Australia and The Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was an enduring conflict that took place from 1955 to 1975. It was set against the communist government of North Vietnam and South Vietnam and the United States as its ally. The Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union increased the tension and the conflict that more than 3 million people were killed in the Vietnam War. In the early 1960s, Australia was providing support for south vietnam by keeping with the policies of other nations to section the spread of communism in Asia and Europe. In 1961 and 1962, the leader of South Vietnam Ngo Dinh Diem insisted on security assistance from Australia in which Australia responded with 30 military advisers which was the official beginning of Australia's involvement in the war as the arrival in south vietnam was a great engagement. Later on in 1964 the Royal Australian Air Force sent a flight of Caribou transports to the port town of Vung Tau. By 1965, South Vietnam clearly couldn't avoid and defeat off the communist population and the North Vietnamese for no longer so the US decided to get involved by committing to 200,000 troops to the war which got the US to request support from other countries. The Australian Government provided more support by dispatching the 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR) in 1965 to assist beside the US 173rd Airborne Brigade in Bien Hoa province.
As World War II ended, the United States and the Soviet Union were the most powerful nations in the world in which they were called ‘superpowers’. The United States and the Soviet Union had different ideas about government and economics as they battled a war of ideas called ‘The Cold War’. A Cold War is a war that does not involve direct violence just mere conflict between nations with propaganda, subversion, threats, economic sanctions, and other areas short of openwarfare. This occurred in Europe after World War II due to The Soviet Union being a communist country whereas The United States is a capitalist country. A communist country conducts an economic and social system in which the government controls all property and resources and decides where citizens live and work. However, a capitalist country conducts a social system of having the production of goods be in control by individuals and businesses and by having their own decision of where they want to live and work. As the Cold War was in Europe The Soviet Union won control of Eastern Europe and controlled half of Germany and half of Germany’s capital, Berlin and the United States, Britain and France controlled western Germany and West Berlin. The domino theory originated from the Korean War as the United States found out that communism has started to spread in other countries outside of Europe which became a major threat as they were concerned that communism would end up spreading to all of Southeast Asia like Thailand and Cambodia if it took over South Vietnam. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and V...
