Why Menzies Committed Australia to the Vietnam War

The strong anti-communist stand taken by the Menzies liberal government in the 1950'2 and 1960's led to Australia taking active part in the politics of the south East Asian region. In august 1962, thirty Australian Army Instructors arrived to assist in training the South Vietnamese Army. Menzies believed in the "forward defense" policy which was based on "it is better to fight over there than here". After Australia's experience with the Japanese in World War 2, we …

…more militant. The final phase of the anti-war movement began in 1970 with massive moratorium meetings. There were two major groups that opposed the war. These were called the 'Save our sons Movement (SOS)' and the 'Vietnam action committee (VAC)'. The SOS movement was established in 1965.the overview of the group was mother joining together to voice their opposition to the conscription of their sons. The VAC demanded full withdrawal of troops from Vietnam.