AUSTRALIA IN

THE VIETNAM
WAR

Student Name:

1
 OUTCOMES & CONTENT

Overview of the fallout following WWII and the impact of hostile superpowers on the modern world.
Students:
● outline the global effects of WWII
● locate and sequence historical events (WWI, WWII, Cold War, Korean War, ANZUS, SEATO and Vietnam)
● describe the political turmoil and global conflict of this time

Importance of Australia’s response to global conflict.

Students:
● define communism and outline the political ideology behind its regime
● locate and sequence key events in Australia’s response to the threat of communism in Asia following WWII
● explain the purpose of the treaties Australia contracted during this period (ANZUS and SEATO)
● outline the responses to communism both inside and outside of Australia (e.g. Korean War, treaties,
Referendum, Petrov Affair)

Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War

Students:
● locate Vietnam on a world map
● describe the political situation in Vietnam at the time of the war
● explain the reasons why Australia became involved in the Vietnam War (e.g. containment, forward defence,
alliances, insurance policy)

The nature of the Vietnam War

Students:
● describe the nature/main events of the Vietnam War (timeline)
● research the tactics used in the Vietnam War
● describe the casualties and injuries resulting from the Vietnam War
● discuss the nature of the Vietnam War using a case study on one significant battle

Responses to Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War

Students:
● locate, select and analyse a variety of sources that depict the response of Australian’s to Australia’s involvement
in the Vietnam War
● identify and explain the reasons why some supported Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War (e.g. Catholic
Church and the Press)
● identify and explain the reasons why some opposed Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War (e.g.
Moratorium movement and Trade Unions)

Influence and Impact of the Vietnam War on Australia

Students:
● assess the impact of the war on Vietnam veterans and their families
● outline the influence and impact of the Vietnam War on Australian society
● describe the rising influence of Asian nations since the end of the Vietnam War

2
 TITLE PAGE & ESSENTIAL QUESTION
(Lesson 1)

Task 1: Create a title page in your book. Incorporate the unit title,
essential question and key words, phrases & images.

OVERVIEW OF THE VIETNAM WAR

(Lesson 1)

Task 2: Fill in the overview below using the audio clip.

The Vietnam War was one of Australia’s __________ military commitments. In _____, the
Australian government sent the first group of military advisers to Vietnam. In _____, the
last Australian service personnel returned home. The ______ of the Vietnam War is still
felt today by those who experienced the war and its aftermath. Differing _____ on
Australia’s involvement in the war divided families and communities, and many expressed
their _________ in mass anti-war ______ and marches. It was a time when Australia
started to become a culturally _______ society, and a time when many Australians were
willing to be openly ________ of their government’s views and decisions. A continuing
legacy of the Vietnam War era is Australia’s recognition of its place in ______ and the
need to foster close __________ with Asian neighbours.

BIG IDEAS

➜ How did the Australian Government respond to the global fallout following WWII and the
ensuing threat of communism after the war?
➜ Why did Australia become involved in the Vietnam War?
➜ What were the responses to Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War?
➜ What were the influences and impacts of the war on Australia and/or neighbouring
countries?

K-W-L CHART
Task 3: Create the below K-W-L Chart below by following the instructions:
1. Fill in the K and W columns of the chart.
2. Watch the clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tNTh6KlXXU
3. Fill in the L column based on information you learnt from the clip.

What I Know What I Want to Know What I Learnt

● ● ●

3
 GLOSSARY TERMS
(Lesson 2)

Task 1: Research the following terms and write the definitions. Be sure to write
the definitions in your own words.

Term Definition

Democracy

Socialism

Communism

Capitalism

Imperialism/Colonialism

Paranoia

Forward Defence

Containment

Guerilla Warfare

Agent Orange

Save Our Sons

Veteran

Returned & Services

League

Censorship

Home Front

Espionage

Vietnam

Communism

Vietcong

Allies/Alliances

Conscription

Unconstitutional

4
 Referendum

ANZUS

SEATO

Petrov

Domino Theory

Moratorium

Democracies

Hostile

Superpowers

Ideology

Propaganda

5
 AFTERMATH OF WWII
(Lesson 3)

Learning Intention: To examine the global effects of World War II.

Task 1: Read the information below and highlight key points.

● The instability created in Europe by the first World War (1914-1918) set the stage
for World War II (1939-1945).
● Adolf Hitler, the leader of Germany rearmed the nation and signed treaties with
Japan and Italy. These nations had ambitions for world domination.
● Britain and France declared war on these nations as they continued to invade
nations
● World War II was the deadliest war in history as approximately 50 million people
died. The Holocaust saw 6 million Jews die at the hands of German Nazi’s.
● Europe was left in ruins and was increasingly vulnerable.
● During WWII, the US and Russia (previously known as the Soviet Union) were allies
in the war against Germany, Italy and Japan (Axis).
● The US launched an atomic bomb on Japan and so Japan was forced to surrender.
● After WWII, the Soviet Union (USSR) and the United States emerged as world
superpowers.

Task 2: Watch the YouTube clip and answer the following questions in your
ACV book under the heading The Aftermath of World War II.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4_PCq_SMcM

1. “To think that the end of the war means the end of resentment is naive”. Comment
on this statement. What does the narrator mean in the light of the end of World War
II?
2. How much of the Soviet Union’s population died at the hands of the Nazis?
3. How was the post-war period almost as horrific as the war, as seen in Vienna?
4. What did countries in Eastern Europe do to the Germans?
5. Fill in the following sentence: “Anti-Semitism wasn’t a German __________, it was a
___________ and a _________ one”. What does this statement mean?
6. How many women had their heads shaved in France? Why did this happen?

6
 AFTERMATH OF WWII
(Lesson 4)

Learning Intention: To examine the global effects of World War II.

Task 1: Read the information below on The Cold War and highlight key
details.

● Shortly after WWII, the two nations (US and USSR) couldn’t work together due to
their differences mainly due to their conflicting ideologies.
● The US adopted a democratic, capitalist society and the Soviet Union held
communist ideologies.
● The Cold War can be seen as a conflict between the values of communism and the
values of capitalism.
● The Soviet Union had developed an ‘Iron Curtain’ as British Prime Minister
Winston Churchill stated.
● This meant that Russia had begun dominating neighbouring countries which
separated Europe into TWO blocs – the Eastern and Western bloc.
● This was a sign of increased power by the Soviet Union and thus the spread of
communism.
● In the same way, Communism was also spreading through Asia. In 1949, the
Chinese communists took control of China under Mao Zedong, intensifying the
fears of the capitalist world that communism was about to spread to South-East
Asia.

7
The Eastern Bloc → also known as the Communist Bloc, the Socialist Bloc and the Soviet
Bloc was a group of communist states under the leadership of the Soviet Union (USSR).
The Western Bloc → also referred to as the “Free World” or the “Western World” includes
the capitalist countries who were under the leadership of the United States & their Allies.
● The conflict between the Eastern and Western blocs became known as the Cold
War because there was never any ‘hot war’ (direct warfare against each other)
between these nations.
● The US backed the Western bloc and the Soviet Union (Russia) backed the Eastern
bloc.
● During the Cold War, the US became paranoid about these communist nations
invading their nations and the Soviet Union was paranoid about the US invading
them also.
● Therefore, the Cold War was a period of time where both nations were
accumulating deadly weapons and getting ready to fight the nation that tried to
invade them. This became known as a nuclear arms race.

Task 2: Complete the instructions for the source analysis below.

Source A
It is now clear that South-East Asia is the target of a co-ordinated offensive
directed by the Kremlin [Soviet government] … motivated in part by a desire to
gain control of South-East Asia’s resources and communication lines and deny
them to us … The extension of Communist authority in China represents a
grievous political defeat for us; if South-East Asia is also swept by communism …
the repercussions … will be felt throughout the rest of the world, especially in the
Middle East and in a then critically exposed Australia.

Extract from a UN National Security Council document endorsed by President

Truman in 1949.

1. Highlight the phrases that indicate that the document is written in a

biased perspective.
2. Answer the following question in the space below: What are the
potential threats to Australia outlined in this source?

8
 Task 3: Read the information below on the Korean War and highlight key
details.

● The Korean War was fought from 1950 to 1953 between South Korea and North Korea.
● The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) wanted Korea to unite under one
communist ideology.
● Soviet leader Joseph Stalin supported the decision of the leader of North Korea, Kim Il Sung, to
invade South Korea. China also supported North Korea’s ambitions.
● The UN ordered the North Korean army to retreat, but the North Koreans refused.
● The Republic of Korea (south) was supported by the United States which persuaded the United
Nations to side with her.
● Australia was one of the 21 members of the United Nations which sent military forces to aid the
south. Australia also fought the Korean War because we were part of the SEATO alliance.

Useful Clips: If you would like to further enhance your knowledge of the
Cold War and the Korean War, watch the following clips
→https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpYCplyBknI (Cold War)
→ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmM2Y275TR0 (Korean War)

9
 QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
(Lesson 5)

Task 1: Answer each of the following questions below.

1. Identify THREE global conflicts at the time. (3 marks)

2. Describe the effects of WWII on the globe. (4 marks)
3. Why would a Capitalist nation like Australia be threatened by communism? (3 marks)
4. Explain how TWO wars posed a threat to Australia. (4 marks)

Language of Time Sequence Language of Cause & Effect

following results in
during due to
furthermore consequences of
subsequently provoked by
from the early … to the late … (decade) therefore
between consequently
repercussions of

10
 HISTORICAL EVENTS
(Lesson 6)

Learning Intention: locate and sequence historical events.

Task 1: Research each of the following historical events and create a

timeline in your ACV books. You should also write a short description of
each of the historical events. Take a photo of your timeline as evidence
and upload below.

Vietnam War ANZUS Cold War WWII

SEATO WWI Korean War

11
 COMMUNISM VS. CAPITALISM
(Lesson 7)

Learning Intention: to examine the positives and negatives of communist and

capitalist societies.

Task 1: Find the definitions for the following terms and write them in your
own words in the spaces below.

Communism:

Capitalism:

Task 2: Use the information in this slide to fill in the table below.

COMMUNISM CAPITALISM

● ●

Task 3: Research the ideologies and find advantages and disadvantages

for each (at least 3).

COMMUNISM

Advantages Disadvantages

● ●
● ●
● ●

CAPITALISM

Advantages Disadvantages

● ●
● ●
● ●

12
 AUSTRALIA’S INVOLVEMENT IN THE VIETNAM WAR
(Lesson 8)

Learning Intention: To understand Australia’s response to communism.

Task 1: Read the information, highlight the key ideas & watch the clips.
The cornerstone of Australian defence planning in the early 1960s was 'forward defence', a concept
which complemented the United States policy of 'containment' of Communism in south-east Asia and
embraced Australia's obligations under the South-East Asia Treaty Organisation (SEATO).

US Policy of Containment
The Containment policy was a US Foreign Policy that developed during the Cold War. Its aim was to contain
Communism to the countries it was already within and not allow it to spread throughout the world.
This went hand in hand with the ideology of The Domino Theory. The domino theory held that a communist
victory in one nation would quickly lead to a chain reaction
of communist takeovers in neighboring states. In Southeast
Asia, the United States government used the domino theory
to justify its support of a non-communist regime in South
Vietnam against the communist government of North
Vietnam, and ultimately its increasing involvement in the
long-running Vietnam War (1954-75).

The following slip is a ‘horror’ movie trailer aiming to display

the fear of communism by the United States.
Watch the clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JNHyDOWdYw

The following clip displays the attitudes of American Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon
towards the spread of Communism, clearly displaying their belief in the Domino Theory.
Watch the clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QP9QDRDLw6c

Forward Defence
The Forward Defence policy implemented by Australia in regards to the Vietnam War, was that it is better to
fight the war against communism on the enemy’s territory rather than in Australia.

'There was a time when we permitted ourselves to think . . . that any great war would be thousands of
miles away from us.
But that day has gone . . . I call upon all Australians to realise the basic truth . . . that if there
is to be war for our existence, it should be carried on by us as far from our soil as possible.
It would be a sorry day for the security of Australia if we were driven to defend ourselves on
our own soil, for that would connote the most disastrous defeats abroad and the most incredible
difficulties for our friends and allies desiring to help us….
The simple English of this matter is that with our vast territory and our small population we
cannot survive a surging Communist challenge from abroad except by the cooperation of
powerful friends, including in particular the United Kingdom and the United States . . .”

(Extract from Australian House of Representatives, Commonwealth Parliamentary Debates,

13
 1955, vol. HR6).

Task 2: Find a definition for the ‘Domino Theory’ and put it in your own
words.

‘Domino Theory’:

‘Forward Defence’: Australia’s strategy against a possible threat to Australia’s security from Asia
was called ‘forward defence’. The idea was to meet any possible threat before it came too close to
Australian shores. ‘Forward defence’ meant that Australia would willingly commit troops to
conflicts well beyond its shores to counter potential threats.

This strategy was behind the decisions made by the Menzies government to contribute forces to
conflicts in Asia, where it was thought that communists were attempting to take power. Australian
troops were sent to:
-the Korean War (1950–1953) in support of both Britain and the USA as part of a UN force
-the Malaya Emergency (1950–1960) in support of the British
-the Vietnam War (1954–1973) in support of the USA.

Task 3: Use the sources below to answer the questions in your ACV books.
Attach a photo of the completed work after the sources to show evidence
of learning.

1. Research and find out how many countries had fallen to communism by 1950. Discuss
whether this number supports the validity of the ‘Domino Theory’.
2. Discuss the idea of ‘forward defence’. What events in Asia led Australian leaders to
believe in this approach? Do you think it is an effective defence strategy for Australia?
3. Analyse the Sources 11.18 and 11.19. To what extent do they give only one perspective
on the issue of communism in Asia?
4. Explain how Source 11.20 would have been used to influence the Australian public’s
feelings on the potential threat.

14
15
 CAUSES OF THE US AND AUSTRALIAN INVOLVEMENT IN THE
VIETNAM WAR
(Lesson 9)

Task 1: Read the information below and highlight the key points/answer the
appropriate questions.

Vietnam is a country in south-east Asia. There were a number of long-term and short-term
reasons to explain why the USA and Australia became involved in Vietnam in the late 1950s.

Reason 1 - Vietnamese Independence

● Before World War II Vietnam had been part of the French Empire.
● During World War II, Vietnam was invaded by Japan. Ho Chi Minh was the leader of the
Vietminh, a resistance army which fought for Vietnamese independence.
● After World War II Ho Chi Minh captured Hanoi in 1945 and declared Vietnam
independent. The French tried to take control again, but this was unpopular with the
people. They were defeated by the Vietminh at Dien Bien Phu in 1954.
● Peace was discussed at Geneva in 1954 and the Treaty of Geneva agreed that the
French would leave Vietnam and the country would be split along the 17th Parallel
until elections could be held.
● The elections were never held and the country remained divided:
○ North Vietnam was a communist republic led by Ho Chi Minh.
○ South Vietnam was a capitalist republic led by Ngo Dinh Diem.

Reason 2 - Civil War

● The Vietminh wanted to unite the country under communist leader Ho Chi Minh. Many
of the South Vietnamese people supported Ho Chi Minh as they were unhappy with Ngo
Dinh Diem.
● War broke out between the North and South.
● From 1958 onwards, the South came under increasing attacks from communists in South
Vietnam itself. They were called the National Liberation Front (NLF).

RESEARCH - HO CHI MINH

Research and answer the following next to each of the questions:
1.Who was Ho Chi Minh?
2.What ideology did he follow?
3.Who was the Vietminh?
4.What was Ho Chi Minh’s role in the fight for Vietnamese Independence?
5.What was his role after achieving Vietnamese Independence?
6.What did the people of North Vietnam think of Ho Chi Minh?
7.What did the people of South Vietnam think of Ho Chi Minh?

16
Reason 3 - The Domino Theory
This was the belief that if one country fell to communism, it was likely that the neighbouring
one would also fall – similar to a row of dominoes falling over.

Reason 4 - The Weak South Vietnamese Government

● Diem (South Vietnamese leader) was a corrupt leader who refused to give peasants
land.
● He did not like Buddhism and treated the mainly Buddhist population badly.
● As a result, much of South Vietnam’s population was rebelling against him. The peasants
wanted communism and supported the Vietminh and the NLF.
● In 1963, President John F Kennedy sent 16,000 military ‘advisers’ to help the South
Vietnamese army. Diem’s Government was overthrown. After this, there was no
strong capitalist government in control of the South.

Reason 5 - The Gulf of Tonkin Incident 1964

● The US wanted to intervene in the conflict in Vietnam but President Lyndon Johnson
needed congressional support to send troops in. Congress had not wanted to enter
war in Vietnam until the Gulf of Tonkin Incident.
● The North Vietnamese attacked the US Navy in the Gulf of Tonkin. This incident gave the
US the excuse it needed to escalate the war.
● Gulf of Tonkin Resolution - US Congress gave President Lyndon Johnson permission to
wage war on North Vietnam. The first major contingent of US Marines arrived in 1965.
● For the next ten years the US’s involvement increased. By 1968 over half a million
American troops were in Vietnam and the war was costing $77 billion a year.

Australian Specific Reasons

● ‘Forward Defence’ – the belief that Australia would need to rely on Britain and the
United States for its security in the region and the hope this support would be
reciprocated if needed.
● Australia’s belief in the ‘Domino Theory’.
● Australia’s obligations as a member of the United Nations.
● Australia’s historical and ongoing fear of Asian invasion.
● Australia’s eagerness to formalise a military alliance with the United States through the
ANZUS Treaty, moving to a closer relationship with the United States as Britain’s
influence in the region declined.

The Official Reason for Australian Involvement

The decision to send troops to Vietnam without being asked by the South Vietnamese
government or the Americans had the potential to create diplomatic and media problems
for the Menzies government.

17
It was kept from the public until Menzies announced to Parliament on 29 April 1965 that
Australia would be sending combat troops to Vietnam, as a response to a request from the
South Vietnamese government.

No such request from South Vietnam had been sent. We now know that the Australian
government asked for a request to be cabled before Menzies made his announcement.

18
 ANZUS, SEATO AND NATO ALLIANCES

(Lesson 10)
Learning Intention: To explain the purposes of the treaties Australia contracted during
this period.

Task 1: Complete the research task by filling in each of the tables for the
treaties signed by Australia during this period.

ANZUS

What does the abbreviation Date & Member countries Purpose, agreements
stand for? and/or conditions of the
alliance

SEATO

What does the abbreviation Date & Member countries Purpose, agreements
stand for? and/or conditions of the
alliance

NATO

What does the abbreviation Date & Member countries Purpose, agreements
stand for? and/or conditions of the
alliance

19
 THREAT OF COMMUNISM WITHIN AUSTRALIA

(Lesson 11)
Learning Intention: To examine the threat of communism within Australia.

Task 1: Highlight the information below.

Communist groups, including the Communist Party of Australia (CPA), had first formed in
Australia in the 1920s. In the 1950s, the Australian government perceived these groups as a
threat, but communism hadn’t really made much headway with Australian workers. This was
probably because Australians enjoyed general prosperity and improved living conditions
throughout most of the 20th century. Workers also felt their rights were already defended
by the Australian Labor Party and a strong trade union movement.

Support for communism did grow after the Great Depression, when capitalism appeared to
have failed, but membership of the CPA never went above the peak of 13, 450 members in
1946. By the early 1950s, CPA membership had more than halved. This drop in membership
was a result of the negative views in Australia of the Soviet Union’s behaviour, especially its
expansion into Easter European countries after 1945. The Chifley Labor government had also
taken a strong stance against the communist leadership of some of the unions, notably the
Miners Federation, who were involved in the coal miners’ strike of 1949. Robert Menzies is
generally considered to have been the greatest enemy of communism in Australia after
World War II. However, a contested aspect of history is the case argued by historians that
Labor Prime Minister Ben Chifley had actually broken the back of any threat of a
communism takeover of the unions by his actions during the coal strike of 1949 before
Menzies came to power.

AUSTRALIA’S GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO COMMUNISM

ACTING ON FORWARD DEFENCE DOCTRINE

● Containment was a United States policy using numerous strategies to prevent the
spread of communism abroad.
● This policy was a response to a series of moves by the Soviet Union to enlarge its
communist influence in Eastern Europe, China, Korea and Vietnam.
● The US pledged to assist any free peoples from subjugation by any communist
threats (This was known as The Truman Doctrine)
● The containment policy hoped that if the spread of communism was contained it
would eventually collapse due the flaws in the system of the ideology.
● Australia and the US both had similar policies that were aimed at stopping the spread
of communist threats and therefore the two nations worked closely and formed an
alliance known as ANZUS.
● Australia was acting on its ‘Forward Defence' doctrine (policy) which was focused on
meeting threats to the nation’s security at their source rather than waiting to fight an
enemy on Australian soil.

20
Task 2: Using the information on page 20, create a mindmap in your book
that summarises the information. Upload an image of your completed
mind-map below to show evidence of your learning.

21
 THREAT OF COMMUNISM WITHIN AUSTRALIA

(Lesson 12)
Learning Intention: To examine the threat of communism within Australia.

ATTEMPT TO OUTLAW THE COMMUNISM PARTY

Introduction
The backlash against the Communist Party of Australia (CPA) had started with the 1949
election campaign, but did not truly begin until the Liberal Party came to power. The new
Prime Minister, Robert Menzies, had made the election pledge that he would ban the CPA
and now he had to make good on that promise. The problem was that the Commonwealth
Constitution did not offer much help.
Planning the ban
Plans for the banning of the CPA were first laid out in the Liberal government cabinet in the
first weeks of March 1950, but Menzies knew that a lot of research would need to be done
in order to make any ban possible.
The government was also very busy trying to justify it, by continuing to stir up public opinion
about communism. They continuously stressed the revolutionary ideals of the CPA, its link
with world communism and its use of disruptive tactics like industrial strikes. They needed
to make the CPA sound as dangerous as possible to Australian society and its constitution.

The bill to ban the Communist Party

The Australian Communist Party Dissolution Bill 1950 (Cth) said the CPA was to be declared
an unlawful organisation and that the party's property could be seized and disposed of. Any
other organisations that were suspected of being affiliated with the CPA were also to be
dissolved. Anyone who carried on the work of the party after it was declared illegal was to
be jailed for five years. In addition, as soon as someone was declared to be a communist,
they were to be suspended from their job if it were in the federal government, the defence
forces, or in the unions. In the words of the Bill, a communist was 'a person who supports or
advocates the objectives, policies, teachings, principles or practices of communism, as
expounded by Marx and Lenin.'
The Bill was presented to Parliament on 27 April 1950 and was conveniently (for the
government) preceded by the publishing of a damning royal commission document detailing
the exploits of communists in the State of Victoria. The first reading of the Bill also came
amid more security warnings from Menzies and the federal government about the dangers
of communism.

The Australian Labor Party (ALP) officially responded to the Bill in May 1950. The Labor
leader, Ben Chifley, accused the government of moving towards a totalitarian state. He said
that, 'it opens the door for the liar, the perjurer and the pimp to make charges and damn
men's reputations and to do so in secret without having to substantiate or prove any charges
they might make'. Chifley also said that the new law was not needed - the CPA was declining

22
anyway and there was already enough legislation that gave the government power to deal
with the communists.

The bill failed on the first attempt to pass it, because the Labor majority in the Senate. But
when the war in Korea started, it stirred up the situation to the advantage of the
government; Menzies could once again stress the dangers of communist expansion and was
able to re-introduce the Communist Party Dissolution Bill into the House of Representatives
(28 September 1950). By the middle of October the ALP's Federal Executive had finally
agreed to let the bill pass in the Senate and it became law on 20 October 1950.

Taking it to the High Court

The CPA and the unions immediately went to the High Court to ask for an injunction against
the government from putting any part of the Act into effect. That was refused, but the
government was prevented from declaring anyone a communist, or seizing any property
until the High Court could conduct a review of it. Despite the High Court challenge, on 20
October the government carried out raids of its offices all over Australia.
The High Court case began on 14 November 1950. It took four months for the court to make
its decision that the Communist Party Dissolution Act 1950 (the Act) was unconstitutional.
The decision of the High Court had nothing to do with freedom of speech or other
supposedly-democratic principles. The Commonwealth (federal) government is only able to
make laws in accordance with the Commonwealth Constitution. Subsection vi of section
51(the defence power) gives the Commonwealth government the power to make laws
relating to 'The naval and military defence of the Commonwealth and of the several States,
and the control of the forces to execute and maintain the laws of the Commonwealth'.

In order to show that this was a defence issue, the Act was written in a way that described
the CPA as a great danger to the defence of Australia. In defending the legislation before the
High Court, the Commonwealth government argued that its opinion on the threat posed by
the CPA justified the legislation. The High Court rejected that approach. The question that
remained for the High Court, on its own judgement of the facts, was whether there was a
sufficient connection between the Act and the defence power. The High Court held that the
defence of Australia was not under so great a threat as to justify the use of the defence
power to ban the CPA.

In April 1951, after the High Court decision, Menzies forced both houses into an election so
he could gain control of the Senate and continue to push his anti-communist legislation.
During the election, Menzies again laid great stress on the spread of communism and its
dangers, pushing the threat of an imminent war to scare people away from voting Labor. He
also talked of constitutional reform in order to get the Communist Party Dissolution Act to
become law.

The 1951 referendum

In order to overcome the constitutional hurdle put up by the High Court, Menzies needed to
hold a referendum to change the constitution. The 1951 Australian Referendum was held on
22 September 1951. It contained only one question:
'Do you approve of the proposed law for the alteration of the Constitution entitled
“Constitution Alteration (Powers to deal with Communists and Communism) 1951"?'

23
The proposed legislation mentioned in the referendum was an incredibly complicated
addition to section 51 of the Commonwealth Constitution. Menzies wanted to add a
subsection to section 51 which would effectively grant the government more power and
enable the Liberals to declare the CPA illegal through the Communist Party Dissolution Act
1950. The government, however, had not done enough to assure the public that their civil
rights would not be undermined by this new piece of legislation and the referendum was
defeated. The CPA, therefore, could not be banned by the federal government.

The defeat of the referendum did not mean the end of the hunt for communists within
Australian society. If anything, the 1950s saw an increase in fears about communism. In
America and Britain the same communist 'witch-hunts' were taking place. A popular saying
at the time was 'Reds under the beds', because people were so worried about who might be
a communist that they thought communists might be everywhere, waiting for a chance to
start a communist revolution. The truth in Australia was that the CPA had been in steady
decline for years and its membership would drop even more as the 1950s went on,
especially after the Petrov Affair (1954).

Task 1: Using the information above, create a flowchart of the key events
that took place regarding the Attempt to Ban Communism on a separate
Google Doc. Provide a shareable link here →

Task 2: Use the link below to answer the questions on The Petrov Affair
below.

https://petrov.moadoph.gov.au/red-alert.html
RED ALERT

1. What is espionage? What part did it play in the cold war?

SPIES AND CODES

2. What was the role of the Petrov’s as Soviet Spies?

3. Why did Vladimir Petrov defect? What was the result of this action?

24
ROYAL COMMISSION

4. Why was a Royal Commission held? What were the results?

FALLOUT

5. What happened to the Petrov’s?

25
 THREAT OF COMMUNISM WITHIN AUSTRALIA

(Lesson 13)
Learning Intention: To examine the threat of communism within Australia.

Task 1: Choose ONE of the sources below and complete the source analysis
scaffold on the following page.

Source A: Liberal Party ad. Source B: Catholic News Source C: Australian

federal elections 1966 Weekly Cartoon, 1954 Government Poster. Date
and source unknown.

SOURCE ANALYSIS SCAFFOLD

Questions to Ask Source Information

Author
Do we know anything about who created
the source, such as their occupation or
where they lived? If there is no other author
listed, can we find out which group or
company created the source?

Date
When was the source produced? How does
the time period (context) in which it was
created help make sense of it?

26
Audience
For whom was the source originally
created?

Perspective
What did the author wish to communicate
to the audience? How would the audience
be likely to respond?
Do you agree with the author’s stance when
they produced this source?
Is the source bias?
Do they have a particular point of view?

Value
What value does this source have?
What can we learn from it?
What was the authors reasons for creating
this source?

Limitations
Is this source reliable? Does it contain any
bias?
What is excluded from it?
Can you be sure that the information is
legitimate?

Task 2: Answer the following question in your ACV books using the source
you analysed above. Take a photo and send it to your teacher once
complete.

With reference to the source, explain Australian responses to the threat of

communism. (5 marks).

27
 CAUSE AND EFFECT LANGUAGE

(Lesson 14)

AUSTRALIA IN THE VIETNAM WAR

Task 1: Use the cause and effect language to fill in the sentences below.

1. Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War was __________________ the threat of

Communist invasion in Australia.
2. The Petrov Affair and threat of communism invasion _______________ anxiety and
the fear in the Australian society.
3. Australia had formed the ANZUS Treaty and SEATO alliance with the US
______________ felt obliged to assist them during the Korean War.
4. Prime Minister Menzies felt Communism was a threat to national security
_____________ attempted to ban the Communist Party of Australia.
5. The Communist Party Dissolution Bill was rejected by the High Court of Australia
_________ the change being regarded as unconstitutional.

Stage 5/6 cause & effect language:

fosters allows consequences of

results in encourages creates

influences so as to leads to

as a consequence affects enables

accounts for hence generates

provoked by contributes to the repercussions of

shaped by effects of is an outcome of

28
 VIETNAM

(Lesson 14)
Learning Intention: To understand the political situation in Vietnam at the time of the
war.

Task 1: Locate the country of Vietnam on the map below.

Task 2: Read the information below and answer the questions.

Vietnam is part of a region in South-East Asia that was once known as Indochina and was
part of the French Empire from the 1860s. During World War II, Japan occupied Vietnam,
treating the Vietnamese people harshly. In May 1941, a Vietnamese nationalist group, the
Viet Ming, formed as a united front against the Japanese occupation. The Viet Minh was
made up of communist and non-communist groups but was predominantly a communist
resistant group. Their leader was Ho Chi Minh. After Japan’s surrender in 1945, the Viet
Minh formed a government and declared Vietnam’s independence and made Ho Chi Minh
president.

British forces sent to Vietnam to accept the Japanese surrender were ordered by the Allied
powers to restore French rule. The Viet Minh saw this as a betrayal, because they had
supported the Allies during World War II and expected the Allies to support their move
towards independence in return. From December 1946, the French and the Viet Minh were
involved in a war with each other that would last for another nine years.

29
By 1952, the Viet Minh had control of the north, with its capital established at Hanoi. The
French had set up a rival government in Saigon in the south under the Vietnamese Emperor
Bao Dai. France finally withdrew from Vietnam after their defeat by Viet Minh forces at the
Battle of Dien Bien Phu on 13th March 1954.

At peace talks that followed in 1954, Vietnam was officially divided at the 17th parallel. Both
the north and south agreed to hold elections to form one government that would reunify
Vietnam. However, the election was never held. The idea was opposed by the USA, as they
feared a victory by Ho Chi Minh. The country remained divided and the conflict continued.

Answer the questions below in the space provided.

1. Which country controlled Vietnam prior to World War II?

2. Why did the Viet Minh go to war with the French after World War II?

3. What was the major decision of the 1954 peace talks in Vietnam?

30
 WHY DID AUSTRALIA ENTER THE VIETNAM WAR?
(Lesson 15)

Learning Intention: To examine the reasons why Australia entered the Vietnam War.

What are the reasons for Australia’s involvement in the war?

● To upload treaties & alliances.
● To prevent the spread of communism throughout the world.
● To prevent war in Australia (acting on forward defence doctrine).
● To enhance political/economic ties with the United States.
● To prevent communism into Australia.

Task 1: Fill out the close passage below using the word bank.

Why did Australia fight in Vietnam?

The fear of _________ remained the ___________ issue that gripped Australia during the
1950s and 1960s. It was at the heart of the decision to commit troops to a conflict in
Vietnam. The government’s ________ policy was dominated by the idea that sending
_________ overseas to fight against potential ___________ was the best way to prevent a
war being fought on Australian __________. So it was that the war accompanying the
Vietnamese struggle for independence involved Australians. From 1962 until 1972
approximately 60,000 Australian men and women __________ in Vietnam.

Like the war in Korea, the outbreak of war in Vietnam was seen as the __________ of
communist ___________. A country divided between the communist north and capitalist
south had been brought to civil war. Australia fears the __________ effect, so the decision to
send Australian troops to fight in Vietnam was not surprising given the belief that ‘the
takeover of South Vietnam would be a direct military threat to Australia’.

political enemies aggression defence troops

domino communism soil result served

Total War
At the time of the Vietnam ___________________ the United States called on its allies -
particularly the _________ of SEATO - to provide active support to contain the communist
_________. South Vietnam was presented as an independent _____ standing against the
advance of ____________ in South-East Asia. The Australian Government agreed to the
United States’ requests for military advisers to support their presence in the region. Thirty
Australian army advisers were sent to South Vietnam in 1962.

31
Seven allied nations followed the United States into Vietnam: Australia, New Zealand, South
Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Spain and Taiwan. In August 1964, the United States
claimed that the North Vietnamese had torpedoed its ships in the Gulf of Tonkin, so
American ___________ raids began in the North. Australia’s Prime Minister
________________ committed 800 Australian troops to fight by sending our 1st Infantry
Battalion and HMAS Sydney to Vietnam in 1965. In April 1966, Australia’s military
commitment increased when a 4500-man force left for Vietnam. Total war descended on
Vietnam when nearly 400,000 American troops poured into the South and bombs rained
down on the ____________.

Menzies North conflict communism

state threat bombing members

EVENTS OF THE VIETNAM WAR

(Lesson 15)

Learning Intention: To explore the main events of The Vietnam War.

Task 1: Comment on the following statement in your own words below:

“The Vietnam War was a war of ideology and independence”.

Task 2: Use the timeline link below to create your own timeline of The
Vietnam War as either a Google Slides, Prezi or poster from Canva.
Choose as many events as you see fit, you need to include at least 8. All
completed timelines are to be submitted to your teacher or linked in this
Doc.

https://www.dailypress.com/dailypress/dp-nws-vietnam-war-timeline-20150
721-htmlstory.html

32
 NATURE OF THE VIETNAM WAR
(Lesson 16)
Learning Intention: To understand the nature of The Vietnam War.

Task 1: Watch the documentary through the link below. You will need to
sign into your Enhance TV using your CeNet to access the clip. Write at
least 10 dot points below.

https://www.enhancetv.com.au/video/vietnam-the-war-that-made-australi
a-the-war-before-the-war/24537

33
 NATURE OF THE VIETNAM WAR
(Lesson 17)
Learning Intention: To understand the nature of The Vietnam War.

Task 1: Read the information below and answer the questions below.

An Introduction to the Vietnam War

The Vietnam War began as a civil war between the Communist state of North Vietnam and
the non-Communist state of South Vietnam. The United States supported South Vietnam out
of fear that Communism would spread throughout Asia if the South fell. North Vietnam
wanted to unite with South Vietnam as a single communist country. Communism is a
political system in which all people are equal and no one can become rich. America was
opposed to communism, as it was the opposite of the capitalist, democratic system of
government used in America. Americans believed Communism would spread to other
countries in the region. This was known as the “domino theory,” since it imagined
democratic governments in the region falling one after another like dominoes. President
Lyndon Johnson sent the first American combat troops to Vietnam in 1965.

The U.S. had given South Vietnam financial and military support during the 1950’s and early
1960’s. But in August 1964, an American warship patrolling the North Vietnamese coast was
allegedly fired on by Communist troops. Although the incident might not actually have
happened, President Lyndon B. Johnson quickly passed a piece of legislation through
Congress. Called the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, it gave the President a blank check to send
as many troops and resources to Vietnam as he wanted.

Johnson immediately began increasing the presence of U.S. forces in Vietnam. By the time
he left office in 1968, 30,000 American soldiers had been killed there. But the Americans just
couldn’t seem to win! The last US troops finally left the country in 1973. In spite of the
Americans’ superior firepower and technology, they could never totally defeat the highly
dedicated guerrilla forces of North Vietnam. The Vietnamese troops knew the territory and
landscape. This meant that they could use guerrilla tactics like ambush to catch the
Americans out. Also, the Americans were miles from home and badly trained. Many didn’t
see the point of the war and were unmotivated. They struggled in the humid conditions and
dense jungle.
The war ended in 1975, and North Vietnam quickly took over the south. The war resulted in
tremendous loss of life; 58,000 American soldiers died, along with close to 3 million
Vietnamese.
1. How did the Vietnam War begin?
2. Why did American support South Vietnam?
3. Why did the Americans lose the war?

34
4. How many Vietnamese deaths were there?
5. How might the American public have felt when the US soldiers returned home
without having won the war?

35
 OVERVIEW OF AUSTRALIA’S INVOLVEMENT IN THE WAR
(Lesson 17)

Learning Intention: To understand Australia’s main operation in Vietnam.

Task 1: Read the information below and highlight the key ideas.

Australia’s part in the Vietnam War began in 1962 when Australian Prime Minister Menzies
agreed to send 30 military advisers to help support the South Vietnamese government in
Saigon. The number of military advisors was then boosted to 100, along with a small fleet of
transport aircraft. In 1965, the Australian contribution was dramatically increased when a
battalion of combat troops was sent to Vietnam. By 1973, when the last Australians were
withdrawn, almost 60,000 Australian soldiers, sailors and air force personnel had served in
Vietnam.

Australian service personnel in Vietnam

Total number of Australians who served in Almost 60,000 (including around 15,000
Vietnam National Servicemen)

Greatest number of servicemen in Vietnam 7672

at the one time

Usual length of service 12 months

Dead 520 (including 185 National Servicemen)

Wounded 3000

Who were the Australians fighting?

In the Australian area of operations, in Phuoc Tuy Province, the enemy were referred to as
‘VC’, an abbreviation for Viet Cong. The Viet Cong were South Vietnamese supporters of
communist North Vietnam, although they were not one single group. Some were soldiers of
Viet Cong army units who were well-trained and equipped, living in bases away from their
home villages. Others were guerrilla fighters, part-time soldiers, who were not as
well-trained or equipped as the regular soldiers. These were men and women who were
farmers and other villagers in Australia’s area of operation. The villagers went about their
normal occupations by day, and took part in guerrilla warfare activities at night. These could
be ambushes or attacks on Australian soldiers or their local Vietnamese supporters,
sabotage or intelligence gathering.
Australians also fought against their troops from the North Vietnamese Army operating in
South Vietnam. These soldiers were experienced fighters and well-equipped.

36
37
 TACTICS USED IN THE VIETNAM WAR
(Lesson 18)

Learning Intention: To explore the various tactics used in The Vietnam War.

Task 1: Find a definition of guerrilla warfare to fill in the missing words

below.
Guerrilla warfare is a form of ___________ warfare in which a ______ group of combatants
use military tactics including ________, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, ____ and run tactics,
and mobility to fight a larger and less mobile ________ military.

For the most part, the Vietnam War was a guerrilla warfare.

Task 2: Watch the two clips below to fill in the table on the various tactics
used by the Americans and the Viet Cong.

US Tactics Viet Cong Tactics

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR5ikI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIYHv0
PHcFE 0_6rI

Task 3: Research the following tactics used by Australian soldiers in

responding to guerrilla warfare.

Conduct research on the main ways that Australian troops implemented their
counter-guerilla warfare tactics

Village cordon and search

Patrol and ambush

Search and destroy

Task 4: Watch the clip below on the different traps that were set in The
Vietnam War and answer the question below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4cLiV_o8Go

1. Which of the traps do you find to be the most brutal? Explain why.

38
39
 CASUALTIES & INJURIES
(Lesson 19)

Learning Intention: To understand the extent of the casualties and injuries resulting
from the Vietnam War.

Task 1: Use the website below to read the statistics of the Australian
casualties and injuries that resulted from the Vietnam War. Write at least 10
dot points in the space below.

https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/vietnam/statistics

40
 THE TET OFFENSIVE
(Lesson 19)

Learning Intention: To understand the nature of the Vietnam War through the Tet
Offensive.

Task 1: Use the website

(https://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/tet-offensive) and further
research to explore the Tet Offensive.

To show your understanding and evidence of learning, you will need to create a Google
Slides presentation under each of the following headings:
● What was the Tet Offensive?
● If the Tet Offensive resulted in heavy losses for the North Vietnamese, then why is it
considered a turning point for the war?
● What was the impact of the Tet Offensive?

Your Google Slides presentation is to be submitted to your teacher or inserted into this
page as a link →

41
 UNDERSTANDING THE TET OFFENSIVE
(Lesson 20)

Task 1: Complete the quiz below to assess your understanding of the Tet
Offensive.

Quiz: https://forms.gle/b1AUS5Wqqcb17MPC6

RESPONSES TO AUSTRALIA’S INVOLVEMENT

(Lesson 20)

Learning Intention: To explore the response of Australians to Australia’s involvement in

the Vietnam War.

During the 1960s and 1970s, differing opinions about Australia’s involvement in Vietnam
bitterly divided Australian politics and society. The Liberal Party, especially under Menzies
and then Harold Holt, was a strong supporter of the war. The Labor Party, under Arthur
Calwell from 1960 to 1967 and then Gough Whitlam from 1967, opposed the war. The Labor
Party believed in the American alliance but eventually argued that the conflict in Vietnam
was a civil war and rejected the view that a North Vietnamese victory would see
communism spread.

Some historians in this period also argued against the Liberal Party position. They saw Ho Chi
Minh, the North Vietnamese leader, as a nationalist rather than simply an agent of
communism. They argued that Vietnam and other countries in Asia needed to be
understood in terms of their history and their desire for independence, and not just as part
of Cold War thinking.

Task 1: Answer the questions based on the source below.

42
1. What does this source tell us about attitudes towards the War in Vietnam in the first
three years of our tour?

2. What year did the percentage of people who were pro war begin to decrease? What
significant event took place this year?

3. What does this tell us about differing opinions overtime?

4. What does this tell us about opinions of individuals as our time at war was increasing?

5. What evidence does this source provide as an historical piece?

43
 AUSTRALIA DIVIDED

CONSCRIPTION
(Lesson 21)

Learning Intention: To explore the different opinions of Australians in response to

conscription.

Task 1: Read the information below and highlight key ideas and define
the key terms.

Define the term conscription:

Debate about the wisdom of Australia’s involvement in Vietnam raged from the day the
government announced the commitment to the war effort. As the years passed, the nation
grew more divided between the anti-war movement and government supporters.
Australia’s anti-war movement was strongly connected to protests against conscription, or
‘National Service’ as it was called. In the years since Australia’s Federation, conscription
had existed in some form for 42 years.

Conscription had been a controversial issue during World War I and continued to arouse
controversy and passion during the Vietnam War. In 1950, Prime Minister Menzies
introduced a limited form of conscription requiring three months of full-time training and
home service. This system was abandoned in 1958. Six years later Prime Minister Menzies
introduced a Bill in Parliament that became one of the most divisive pieces of legislation an
Australian government ever made. The 1964 legislation reintroduced conscription for males
reaching their 20th birthday. After registering for ‘National Service’ the conscripts, or
‘Nashos’ as they were popularly known, were chosen by a lottery involving marbles with
birth dates on them being picked from a barrel. This was referred to as being ‘drafted’. Men
in the draft age bracket had approximately a one in ten chance of being selected, and had to
serve for a period of two years.

In 1966, Prime Minister Harold Holt announced that conscripts would be sent to fight in
Vietnam. This was the first time conscripts had been sent to fight overseas during
peacetime. In May 1966, the first conscripted soldier was killed in action. He was Private
Errol Wayne Noack and he was 21 years of age.

Early protests against conscription had come from religious groups and members of the
Australian Communist Party. Conscription soon became a focus of the anti-war movement,
with protest organisations urging men not to register and not to resist the ‘draft’. The Labor
Party leader, Arthur Calwell, named the draft the ‘lottery of death’. Under particular
conditions, exemptions from National Service could be granted. If a person could prove he
was a pacifist, he could lodge a conscientious objection to service. The consequence for
others who refused to be conscripted was a two-year jail sentence.

44
 Define the term pacifist:

Source A: A 1970 poster drawing

public attention to the injustice of
conscription and the ballot
selection method used for drafting
young men into National Service.

Over the period of the Vietnam

War, a wide range of groups
organised protests against the
continuation of the conflict. Youth Against Conscription and Save Our Sons were formed in
1964.

While still supported only by a majority of Australians, the protest against the war in
Vietnam became more extreme and widespread after the 1966 election and the return of
the Liberal Party/Country Party coalition government. The Labor leader, Arthur Calwell,
continued to voice his party’s opposition to Australia’s involvement in Vietnam. By 1967, the
Monash University Labor Club was collecting money for the North Vietnamese war effort,
and burning draft registration cards had become a common form of protest. The
government took a tough stand on people avoiding the draft, which increased popular
protest. Draft resister support groups were established and a lively ‘Don’t register’ campaign
was begun.

45
 THE MORATORIUM MOVEMENT
(Lesson 21)

Learning Intention: To explore the different opinions of Australians in response to

conscription.

Task 1: Watch the clip below and write notes on the Moratorium
Movement in Melbourne.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3R5zKW3Y1U4

SOURCE B - The aims of the Moratorium Movement as expressed in an April 1970

Moratorium publicity leaflet

We demand the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the total US and Allied
military presence from Indochina, and the cessation of US aggression and internal
subversion against the peoples of Indochina.
We demand the immediate, unconditional and unilateral withdrawal of Australian military
forces from Indochina.
We demand the immediate abolition of conscription in any form, recognising it as a direct
instrument of Australia’s involvement in US military intervention in Indochina.
We demand that the United States, Australian and other Allied governments withdraw all
military, material and political support for those regimes or forces sustained by the United
States in Indochina.
We demand that Australia end its present policies of military intervention in countries of
Asia and the South-Western Pacific and refuse all future involvement in US or other
aggression or interference in the internal affairs of any country.
We demand that the US and its Allies recognise the Indochinese people’s rights to
national independence, unit and self-determination.

1. Using Source B as your evidence, explain the overall aim of the Moratorium
Movement.

46
 AUSTRALIA DIVIDED
OPPOSITION OR SUPPORT FOR THE WAR
(Lessons 22-23)

Learning Intention: To understand the reasons why some supported Australia’s efforts
in the Vietnam War and why some opposed Australia’s involvement.

There were many groups in Australian society that either supported or opposed Australia’s
involvement in the Vietnam War. These groups supported or opposed their involvement for
a variety of reasons.

Opponents of the War in Vietnam Supporters of the War in Vietnam

ALP Press
Universities Liberals
Protestants Catholic Church
Trade Unions DLP
Mothers Save Our Sons
Moratorium Movement
Conscientious Objectors

Task 1: Each student will be assigned a proponent or opponent to the

Vietnam War and have to develop a piece of writing that represents their
allocated groups stance in regards to the war.

Students should use an appropriate method for that group (e.g. each government group
might use a press release; the Catholic Church might present in a newsletter; Trade Unions
might write a piece for a flyer; the Moratorium Movement might write a campaign slogan
and speech, etc.)

The following information should be included:

● Who the group are/who makes up the group (e.g. SOS - mothers of conscripted men)
● What their perspective towards the war is
● Their reasons for this perspective
● Any activities (e.g. protests, meetings) they have organised

The completed piece of writing is to either be sent to your teacher or linked below:

47
 IMPACT OF THE VIETNAM WAR
(Lesson 24)

Learning Intention: To examine the impacts of the Vietnam War.

Task 1: Read the information below and highlight the key ideas.

Veterans
● Vietnam veterans did not get their welcome home parade until 1987.
● The welfare of the Vietnam veterans was largely ignored by both government and
society and significant suffering ensued.
● Many veterans had been exposed to horrendous events during the war and as a
result suffered:
○ Major psychological problems including post traumatic stress disorder
○ Skin and breathing problems from being exposed to agent orange and
napalm
○ Cancers associated with defoliants
● It was not until the 1990’s that the Australian government recognised the impact of
agent orange on the lives of Vietnamese veterans.

Use the following link to gain a better understanding of agent orange:

https://www.aspeninstitute.org/programs/agent-orange-in-vietnam-program/what-is-age
nt-orange/
Write at least 8 dot points below:
●

Refugees
● 2 million people became refugees as a result of the Vietnam War.
● These people did not find refuge in neighbouring countries as they too were
experiencing conflict due to communist takeovers.
● People fled the area in boats and faced treacherous and dangerous situations at sea.
● Australia took in thousands of Vietnamese refugees in the 1970’s as the world faced
a major humanitarian crisis.

Culture and Foreign Relations

● The refugees who survived the journey to Australia have become part of the
multicultural society that exists today.
● Multiculturalism in Australia is something that is envied throughout the world.
● Multiculturalism in Australia has also opened doors with Asia for increased trade and
diplomatic relationships.

48
 ● Changes to foreign policy also occurred and relations with China were re-established
under the Whitlam Government.

Task 2: Watch the clip below and use the information to write 10 dot points
on the long term impact of the Vietnam War.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIL7Ty0oBCw

Long term impact of the Vietnam War on its veterans.

49
 PERSONAL INTEREST PROJECT
(Lesson 25)

Learning Intention: To examine the impacts of the Vietnam War.

Task 1: Develop a Google Slides presentation OR a poster using Canva that

examines the impact of the Vietnam War on ONE of the following areas:
1.Migration from Vietnam
2.Mental Illness - PTSD/Depression/Anxiety
3.Physical Illness – Alcoholism/Agent Orange/Drug addiction
4.Loss of culture – Loss of identity, loss of cultural traditions,
destruction of family
5.The Vietnamese Identity
6.The Vietnamese Economy
7.The Vietnamese Social & Political Structure

Questions you may want to consider:

1.What is it? (PTSD/Migration etc.)
2.How did it affect Australia/Australian soldiers/Vietnamese Society?
(Choose only the relevant ones)
3.Why is this effect important?
4.Interesting facts
5.Any relevant statistics
6. Any relevant quotes

Your completed project is to either be emailed to your teacher OR linked into this Doc in the
space below.
I emailed to my teacher OR
Here is the link to my project →

50
 INFLUENCE AND IMPACT OF THE VIETNAM WAR ON
AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY
(Lesson 26)

Learning Intention: To explore the influence and impact that the Vietnam War had on
Australian society.

Task 1: Students complete the webquest below to explore the impact that
the Vietnam War had on Australian society.

Use the following website and any further research below:

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/the-vietnamese-refugees-who-changed-white-australia
https://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/vietnam-war-history

Explain the effects that Vietnamese refugees had on Australian society during the
aftermath of the Vietnam War.
Answer the following question in a T.E.E.L. paragraph in the space below:

51
 EXTENSION ACTIVITIES

● Task Cards → As an opportunity for extension, you can complete the

various task cards linked.
● Responses → Complete the responses based on the information you
have explored in the unit. You can either type your answers or
complete it in your ACV book to share with your teacher.

WHY WAS AUSTRALIA INVOLVED IN THE VIETNAM WAR?

1. Who were the main capitalist and communist powers at the end of World War II?
Explain the difference between capitalism and communism that underpinned the
Cold War (5 marks).
2. Explain how events during World War II impacted on Australia’s post-war
international relations (5 marks).
3. Outline how the period of decolonisation after World War II impacted on
Australia’s approach to Asia and communism (5 marks).
4. Assess the validity of the concepts of ‘forward defence’ and the ‘domino theory’ as
the basis of Australia’s response to the threat of communism (10 marks).
5. Evaluate the role that Australia’s international alliances played in Australia’s
involvement in the Vietnam War (5 marks).
6. Explain how the Menzies government responded to the threat of communism
within Australia. Why did the Australian people reject attempts to ban the
Communist party of Australia? (5 marks).
7. Discuss the implications of the Allies’ decision to order the return of Vietnam to
French control at the end of World War II. (5 marks).
8. Assess the official and unofficial reasons Australia became in the Vietnam War, and
explain which ones you believe to be the most accurate (10 marks).

WHAT WAS THE NATURE OF AUSTRALIA’S INVOLVEMENT IN THE

VIETNAM WAR
1. Create a table that lists the countries involved in the Vietnam War, and the
numbers of their troops (5 marks).
2. Draw a map of South Vietnam. On the map label; (a) the 17th parallel (b) Saigon (c)
the key locations of Australian forces in Vietnam (3 marks).
3. Drawing on a range of sources, explain the tactics Australian forces used in
Vietnam. What evidence is there that they were successful? (12 marks).
4. Explain the developments and events that influenced the US and Australian
governments’ decision to withdraw troops from Vietnam (5 marks).

WHAT WERE THE DIFFERING VIEWPOINTS IN AUSTRALIA DURING

THE VIETNAM WAR ERA?
1. Outline the Australian government’s arguments for involving Australia in Vietnam.
Compare this with the Federal opposition’s arguments. Which argument was
successful in the 1966 election? Was the success of this argument maintained for
the duration of the war? (10 marks).
2. Explain what conscription is, and how the National Service Scheme introduced by

52
 the Menzies Government operated (5 marks).
3. Outline the evidence available to support the suggestions that Australia was
divided by the Vietnam War (5 marks).
4. Explain why Vietnam is sometimes referred to as the first ‘televised war’ (5 marks).
5. Explain, using evidence, how the media affected public opinion towards the
Vietnam War (5 marks).

WHAT WAS THE IMPACT OF THE VIETNAM WAR?

1. Assess the impact the Vietnam War had on Australian soldiers, both in Vietnam,
and upon their return home (10 marks).
2. Prepare a submission for the Department of Veterans’ Affairs calling for increased
support for Vietnam veterans and their families. In your submission, you must
include references to specific sources to support your viewpoint (10 marks).
3. Explain the impact of the war for Vietnamese people in terms of casualties
suffered by both the North and South. Suggest why sources may differ in listing the
casualties experienced by the Vietnamese during the war (5 marks).
4. Outline the way Australia changed both socially and politically during the Vietnam
War era (5 marks).
5. Outline the changes in Australia’s relationship with Asia between the end of World
War II and the Vietnam War (5 marks).

53