Australia didn’t consider communism as a great threat until after World War II where communism had reached Asia and was right at the doorstep of Australia. The cold war was a period of tension, rivalry and distrust between the most powerful countries- USA who represented Capitalism and the Soviet Union (represented Communism). Communism is a political system that was created by Karl Marx, where the government controls everything including transport, education, property, agriculture and there is little private ownership. The wealth of the country is shared equally into society and each person is paid according to their abilities and needs. The Menzies Liberal Government was determined to fight communism which was spreading to the Asia pacific …show more content…
region. Australia responded in many ways to stop communism from entering Australia such as the referendum to ban communism in Australia. It was believed that if one nation fell into communism other nation would as well like a line of dominos. This was considered the Domino theory which Australia feared. When World War II had finished and communism started spreading into Asia, right on the doorstep of Australia, that’s when the Menzies Government decided to react. After three decades of war and depression Australians wanted stability and security. Throughout the 1930's and most of the 1940's, Australia’s Communist Party gained increasing support within the trade union movement and also from the public. Many people were unemployed and started supporting communism, as communist countries like Russia had no unemployment, where many Australian saw this as a way to get employed. Robert Menzies started to fear that communism would soon take over Australia, so he decided to ban the Communist Party of Australia (CPA) by holding a referendum. In 1950 and 1951 the Federal Government attempted to make the Communist Party illegal in Australia by passing a bill. In order to make this possible a referendum was held on 22nd September, 1951. Unfortunately the referendum did not go through and Menzies decided to make a strict rule of 'innocent until proven guilty' which was used against any Australians that supported communism. An anti-communist feeling continued to grow in Australia after the referendum. In 1954 the Labour Party believed that they could win the upcoming election but their hopes were ruined after the Liberals sensed a communist spy, which leads into the Petrov Affair. The Petrov’s arrived in Australia in February 1951 to work in the Soviet Embassy in Canberra. They were under the cover of being representatives, but both were Soviet spies: Vladimir and his wife, Evdokia. Vladimir Petrov was a soviet spy in Australia, trying to gain Australian political intelligence. His role was to spy on Soviet citizens and to penetrate and undermine anti-Soviet communities in Australia. On the 3rd of April, 1954 Vladimir Petrov defected to Australia after realising he was in danger. He informed the ASIO (Australian Security Intelligence Organisation), with information about the communist spy rings in Australia, their identities and information about the Soviet Union. All this information was exchanged for political asylum. Menzies made an announcement in parliament that a Soviet spy had defected to Australia, where many Australian citizens were in shock and disbelief. Petrov did not inform his wife, Evdokia about his defection and political asylum and later got her taken away to Sydney airport to board a plane. When the plane had stopped at Darwin to refuel, Mrs. Petrov agreed to defect and stay with her husband in Australia. Robert Menzies also announced that the royal commission would investigate into the espionage activities in Australia. Only ten days before the election, the royal commission began to hear evidence about spy rings in Australia. Menzies used this evidence against Dr. Evatt for the elections. After the Petrov affair it made many people question Australia’s security. Which lead to Australia having many alliances with other nations to protect it from communism. The ANZUS Treaty which stands for Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty, was signed in 1951. Prime Minister Robert Menzies was determined to build a more secure position for Australia in the world. The fear of Japanese invasion was a turning point for Australians especially in Australian foreign policy. Australia’s position in the Asia-Pacific region required alliances beyond what Britain could provide, this is where two new alliances were signed to build a more secure Australia. A Treaty was signed with New Zealand and United states which is known as the ANZUS Treaty. Australia, New Zealand and the United States agreed to come to one others aid in case of an attack. The other Treaty signed was the South East Asia Treaty Organisation (SEATO). The ANZUS and SEATO Treaties were the foundations of Australian foreign policy in the Cold War world and were regarded as a great political achievement. Because of Australia having its many allies, it meant that Australia had to take part in many wars.
Australia’s military involvement in Korea, Malaya and Vietnam was all related to the fear of communism spreading into their nations. Only five years after World War 2 another war was declared but this time in Korea. The Korean War broke out in 1950 and lasted for three years until 1953. There were 17, 000 Australian involved in this war in the army, navy and air force and fought as a part of the United Nations multinational force, to defend South Korea from the communist force coming from North Korea. After the war, Australian troops stayed in Korea as military observers. The attempt of North Korea to rule and unite Korea had stopped but killed more than 2 million people and left many Korean people homeless. Still today, Korea is divided into two parts; North and the South. Overall there were 399 soldiers that died, 1,216 were wounded and 29 were held as prisoners where 1 died while being held …show more content…
captive. The Malayan Emergency was declared on the 18th of June 1948, where three British estate managers were murdered in North Malaya.
The three men were murdered by the rebels of the Malayan Communist Party (MCP). The British wanted Malaya to be a non-communist country but many Chinese Malayan’s wanted it to be communist country and eventually started a fight with the British. The Malayan’s and the British asked for military support from Australia. Prime Minister Menzies said in 1955, ‘...if there is to be war for our existence it should be carried on as far from our shores as possible’. The Australian army arrived in Malaya in 1950 and Australia’s involvement in the Malayan Emergency began. By October 1955, the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment (2RAR) arrived in Penang. 2RAR crossed into the mainland in January 1956 to begin anti-communist operations. Over the next 20 months, 2RAR participated in a range of operations, mainly in Perak, one of the main areas of communist activity. 2RAR left Malaya in October 1957 and was replaced by 3RAR soon after, where 3RAR showed early success and by April 1959 one of the main communist centers, Perak, was declared secure. During late 1959 actions against the communists were in their final phase and many communists had crossed Malaya's northern border into Thailand. As the threat of communism began to dissipate, the Malayan Government finally declared the end of the Emergency on the 31st July 1960. The Malayan Emergency was one of
the longest involvements of Australia in military. Overall there were 36 deaths and 20 soldiers wounded. Australia’s involvement in Vietnam was the longest durations of any war in Australian history. Nearly 6000 Australian troops arrived in Vietnam in 1962, including the air force and ground troops. In 1961 and 1962, the South Vietnam Government leader, Ngo Dinh Diem, constantly, requested for security assistance from the US and its allies. That is where Australia came into force to defend South Vietnam form the communist force from the North. By 1965, it became clear that South Vietnam could not fight off the communist rebels; the US commenced a major escalation of the war and called for more support from friendly countries including Australia. By the end of the year 200,000 troops committed to the conflict. The Australian government sent the 1st Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR), in June 1965 to serve alongside the US 173d Airborne Brigade in Bien Hoa province. In 1975 the communists launched an offensive in the north of South Vietnam, resulting in the fall of Saigon on 30 April. The war lasted for 13 years resulting in 521 deaths and over 3,000 soldiers were wounded. Overall, Robert Menzies who was the Prime Minister for over 18 years was determined to make sure communism didn’t enter Australia. He did many things to make sure Australia was secure from communism. Australia was involved in three wars, signed treaties with other nations and held a referendum to ban the communist party of Australia. Australia survived from communism coming in and remained a capitalist country.
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
One of the biggest fears of the American people is that the concept of communism contrasts drastically from the concept of capitalism, which the United States was essentially founded upon. The United States, as the public believed, was not a land of perfect communal equality, but rather a land of equal opportunity. However, what made communism so dangerous can be succinctly described by Eisenhower who compared the spread of communism as the domino effect. As his secretary of state, Dulles, put it, the propagation of communism “would constitute a threat to the sovereignty and independence” of America (Doc B). In addition, the Cold War also planted the seeds of rational fear of a global nuclear war. As Russia caught up to the United States in terms of technological advancements, they successfully developed the atomic bomb as well as the hydrogen bomb, which caused Americans to believe that the USSR would use these weapons of mass destruction to forcefully extend their ideologies to the USA. In fact, Americans were so frantic about a potential nuclear disaster that it...
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.
Since the end of World War II until the mid- eighties , most Americans could agree that communism was the enemy. Communism wanted to destroy our way of life and corrupt the freest country in the world. Communism is an economic system in which a person or group of persons who are in control. The main purpose of communism is to make social and economic status of all individuals of the same . Deletes inequalities in property ownership and wealth distributed equally to everyone . The main problem with this is that a person who is rich can be stripped of most of his fortune to someone else can have more material goods and be his equal .
The foreign and domestic policies during the Cold War lead to both the separation of world powers and the fear of political and social systems throughout the world. After World War 2 had ended, tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union heighted. The agreements made at the Yalta Conference between Churchill, Stalin, and Roosevelt , were not being followed by the Soviets. The Soviet Union kept the land they reconquered in Eastern Europe and did not enforce a democratic government in those countries, as they promised. Instead, the Soviet Union decided to continue spreading communism in their reconquered lands. The United States’ feared the spread of communism and attempted to do anything in its power to stop it. Before the United
Initially, an Australian Army taskforce of 30 men was sent to train and assist South Vietnamese troops, but an unforeseen escalation in communist aggression eventually amounted in the
The Korean War , although successful in preventing the spread of communism, was one of the first tests of communism in Asia. North Korea was strictly communist while South Korea was democratic. As usual, the United States supported democratic South Korea and the Truman Doctrine was applied to the Korean situation. The North Korean forces crossed the dividing line (38th parallel) and invaded South Korea. Thus, they provoked a war over communism. With the possibility of democratic South Korea falling to the communistic North, the U.S. stepped in and supplied aid mostly through troops. The U.S. then urged the United Nations to support South Korea and fight against the communist North. Once the North Korean forces were defeated at Inchon, they eventually got pushed back to the 38th parallel. However, against President Truman’s word, American General MacArthur decided to keep pushing back the North Korean forces by crossing the dividing line. This caused more trouble because the People’s Republic of China (Communist China) now sent troops to aid the communists against the pro...
The only time Australia has come under direct attack from another country, was when Japan bombed Darwin and sunk a number of ships in Sydney, during World War 2. The question then has to be asked, why Australia has been involved in so many conflicts. A number of recent conflicts in this century come to mind, they include, The Boer War, World War One, World War Two and The Vietnam War. By far the conflict that drew the most outrage from Australian citizens was the Vietnam War. Australia has been drawn into these conflicts through a number of treaties and alliances made with other countries. Often it is not the conflicts that have drawn most outrage from Australian citizens, rather the insistence of other countries, for Australia to accept large numbers of post-war refugees.
Overshadowed by the previous, long and devastating Second World War, the Korean War became known by Canadian veterans as the "Forgotten War". After Japan's defeat in World War II, Korea was split into two parts, North Korea and South Korea. North Korea was occupied by the communist country of USSR while South Korea was held by the Americans and other democratic nations. War officially broke out on June 25, 1950, when the North Koreans assaulted across the country's division on the 38th Parallel with their men and artillery behind them. North Korea and its leaders wanted to unify the whole country from its division by taking over South Korea under their government. North Korea was allied with China and the Republic of Korea was supported by democratic nations. Although Canada did not send as many troops as the Americans, Canada played a vital part in the war being victorious over several important battles. The Korean War was significant for Canada because it demonstrated Canada's relations with the US and UN and showcased its growing power among other nations. Canada participated in the Korean War because of their obligation to UN, American influence, and Canada's early misconception of the war.
How did Australia get involved in this? On the 28th of April, 1965, the ambassador of Australia
THE COLD WAR The Cold War was a very complex war. Many ideas, conflicts and emotions were going on. This was a major turning point in the world of war. War is a much more powerful word.
Immediately after World War II, Americans were as happy as ever; the unemployment rate was cut, families were expanding, and America became the most powerful country. However, after just a short time period, this all changed. With the outbreak of the Cold War, Americans began to grow paranoid and apprehensive, convinced that Soviets would eventually invade. It redefined what it meant to be an American because people started to worry that Communists lurked behind every corner, waiting to bounce. Even worse, people could no longer trust others, even their neighbors, because “it was not always easy to determine just who is a Communist” (Document 4). It simply became a way of life. However, shortly after, magazines such as LOOK were published, providing descriptive characteristics that Americans can use to identify communists.
Communism was the ideology followed by the Soviet Union. Originally founded by Karl Marx, it said that everything should be owned by the government and then divided up equally among the people who would then all work for it. For the communist party in Russia, their political system was always in danger. From the start of the Russian Revolution there have been dangers to communism. Before World War II most of the western nations ignored Russia simply because it was a communist state and the western nations actually supported Hitler because they believed that Germany would provided a buffer against Communism. The permanent threat against Russia gave the incentive to expand and spread communist influence as much as possible to keep their way of life intact, it was very much Russia against the world. However not only was the Soviet Union communist, they were totalitarian, meaning all the power was with the rulers. While this was effective for keeping the standard average of living the same for everyone and preventing poverty, it also led to a poor work ethic among the working population...
The idea of the globalisation of Australian businesses, the process where businesses develop themselves internationally is one of the main issues in our current society. The concept of globalisation has occurred due to many factors, such as reduced trade barriers, a reduction in tariffs and quotas, new developments in technology and also new innovations in transportation technology. These factors that have caused globalisation can result in many consequences, both positive and negative. These consequences are free trade caused by a reduction in tariffs and environmental costs such as pollution caused by factories and greenhouse gasses causing global warming.
The Korean War explicitly portrayed the atrocious battle between both the North and South side which gave the United Nations its military role for the first time, thus expanding the war from a domestic to an international scale. Sometimes called “The Forgotten War”, the Korean War was mainly overshadowed in historical terms by the conflicts that occurred before and after it, World War II and the Vietnam War. The Korean War had raged for years without a true resolution and after years of battles, even the compromise that was made was not a complete one. The current situation in North and South Korea is quite volatile. In order to apprehend the Korean War, one has to look at events that took place before the war, how the war was conducted and the aftermath of the War.