04+Differing+views+about+the+war

= Supporters of the War =

Introduction
From the day the Menzies government announced Australian troops were going to be sent to Vietnam there was division in Australian society. Many people supported the government's decision, but others did not. As the war dragged on, opposition became more prevalent as support declined.

The press
After the first announcement there was general support from the news outlets for the government's policy. It was not, however, the type of support that had greeted previous Australian involvement in wars. There was little mention of words like 'heroic' and more mention of words like 'grave decision' and 'inevitable'. There was no jingoistic, patriotic flag-waving. Many of the papers simply said Australia had no alternative, given its geographical position and its treaty commitments.

The Liberal Party
The Liberal Party rallied behind the leadership of Menzies, showing a lot of support for the action. When Menzies retired in 1966 and Harold Holt took over the leadership, the party rallied behind him. Holt brought Australia into an even closer relationship with America. He struck up a close friendship with the American President Lyndon Baines Johnson - popularly known as LBJ. In 1966 after a visit to Washington, where Holt was given a very friendly welcome by Johnson, he enthusiastically declared that when it came to Vietnam, Australia was 'All the way with LBJ'.



[[file:ppoint ALL THE WAY WITH LBJ ppoint.pptx]]

 * 1. What do you think the caption of the poster would be?**
 * 2. Why do you think the poster was published?** **What is its purpose?**

The Catholic Church
There was some Liberal Catholic opposition to the war which grew over the years, but in 1965 the majority of outspoken Catholic opinion was firmly behind Menzies, America and the Republic of Vietnam.

The reactions of the wider community
Opinion polls also showed widespread support among the people for the government decision to go to war. In a Morgan Gallup poll held in May 1965, 52 percent said they supported government policy in Vietnam, 37 percent opposed it and 11 percent were undecided. The same poll also showed there was widespread belief in the domino effect theory and that it was a popular reason for sending troops into Vietnam. = Opposition to the Wa​r =

Introduction
Anti-war protests had been taking place in Australia since 1962 when the first military advisors had been sent in to Vietnam. Since then, protests had taken place for various reasons at various times, but it was not until the announcement in April 1965 that they really began to take shape.

The Australian Labor Party (ALP)
The ALP was against the commitment of troops to Vietnam but it was difficult to form a coherent policy for a party that was very widely split over many issues. While being against the War, he could not be seen to be anti-American or worse, unpatriotic. He supported the ideas of the British and Canadian governments who had wanted the United States to enter negotiations with North Vietnam. Labor saw the war as essentially a civil one in which Australia should not get involved.

The trade unions
Many of the trade unions called the government support of America's foreign policy in Vietnam 'blood for dollars', or 'diggers for dollars'. They believed the Australian government was sacrificing the lives of Australian troops to ensure that America would boost the economy by spending more in Australia. In response to this belief and the announcement of troops being sent to Vietnam, unions like the Waterside Workers Federation, wanted to hold work stoppages in protest.

The Protestant churches
Unlike the Catholic Church, the Protestant churches were divided over the issue of Vietnam. Even before Menzies had committed the troops, a group of Anglican bishops had asked him in a series of open letters to the newspapers, not to increase the Australian commitment in Vietnam. After the announcement, the Anglican Church hierarchy supported the decision and opinion was divided. The Methodist Church came out as strongly anti-war. They supported the idea of a group of churches coming together to oppose the government as had happened in America.

=** Developing anti war movement **=

Background
When the announcement was made that troops were being sent to Vietnam, the Menzies government was sure of widespread support for its policies. Although both Labor and the press criticised the government, they could offer no alternative. The anti-communist unions, the Catholic Church and senior Anglican bishops supported the government and there was some support within universities. Among the wider electorate there was also support for the War because of the fear of the spread of communism.

Conscription
The Vietnam War was the first time Australian conscripts were sent abroad in peace time. Universal conscription and compulsory military training had been in place during and after the Second World War. Conscription was briefly abandoned in 1958 but the //National Service Act// 1964(Cth) re-introduced conscription for 20-year-old men the year before the 1st RAR was committed to Vietnam. The first conscripts, (National Servicemen), arrived in Vietnam in April 1966. The next month, the first national serviceman was killed. Early protests against conscription were held by religious groups and the Communist Party of Australia. They encouraged men not to register when they turned 20 and urged them to refuse to fight. If a man could prove he was a pacifist (had strong moral objections to war) before a judge then he could be granted an exemption from National Service.
 * 1. What do you think the caption of the poster would be?**
 * 2. Why do you think the poster was published?** **What is its purpose?**




 * 1. What do you think the caption of the poster would be?**
 * 2. Why do you think the poster was published?** **What is its purpose?**

Anti-conscription protestors
What started as anger over conscription, soon turned into anger over the Vietnam War and what Australia was doing there. Groups like the Draft Resistance Movement, Students for a Democratic Society, the Monash Pacifist Society, Youth Against Conscription and Save Our Sons (SOS) were all formed to counter conscription, but all became firmly anti-war as the conflict in Vietnam dragged on year after year. SOS was set up in June 1965 by a group of women. The movement soon grew and SOS groups were set up in all the major cities around the country. Members were usually women who had sons old enough to be conscripted, but some were mothers of younger children. SOS started off as just anti-conscription but as time went on became anti-war. They protested at Central Station in Sydney in June 1965 as the first conscripts were leaving for training.

The anti-conscription movement only grew as the war went on, especially when men began to be arrested for refusing to obey their call-up to National Service. Bill White, a 21-year-old teacher from Sydney, refused to report as a National Serviceman in July 1966. After losing two battles for exemption under the conscientious objector laws, he appeared in court and was imprisoned for not complying with his call-up orders. By 1968 young men were not only trying to gain exemptions from National Service but were refusing to register at all. The government introduced two-year jail terms for this offence and at first the men were sent to a military prison to serve their sentences. This was changed when their harsh treatment there became public knowledge.

By 1969 the anti-conscription movement had grown beyond all recognition. The government could no longer write them off as just mothers groups and university students. The wider community had started to show its support for the anti-conscription/anti-war groups. Academics, professionals, trade unions and people from all cross-sections of Australian society began to show greater opposition to the government's policies on Vietnam.



Reporting of the War
One of the reasons that the anti-conscription movement started to receive such massive support was the fact that this was the first 'live' war in Australian history. The battlefield was no longer an abstract idea described in newspaper reports. With the rise of TV news reporting, the battlefield was now in people's homes every evening. The full horror of the Vietnam War was being reported on television and more people were becoming aware that this was not like any war that had been fought before. Being on the ground, reporters could not be censored as they had been in wars earlier in the century. Their presence helped to uncover many injustices of the war on both sides, and gradually the majority of news outlets began to become anti-war. What they were seeing and reporting on could not in any way they felt, justify the reasons given for foreign intervention in Vietnam. TV images of battles like the Tet Offensive and the My Lai Massacre were making the news every evening; therefore, it was impossible for the average Australian to ignore what was going on. They could no longer detach themselves from the reality of what their government was sending their young men into.

= The Morotorium Movement =

Introduction
By 1970, the Vietnam War had become the longest war in which Australia had ever been involved. The anti-war movement had grown from small demonstrations into huge rallies, marches, sit-ins, church services and candlelight vigils. The people who took part were not all political and social radicals. Many ordinary Australians were coming out in opposition to the war. The moratorium rallies were an outpouring of that support with huge numbers of people taking to the streets to demonstrate the strength and power behind the anti-war movement. They believed if they could prove there was enough popular support for withdrawing from Vietnam, then the government would have to listen.

The beginnings of the moratorium movement
The first moratorium on Vietnam took place in America. Hundreds of thousands of people stopped work for the day and marched in the streets to protest American involvement in the war. The Australian moratoriums were organised by representatives of the major anti-war groups in the aftermath of the My Lai massacre coming to light and the defeat of the Labor Party in the 1969 federal election. They met in November 1969 and announced that an Australian moratorium would be held in May the following year. Its aims were twofold: firstly, to force a withdrawal of Australian and other foreign troops from Vietnam and secondly, to repeal the //National Service Act 1964// (Cth). The moratoriums were a turning point in the anti-war movement in Australia as it was the first time that there would be a nationwide response to Vietnam. Until that point, demonstrations had been independently organised by the various different peace groups, with no central organisation. That was all about to change. It was announced in December 1969 that in line with the beginning of American withdrawal, one Australian battalion would be brought home by the middle of 1970. This did not stop the moratorium movement - they continued to make plans for the rallies and continued to demand immediate withdrawal of all troops.

The first moratorium
The first Vietnam Moratorium took place on 8 and 9 May 1970 and over 200 000 people across Australia took part. In Melbourne, an estimated 100 000 marched. It was a peaceful demonstration with no arrests made. It was also a defining moment for many Australians who had never openly declared their support for the peace groups. It was a very sensitive and divisive issue, many people went against their families' and friends' beliefs to march in the moratoriums - some people even disguised themselves so as not to be recognised.

The second Vietnam Moratorium in September 1970 was smaller, however, more violence occurred. Approximately 50 000 people participated and there were violent incidents between police and demonstrators. Two hundred people were arrested in Sydney alone.

The third moratorium in June 1971 closed the centre of many of the major cities. In Melbourne there was another march of nearly 100 000 people. By this time public opinion was beginning to turn decisively against conscription and Australian involvement in the war.



The effects of the moratorium movement
The strength of the moratorium movement did shock the government. They were surprised at the level of ant-Vietnam and anti-government feeling in the country. They had thought the announcement of the withdrawal of a battalion would be enough to appease the people, but they were wrong. They had only just won the 1969 federal election and they were starting to realise that after more than 20 years in power, they were no longer invincible. The Liberal Party was starting to fall apart. By the end of the war in 1972 it became obvious that the majority of Australians were anti-conscription. Australians no longer wanted the prestige that supposedly came with fighting wars, and they no longer agreed with the 'Forward Defence' policy of going out and meeting the threat where it was. The graphic nightly news broadcasts of the conflict in Vietnam had increased ordinary Australians' dislike for the war; until they no longer believed they should be fighting or that the war could be won.

Withdrawal from Vietnam
Despite their superior technology, it did not seem the Americans would be able to achieve an outright victory. As a result, America was determined to step up the training for the South Vietnamese army and begin a withdrawal of its troops. This policy was also adopted by the Australian Government. Between November 1970 and December 1971, Australian troops were slowly withdrawn from Vietnam. As each battalion completed its tour of duty, it was not replaced. Only a small advisory force remained to represent Australia. This was in accordance with the American withdrawal policy, but was also spurred on by the anti-war movement in Australia. Six months after the third Moratorium, the Liberal Party, now led by William McMahon, was defeated in the federal election by the Australian Labor Party (ALP). The ALP, now led by E. G. (Gough) Whitlam had campaigned on the platform of ending conscription. They immediately abolished conscription and freed those who had been imprisoned for resisting it. Whitlam also announced that the last of the Australian troops in Vietnam would come home. Australian involvement was officially over after ten years.

The end of the Vietnam War
In 1973, the Americans and North Vietnamese signed a peace deal which saw the withdrawal of the majority of American troops from South Vietnam. The war between North and South Vietnam continued. Without American support, the South Vietnamese government could not hold back the forces of the Viet Cong and North Vietnam. In April 1975 the world watched in horror as Saigon was captured by the communists and thousands of South Vietnamese people fought to get on the last US helicopters to leave the city. The Vietnam War was over and the country had been reunited under communist rule - something America had spent 20 years, billions of dollars and 55 000 dead soldiers trying to stop.