Australia’s Response to the Threat of Communism
Australia’s Response to the threat of Communism Australia’s Response to the threat of Communism Australia’s response to the threat of communism after WW2 was extraordinary. Australia and its politicians immediately recognised what could happen of a result of the domino theory. With the Soviet Union influencing so many countries and causing China, Vietnam, and North Korea to turn Communist it was only matter of time until it reached Australia, and all in all this was when Australia took action. At the end of WW2 in 1945 the world thought that peace was about, but that was when the lashings of communism rained upon the world.
This was when Robert Menzies took advantage of Australia’s fear and hatred for communism and used to win himself many elections. Menzies who was the opposition leader in 1949 and made a speech in this year about his fight against communism that nearly 4000 people attended in Hurstville, NSW. It was quoted next day in a newspaper article with the headline, “WE WILL THRASH REDS”. “We are going to declare war on Communists; we are going to give them a thrashing. ” Many speeches including lines just like these were what won the Menzies over to the majority of Australia.
Australians wanted to stay a democracy they wanted someone who could lead them away from all this and respond against communism and that’s why they choose Menzies. This was one of the main reasons for Menzies becoming Australia’s longest serving Prime Minister. What also helped Menzies in his campaigning, as quoted in the newspaper article about Menzies, was that he was going to ban the Bank Nationalisation Act, which would nationalise all banks in Australia making them into the public ownership of the government.
This was extremely important for Australia as if this act was allowed to keep going it would be one of the first steps to communism. Another Aspect that won over the people of Australia for Menzies and his non-communist government was the Petrov Affair. The Petrov affair helped Menzies liberal vote’s sky- rocket. This was due to the fact that with Petrov wanting to defect and seek political asylum in Australia as he was a Soviet member, Menzies used it to win over the Australian people.
As the people truly hated communism and did not want it to take over Australia, Menzies took great advantage of this. Menzies went on about how the Petrov Affair proved he had been right all along and with the suggestion of Soviet spies (this is what he did with Petrov, he told the public that he was a Soviet spy and that he should be investigated), and the danger of communism, he tried to ban the communist party. He even used this to embarrass the labour party as much as he suggested that they were soft on communism and had people in their government that were for communism.
Even the idea of this is what put the Australian people over the edge and convinced many to vote for Menzies. Australia responded quite differently to Asian nations to communism within themselves, as they wanted to reject the idea, as proved with Menzies election wins. But Australia’s response to communism beyond Australian borders emphasises their idea on communism. Australia’s response within Australia was quite extensive but the response of Australia beyond its borders was even bigger.
After WW2 the Soviet Union choose a different path to the United States, Britain and all of their allies. The Soviet Union under rule of Joseph Stalin became communist and had major influences among other countries in Asia. Soon after the Soviet Union became communist, Korea divided in 1945 with North being communist and South being non-communist. China followed thereafter in 1949 and in June 1951 North Korea decided it’s time for all of Korea to become communist. It was then that Australia had sent forces to fight alongside the United States in the Korean War.
Australia ended up sending a squadron of the RAAF, two battalions of the Australian army, naval forces containing of an aircraft carrier and two destroyers. This was due to the ANZUS treaty signed by Australia, New Zealand and the United States in 1950. Australia took part in the ANZUS treaty because they were a really small country at the time and still is. They felt threatened by communism spreading through Asia and wanted to prevent it from reaching Australia. Australia could not do this on their own and therefore looked for support from a bigger nation.
This was a problem because before the WWII Australia had always relied on Britain but that had changed after Japan’s annulation of Britain in Singapore during the war. Now Australia needed someone new and with the threat of communism they looked towards America. The ANZUS treaty provided Australia with a “protector” especially from communism as it states in article 4 of the ANZUS treaty, “Each Party recognizes that an armed attack in the Pacific Area on any of the Parties would be dangerous to its own peace and safety and declares that it would act to meet the common danger in accordance with its constitutional processes. This clearly states that if Australia or New Zealand, being in the Pacific were attacked the United States would come to their aid. This treaty was also at a great advantage to Australia as The US were not trying to overtake them as it also clearly states in article six of the ANZUS treaty, “This Treaty does not affect and shall not be interpreted as affecting in any way the rights and obligations of the Parties under the Charter of the United Nations or the responsibility of the United Nations for the maintenance of international peace and security. The Korean War went on for three years and throughout the struggle Australia kept on supporting the South Koreans and fighting alongside the United States. In 1953 an armistice was finally signed between North and South Korea and they were both divided again at the 38th parallel which is where they are still divided today. That was an example of Australia’s response to the threat of communism not within Australia but out in Asia. SECURITY TREATY BETWEEN AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, AND THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA THE PARTIES TO THIS TREATY,
REAFFIRMING their faith in the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and their desire to live in peace with all peoples and all Governments, and desiring to strengthen the fabric of peace in the Pacific Area, NOTING that the United States already has arrangements pursuant to which its armed forces are stationed in the Philippines, and has armed forces and administrative responsibilities in the Ryukyus, and upon the coming into force of the Japanese Peace Treaty may also station armed forces in and about Japan to assist in the preservation of peace and security in the Japan Area, RECOGNIZING that Australia and New Zealand as members of the British Commonwealth of Nations have military obligations outside as well as within the Pacific Area, DESIRING to declare publicly and formally their sense of unity, so that no potential aggressor could be under the illusion that any of them stand alone in the Pacific Area, and DESIRING further to coordinate their efforts for collective defense for the preservation of peace and security pending the development of a more comprehensive system of regional security in the Pacific Area, THEREFORE DECLARE AND AGREE as follows: Article I The Parties undertake, as set forth in the Charter of the United Nations, to settle any international disputes in which they may be involved by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security and justice are not endangered and to refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force in any manner inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations. Article II
In order more effectively to achieve the objective of this Treaty the Parties separately and jointly by means of continuous and effective self-help and mutual aid will maintain and develop their individual and collective capacity to resist armed attack. Article III The Parties will consult together whenever in the opinion of any of them the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the Parties is threatened in the Pacific. Article IV Each Party recognizes that an armed attack in the Pacific Area on any of the Parties would be dangerous to its own peace and safety and declares that it would act to meet the common danger in accordance with its constitutional processes. Any such armed attack and all measures taken as a result thereof shall be immediately reported to the Security Council of the United Nations.
Such measures shall be terminated when the Security Council has taken the measures necessary to restore and maintain international peace and security. Article V For the purpose of Article IV, an armed attack on any of the Parties is deemed to include an armed attack on the metropolitan territory of any of the Parties, or on the island territories under its jurisdiction in the Pacific or on its armed forces, public vessels or aircraft in the Pacific. Article VI This Treaty does not affect and shall not be interpreted as affecting in any way the rights and obligations of the Parties under the Charter of the United Nations or the responsibility of the United Nations for the maintenance of international peace and security. Article VII
The Parties hereby establish a Council, consisting of their Foreign Ministers or their Deputies, to consider matters concerning the implementation of this Treaty. The Council should be so organized as to be able to meet at any time. Article VIII Pending the development of a more comprehensive system of regional security in the Pacific Area and the development by the United Nations of more effective means to maintain international peace and security, the Council, established by Article VII, is authorized to maintain a consultative relationship with States, Regional Organizations, Associations of States or other authorities in the Pacific Area in a position to further the purposes of this Treaty and to contribute to the security of that Area. Article IX
This Treaty shall be ratified by the Parties in accordance with their respective constitutional processes. The instruments of ratification shall be deposited as soon as possible with the Government of Australia, which will notify each of the other signatories of such deposit. The Treaty shall enter into force as soon as the ratifications of the signatories have been deposited. [1] Article X This Treaty shall remain in force indefinitely. Any Party may cease to be a member of the Council established by Article VII one year after notice has been given to the Government of Australia, which will inform the Governments of the other Parties of the deposit of such notice. Article XI
This Treaty in the English language shall be deposited in the archives of the Government of Australia. Duly certified copies thereof will be transmitted by that Government to the Governments of each of the other signatories. IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned Plenipotentiaries have signed this Treaty. DONE at the city of San Francisco this first day of September, 1951. FOR AUSTRALIA: [Signed:] PERCY C SPENDER FOR NEW ZEALAND: [Signed:] C A BERENDSEN FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: [Signed:] DEAN ACHESON JOHN FOSTER DULLES ALEXANDER WILEY JOHN J SPARKMAN [1] Instruments of ratification were deposited for Australia, New Zealand and the United States of America 29 April 1952, on which date the Treaty entered into force.
