MORATORIUM MOVEMENT
The moratorium movement, especially in 1970 was a large part of Australia's anti-war movement and allowed many Australians (especially women) the chance to express their feelings towards the war, through protests and organisations such as SOS (See 'Save our Sons' below).
What does Moratorium mean?
1. A legally authorised postponement before some obligation must be discharged.
2. Suspension of an ongoing activity
As conflict in Vietnam continued and more troops were sent there, support for the war began to decline and opposition arose. The Vietnam War divided Australian society and the anti-war movement grew rapidly in size and intensity.
In 1965 an opinion poll showed that 59% of Australians supported the war.
In 1969 the same poll showed only 39% of Australians supported the war.
This lead to many protests throughout Australia and the rise of the moratorium movement.
Initial feelings of war
Initially Australians had no opposition to the war. In the federal election of 1966, Australia voted for the government in favour of fighting in the Vietnam war and consequently Labor Party (opposed to sending troops) suffered its worst election since 1931. Most newspapers and opinion polls also showed support for the war.
Why was there opposition to the war?
The Vietnam War was the first war that was televised and each night on television in Australian homes there were images of the war and the soldiers fighting in the war. This was the first time that Australians truly saw the horrific side of the war and saw the struggle that their sons went through. This made them oppose to the war and object to their sons being conscripted to go.
Opposition to Conscription
When the decision was made to send combat troops to South Vietnam, there was some opposition to this Conscription, especially from the Labor Party. Some people believed that the war in Vietnam was a civil war rather than a push of expansive communism. They also were unsure whether military action in Vietnam would be successful. The leader of the Labor Party, Arthur Calwell, said it was an ‘unwinnable war’ and that the Labor Party promised to withdraw Australian conscripts from Vietnam if it won government. There were many propaganda posters at the time that tried to persuade people to vote for the Labor Party and against conscription.
Save Our Sons
The war continued to go badly for the United States and its allies (including Australia) even though there was massive involvement of troops and air and sea bombardment in North Vietnam. In the US a strong anti-war movement began as people began to worry about the heavy cost of lives being lost and the Labor Party was leading this opposition. In May 1965 a group of mothers founded an organisation called Save Our Sons (SOS) which led protest campaigns against conscription and spread to all states. Protest activities include letter-writing, picketing government officers and protest rallies. In 1971 5 members of SOS went to prison after handing out leaflets to young men in Melbourne.
May 1970
May of 1970 was the high point for Australia’s Moratorium marches. Not only was the number of people impressive but also their nature. They changed from being considered radical students, unionists and communists to being a respectable group of human anti-war people whose stand was respected by the general community.
- May 8 & 9 – Marches took place in all capital cities as well as in some towns such as Wollongong.
- May 18 – between 150,000 and 200,000 people were involved in a national 100,000 marched in Melbourne alone.
Conscientious Objectors
A conscientious objector = a person who, for personal or religious reasons, won’t take part in military service or fight in a war.
During the Vietnam War a person could refuse to register for National Service and say that he was a conscientious objector. They would then have to prove in court that there were deep-seated and compelling reasons why he couldn’t serve in the armed forces. The number of Conscientious Objectors, however, was quite small with out of the 800 000 men registers for national service only 1242 were granted conscientious objector status by the courts.
REFERENCES:
HENNESSY T,2007,Celebrations in Australia History: The Vietnam War, Viewed June 1 2007 <http://www.naa.gov.au/education/challenge/2004_winner.html >
MASON K J,1975,Experience of Nationhood,5th edition,Magraw Hill,Australia
SMAAL Y,2006,The Vietnam War, Viewed May 31 2007, <http://www.naa.gov.au/education/challenge/2004_winner.html>
2007, Collection of Australian anti-conscription posters in the Vietnam War, Viewed June 7 2007. < http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-an7753445>
by Claudia Vickers and Emma Groves
Comments (0)
You don't have permission to comment on this page.