Key Phrases & Concepts
This Australian strategic policy aimed to meet threats at their source in Southeast Asia before they could reach Australian shores.
Forward Defence
This controversial method, involving the drawing of birth dates from a lottery barrel, was used to select 20-year-old Australian men for military service.
Birthday Ballet
This piece of legislation reintroduced compulsory military training for Australian men and controversially allowed them to be deployed overseas.
National Service Act 1964
In April 1965, this Australian Prime Minister made the historic announcement to send a battalion of Australian combat troops to Vietnam.
Sir Robert Menzies
This six-letter acronym represents a structured framework used to analyse historical sources.
IOPCAM
The Cold War belief held by Western powers that if one nation in Southeast Asia fell to communism, its neighbours would inevitably follow.
Domino Theory
This major 1968 military campaign by communist forces across South Vietnam shocked the Western public and became a major turning point in the war.
The Tet Offensive
Formed in 1965, this grassroots anti-conscription movement was primarily made up of mothers whose boys were eligible for the draft.
Save Our Sons
Famous for declaring "All the way with LBJ," this Prime Minister strongly backed American escalation in Vietnam before his tragic disappearance in 1967.
Harold Holt
A modern academic text, a retrospective documentary, or an academic article written decades after an event occurred are examples of what?
Secondary Evidence
Also known by the acronym ARVN, this military force fought alongside Australian and US troops against communist forces.
Army of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnamese Army)
In August 1966, D Company of the 6th Battalion, RAR, fought heavily outnumbered against Viet Cong forces in a rubber plantation during this famous battle.
Battle of Long Tan
These massive, peaceful public protests brought hundreds of thousands of Australians to the streets to demand an end to the war and conscription.
1970 Moratorium Marches
Taking over as Prime Minister during a period of growing public opposition, he began the process of capping Australian troop levels in Vietnam.
John Gorton
Original documents, photographs, artifacts, or firsthand accounts that were created during the actual time period being investigated are classified as this.
Primary Evidence
Also known by the acronym the PAVN, this military force fought alongside the Viet Cong against Western forces to reunify the country under communist rule.
People's Army of Vietnam (North Vietnamese Army)
For many years after the war, this traditional Australian veterans' organisation was heavily criticised for being unwelcoming and failing to recognise the service of Vietnam veterans.
Returned and Services League (RSL)
Released in 1983, this iconic Australian folk song captured the firsthand trauma of a veteran and helped change public perception of the war.
I Was Only 19 by Redgum
In 1971, following the lead of US "Vietnamisation" policies, this Prime Minister announced the phased withdrawal of Australian combat forces.
William McMahon
When evaluating historical evidence, you must determine what two concepts?
Usefulness and Reliability
This toxic herbicide was widely used by allied forces to defoliate jungle cover and destroy crops, later causing severe, long-term health issues for veterans.
Agent Orange
Vietnam veterans received this long-overdue official public welcome 15 years after the withdrawal of troops at this event in Sydney.
1987 Welcome Home Parade
Young men who actively refused to register for national service or comply with the draft faced this legal consequence, turning figures like John Zarb into martyrs.
Imprisonment
Shortly after winning the 1972 election, this Labor Prime Minister officially ended national service and recalled the last remaining Australian military advisors from Vietnam.
Gough Whitlam
Rather than seeking a simple “yes” or “no” answer, a strong one of these is open-ended, debatable, and serves as the overarching guide for your entire historical investigation.
Key Inquiry Question