Australia in the Vietnam War

Australia in the Vietnam War Essay

Question: Why was Australia involved in the Vietnam War?

Australia was involved in the Vietnam War in many different ways. These ways were both physically by fighting in the war and political by juggling international treaties and internal policies. One of the main reasons Australia was involved in the Vietnam War was because of the threat of communism, the threat of communism included the “terrifying” Domino theory and at the speed at which communism spread throughout the world. Another reason why Australia was involved in the Vietnam War was because of the involvement of the United States and the treaties and alliances Australia wished to gain and maintain by helping in the Vietnam War. The final reason why Australia was involved in the Vietnam War was because of the Australian fear of communism which was fuelled by events such as the Korean War and the Petrov Affair.

The first reason Australia was involved in the Vietnam War was because of the major threat that was posed by communism. The threat of Communism was amplified by the proposal of the “domino theory”. The “domino theory” explained that countries would “fall” to communism much like dominos. Communism also spread throughout the world with amazing speed. After World War 2 communism spread like wild fire through European countries such as Bulgaria, Albania, Romania and East Germany and Asia in countries such as North Korea and China. This fuelled the belief that Communism was a major and spreading threat to the Australian way of life and Australian society.

Another reason why Australia was involved in the Vietnam War was because of American involvement. America committed fully to the Vietnam War in 1959 and finally withdrew 1975. Australia entered the war mainly because Australia wanted to maintain a strong relationship with the United States. To maintain a strong relationship with the United States Australia at first only trained South Vietnamese soldiers, but...