui dat
96
by aus, enemy referred to as:
'VC' for Viet Cong
97
Viet Cong were:
south vietnamese supporters of communist north v, not one single group- some were soldiers, others guerrillas, worked normally by day and attacked at night
98
aus also (appart from VC) fought :
north v troops operating in south v
99
v war warefare mainly:
guerrilla warefare including hit and run tactics, ambushes, raids
100
us v war tactics:
| 3 of them
- massive bombing campaign known as 'rolling thunder'
- use of helicopters to locate and attack enemy positions
- draw enemy out to battle resulting in high casualties for both sides
101
aus v war tactics:
| 3 of them
- stop enemies from receiving supplies and other support -patrol their area using stealth and then ambush enemy camos
- cordoned off villages between dusk and dawn to block viet cong access to supplies and support
- sometimes grouped into larger forces for 'search and destroy' missions on enemy bases
102
battle of long tan date
18th August 1966
103
battle occurred how
nui dat was attacked, as response 105 aus soldiers moved into long tan rubber plantation to investigate, came under attack by up to 3000 nv and vc troops
104
battle went on for how long until what happened
for 4 hours until reinforcements came including accurate artillery fire that devastated enemy who retreated
105
snc
battle of long tan exception to usual guerrilla tactics and was significant example of aus involvement in v war
106
battle of long tan casualties:
aus deaths: 18
aus wounded: 24
enemy death counted: 245
later research revealed enemy losses: 800 dead, 1000 wounded
107
long tan originally been thought to be plan to tempt aus out of base for ambush, what suggested otherwise and why
suggested from size of enemy force and presence of north vietnamese army battalion operating with vc that aus had actually come across regular army regiment preparing for attack on nui dat base, probably actually saving aus from a major attack
108
snc
after battle of long tan viet cong were far less influential in the area
109
despite superior firepower of US forces in v war, they were unable to defeat north v army and VC, and with growing casualties, what happened back at the home countried
anti-war movements increased in both US and Aus as war became more drawn out with victory not seaming any closer than at the start
110
tet offensive year and month
January 1968
111
tet offensive- what happened?
North v and VC forces surprised allies with coordinated attacked on 100+ towns and cities in south v, a change from their guerrilla tactics, planned in the hope of a quick victory
112
why tet offensive surprised allies
- during the Tet festival, a holiday period in vietnam
| - coordinated- different
113
snc
tet offensive north v and VC attacks and occupation successfully repelled by US including attack on US embassy in Saigon
114
snc
tet offensive- enemy had major losses
115
snc
despite military failure of tet offensive, graphic images of fighting and destruction were televised to US and aus audiences, fuelling anti-war movements
116
snc
before tet offensive, american commanders telling people had been winning, but televised evidence contradicted that, shattering allusions of allies 'winning'
117
america ceased bombing of north v after political crisis after tet offensive what month and year
march 1968
118
ceasefire agreement made with north v what year
1973
119
aus announced first reduction of trooped month and year and what reduction
april 1970, from three to two battalions
120
snc
paris peace accord officially ends Vietnam war
121
arthur cadwell years prime minister and what party
1960-67, labor
122
gough whitlam prime minister from and what party
1967, labor
123
labor party view on joining war:
supported american alliance but thought v war was cival war and didnt believe north victory would mean communist spread
124
historians of time argued:
ho chi minh as nationalist leader not agent of comm, and that they needed to be understood in terms of their history and desire for independence, not just part of cold war thinking
125
focus of arthur cadwells opposition to war
conscription- that they could be sent to war but couldnt vote- key issue for him 1966
126
strong supporters of war:
- most big media
- catholic church
- politically conservative groups
- Returned and Services League (RSL)
127
Conscientious objectors-
moral or religious grounds, eg quaker/aka society of friends and other individuals
128
Save Our Sons-
1965 movement set up by mothers of potential conscripts- peaceful protests
129
Vietnam War Moratorium movement-
moratorium= delay or stop in activity, movement was largest in aus- biggest took place may 1970 70 000 people in melbourne, 20 000 in sydney
130
national service scheme-
introduced by menzies 1964 in response to indonesian confrontation
1965 people sent to vietnam, conscription used to build up army to 40000 to send three battalions
131
age of conscripts and length of term
20, 12 months to 2 years, 2 years main
132
conscription ballot aka, how often drawn and how many
- birthday ballot
- death lottery
- bi-annually
- about 8000
133
year polls first showed majority opposition to war
1969
134
year tv introduced to aus
1956
135
year almost every house in aus had tv
1968
136
snc
v war aka first televised war
137
source pic 1:
buddhist monk burns himselve in saigon as protest against south v government in 1963
138
source pic 2:
south v chief of police fires pistol at suspected viet cong official during tet offensive, saigon, feb 1 1968
139
source pic 3:
nine year old Kim Phuc and family running for help after severely burned in napalm- petrol like substance used in bombs- attack, 8 june 1972z
140
why v soldier returns different to in past-
v war so unpopular there was no welcome home- no official parade until 1987
141
vietnam veterans association formed when and why
1979 in response to public neglect- still represents their interests
142
agent orange
poison- mainly dioxim, used by americans to kill plant life that viet cong used as cover
143
exposure to agent orange thought to cause:
- higher chance of certain diseases and cancers
| - birth defects
144
snc
possibly >1 million v civilians died
| and approx 3 million affected by chemical poisoning
145
after aus and us trooped withdrew
north v advanced southwards
146
after aus and us gone, tanks rolled into: and when:
into former presidential palace in saigon, 29th april 1975, vietnam finally unified as comm country
147
snc
after v became fully comm, v west supporters viewed as supects-
148
what happened to anyone who aided or considered to have come under western influence after v became comm
imprisoned in 're-education camp'
149
how many people in re-education camps and for how long
estimated 1 million people sent, 165 000 th`ought to have died in them, most people in them 3-10 years, some up to 17 years
150
why people desperate to leave v after war
- families disrupted by war and imprisonment
- pro american beliefs
- saw fewer opportunities under comm system
151
people fleeing v in 1970s described as and categorised by who
'internally displaced persons' or 'stateless people', by united nations high comissioner for refugees (UNHCR), also refugees and asylum seekers
152
internally displaced persons=
have been forced to flee because of armed conflicts while living within their country
153
stateless people=
not considered part of state
154
where UNHCR made camps and why
malaysia, hong kong, thailand, the philippines and indonesia to house and process claims of flee-ers
155
from UNHCR camps-
refugees processed and resettles in countries willing to accept them
156
snc
UNHCR won nobel peace prize in 1981 for their work
157
main countried to accept v refugees-
```
america- 823 000
australia- 137 000
canada- 137 000
france- 96 000
germany- 40 000
uk- 19 000
japan- 11 000
```
158
snc
aus govs felt moral obligation to help v refugees settle in aus
159
snc
many desperate refugees to fearful and desperate to leave v that they arrived in aus with out official approval, after risky journey by sea, known as 'boat people'
160
boat people term used when
1970s
161
first v refugees arrived when and where
1976 darwin, year after offical end to v war
162
how many v refugee boats and year of last one
2058, august 1981
163
when and who white au policy abolished,
| slow changes started when and who
by whitlam gov in 1973
| 1966 under holt gov
164
why pirates became major risk for refugees
refugees had to sell all belongings and often converted money to gold- easier to carry- became prime target, particilarly around thailand
165
estimated number of v refugees who died trying to get away from v
250 000 - 500 000
166
snc
v families often split before leaving v in hope that at least one of them would survive voyage and reach safety
167
usual length of trip to aus for refugees on boats and other problems
4 weeks, had little food and water, risk of robbery
168
snc
after ww11 aus wanted security and stability after two wws and great depression, 50s-60s was time of prosperity
169
ways aus changed after v war
- people became more polotically involved
- role of women had changed
- white aus policy gone
- anti-authoritarian behaviour by young people
- gov questioned
170
gough whitlam elected when and first labor gov in aus in how many years
1972, first in 23 years
171
snc
v war influenced war aus saw its place in world- had considered itself outpost of europe and saw asia with ditrust and suspicion
172
ways aus's international views changed after v war
now started to recognise that was part of asian region and saw economic benefits of having closer ties with neighbours
173
whitlam gov established what and with who in asia after war
diplomatic relations with china and unified gov in vietnam, ad aus started to welcome immigrants- society more culturally diverse
174
snc
a new era of cooperation and trade with asia established and aus became part of asia-pacific economic cooperation (APEC), firmly placing it as a part of asia
