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The threat of communism australia
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Alleged Communist plots were gradually growing post World War II and through the 1940s – 1950s, there was a fear to undermine Australian Society. Across the globe Britain, American and Australia had an underlying fear, which was the revolt of suburban security being taken away by the cause of communist plots. Australia’s attitude towards this was to attempt to expose and remove all communists and communist plots across all of society within Australia. (Skwirk, 2014)
Fear of communists within there own society was definitely a threat that was in the mind of the Australian government but also the fear of communist invasion from outside of Australia.
After World War II and the problems that it had created, Australians just wanted security and peace. Despite the economic and political stability within Australia, it was still a time of tension and fear. (Skwirk, 2014)
In 1949, the fear of communism sweeping the world became an Australian election issue; the ‘domino theory’ would later come into play. Robert Menzies, the leader of the Liberal Party, made an election promise to outlaw the Communist Party in Australia because the Australian citizens believed that there was a danger for their prosperity. They allegedly assumed that communists had infiltrated their trade unions and political parties. (Retroactive pg. 225, 2010)
An uprising of propaganda in Australia started presenting itself in many ways. In the 1950s anti-communist films were created to explain how communism had crumbled 800 million people. Similarly compared to World War II, fear and disgust was the driving force of the influencing of the people.
‘Reds under the beds’ was the name given to the communists and their supporters were considered potential rebels and e...
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...wirk Australia. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.skwirk.com/p-c_s-56_u-490_t-1333_c-5124/the-fear-of-communism-in-australia/tas/the-fear-of-communism-in-australia/australia-after-1945/the-spread-of-communism-after-world-war-ii. [Accessed 23 March 2014].
Why Australia entered the War, Why did Australia become involved in the Vietnam War?, Australia in the Vietnam War Era, History Year 9, NSW | Online Education Home Schooling Skwirk Australia. 2014. Why Australia entered the War, Why did Australia become involved in the Vietnam War?, Australia in the Vietnam War Era, History Year 9, NSW | Online Education Home Schooling Skwirk Australia. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.skwirk.com/p-c_s-14_u-116_t-314_c-1060/why-australia-entered-the-war/nsw/history/australia-in-the-vietnam-war-era/why-did-australia-become-involved-in-the-vietnam-war-. [Accessed 23 March 2014].
On September 3, 1939 Prime Minister, Robert Gordon Menzies, declared the commencement of Australia's involvement in the Second World War on every national and commercial radio station. From 1942 until early 1944, Australian forces, especially Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders played a key role in the Pacific War forming the majority of Allied strength throughout the South West Pacific. Aboriginal and Torres Strait islanders affected Australia’s World War Two efforts in their extended volunteering and willingness to fight and die in the war. Aboriginal people were a crucial part of defending the Australian home front, in which they had limited or no rights. Many experienced equal treatment to white Australians for the first time in their
Shadowing World War II, there was an amplified fear of communism in Australia. The influence of the threat of Communism in Australian local politics from 1945 to the 1950’s was very strong as you can see through Robert Menzies, the Petrov Affair, The fear of Ussr spies, the royal commission and the Alp split show relevant threats to the Australian Domestic politics by saying they are spies, traitors and liars.
In summary, Australian society experienced a phenomenal change during the World War II era upon consideration of women’s roles. The contribution to World War II made by women was significant. They took part in every opportunity that arose, which shows the desperation of change that women wanted. The government’s support for women to work outside their traditional gender expectations, the chance for women to achieve more knowledge with regards to military, the creation of the Women’s Land Army and voluntary work all play a major role in changing the social status and working lives of women. World War II expanded the roles of women in Australian society in ways that were thought to be ridiculous. In short, the role of women in Australian society changed phenomenally during the World War II era.
“The war would be glorious, exciting and ‘over by Christmas’.” This is what people were hearing at the time. Australia was not geographically close to the war in Europe and they did not know the realities of war. They got a huge shock when they became part of it.... ...
The First World War or World War 1 was a conflict between Britain and Germany, which spread over Europe predominantly beginning on the 28th of July 1914 until the 11th of November 1918. AS soon as the war began, Prime Minister Andrew Fisher's government pledged full support for Britain in an effort to defend Britain or the “Mother Country”. As enlistment came up for Australian men, thousands people across the country rushed to enlist for what they thought would be an opportunity to adventure Europe with the war supposedly ending before Christmas. With the propaganda at the government’s advantage, they could easily manipulate the Australian’s public view on what life, as a soldier would be like. As the pain of loss began to strike the citizens of Australia, views on what war was like changed and reality began to hit. This meant enlistment around Australia was significantly reduced especially after Gallipoli where there were the most casualties, which hit Australia hard. As time grew on
The Red Scare in the 1950’s was actually America’s second red scare. The 1920’s red scare was what helped start suspicion over Communists, but was put off during World War 2. It was no coincidence that what many people called the second red scare ignited after World War 2, during the Cold War, in the 1950’s. The 1920’s red scare started because Americans were paranoid over the fact that Russia may seek revenge after they had overthrown a royal Russian family in 1917. What started Communist ideas in the U.S at the time was the fact that since the war was over many of people were out of jobs which caused people to ask how efficient was the government. The most successful and noteworthy of all the Soviet parties in the 1920’s had to be the International Workers of the World, which was also called the I.W.W or the Wobblies. The Wobblies first strike was on January 21 1919 where about 35,000 shipyard workers struck. They were immediately labeled reds, or Communists. After the first strike mass panic struck the U.S and many major chain stores had to reassure their customers that their workers would not revolt. A mayor named Ole Hansen from Seattle took the Wobblies strikes personally. Strikes continued over the next 6 months and were labeled as “crimes against society”, “conspiracies against the government” and even “plots to establish Communism”. This was when Attorney General A. “
The Communist Party was one of the main sections in Soviet society that was impacted profoundly by Stalin’s terror. In 1935, the assassination of Sergei Kirov, a faithful Communist and Bolshevik party member that had certain popularity, threatening Stalin’s consolidation of power, initiated The Great Purge. His death, triggering three important, widely publicised ‘show trials’ in Moscow, ultimately encouraged the climate of terror during the Great Purge. Bolsheviks Zinoviev, Kamenev and their associates were accused of conspiring against Stalin and the government, with each confessing to their supposed crimes, which were then broadcast around the world. It was later discovered that these confessions were forced after long months of psychological abuse and cruel acts of torture. As Stalin...
The Australian participation in WW2 was similar to that of WW1 in many ways. After the British declared war on Germany on September 3rd 1939, an Australian declaration of war was automatic. Aussie troops were soon sent to different parts of the world to help the British and other allied countries. It was not until late 1941 that they were recalled in order to defend the homefront. Darwin had been suddenly attacked by Japanese planes and small enemy submarines had snuck into Sydney Harbour. Darwin was repeatedly bombed by Japanese planes until July 1941, when along with American troops, the Aussies managed to drive them out of the Solomon Islands and northeastern New Guinea and eliminate a strong Japanese base at Rabaul. Without General MacArthur's troops, the enemy may very well have invaded Australia. This illustrates the importance of alliances.
There were Communists infiltrating America, and it seemed McCarthy was the only one actively trying to find it. McCarthy governed the U.S. people with fear for three years, was censored, and now is being proven correct, despite people trying to hide the truth. 1950 Joseph McCarthy, U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, began a crusade of anti-communism (Bartlett). In this period of time “the widespread accusations and investigations of suspected Communist activities in the U.S.” became known as ‘McCarthyism’ (Reeves). Many events happened during the McCarthyism era to justify his suspicions; Communism was spreading throughout Czechoslovakia and China, and North Korea invaded the South –which started the Korean War (Reeves).
...e American Dream. Larry Ceplair and Englund stated in the book The Inquistion in Hollywood, “The destruction of the motion picture Left not only transformed the political atmosphere in Hollywood, but also adversely affected the kind of product which the studios turned out. “ In the early 20th century Hollywood reframed from producing politically controversial films in fear of becoming a target of McCarthy or the HUAC. Anti-communism influences the films produced, films portrayed communism as evil and immoral. The films during the cold war certainly portrayed the political storm between the progressive left and the conservative right. Films such as Ninotchka in 1939, showed anti-communism, guilty of Treason 1949, showed an attack against communism, exploiting the evils of communism was shown in Docudrama. The Red Menace in 1949 showed the immense threat f communism.
During the late 1840’s the idea of Communism had risen among the European powers. Communism is the idea of “the movement that aims to overthrow the capitalist order by revolutionary means and to establish a classless society in which all goods will be socially owned.”[1] During this era the idea of a movement advancing towards the highest form of social organization and togetherness rose within the European countries. “It [communism] settles the question of men and nature, existence and essence, freedom and necessity, individual and collectiveness.”[2] The Communist Manifesto reflects an attempt to explain the goals of Communism, as well as the theory underlying the communist movement.
The Australia, New Zealand and US (ANZUS) treaty was signed on the 1st of September in 1951. The ANZUS treaty is a military alliance; the treaty binds Australia, New Zealand and the United States, to support one another. The experience of World War II, when Australia and New Zealand faced possible invasion by Japan after the fall of Singapore in 1942 and the retreat of Britain from the region, had driven the two countries to seek the protection of the new hegemon on the block, the United States (Thalakada, 2012, p.104). The threat from Japan was real and this changed the way Australia had viewed itself, Australia had generally viewed itself as British. Having lost a sense of security in the British to aid in Australia’s defense, Australia looked to America for an alliance. The ties to Great Brit...
There are different views in concern to the subject of Australia’s culture and the relations to the government and history. Many claim that Australia’s blend of global influences-the cross-fertilisation of cultures by the dominant political powers of Great Britain, the United States, and emerging neighbours in Asia.
The threat of Communism on Australia domestic politics was high from 1945 towards the 1950s. The Menzies government presented policies that were directly connected to the communism matter in Australia. These policies were established during the Cold War period, at a time when the fear of communism was at its highest. The fear in Australia was demonstrated by the Petrov Affair. Furthermore, communist fears in Australia were demonstrated by political action and proposed legislation. The Alp spilt was a major turn in the Labor Party in 1955. The 1950's were a time of great distrust and tension over communism on Australian domestic politcis.
In this essay I will argue that Gough Whitlam, His Government and His Policies changed Australia and the Australian way of life. I will argue this by examining some of his best known policies. Specifically the ones aimed at the everyday Australian and how the pol...