Year 12 IB Extended Essays 2018

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was not any ideological divides, so the Liberal Party was able to present a united front. In 1966 when Menzies retired and Prime Minister Harold Holt took charge, he quickly became close friends with the American President of the time, President Lyndon Baines Johnson, primarily known as ‘LBJ’. After Holt went to America to visit Washington, Holt enthusiastically announced that Australia was ‘All the way with LBJ’ on going to war in Vietnam. As well as this, the right wing faction of the Labour Party, that had split from the ALP, who were very anti-communist supported the war. The Liberal Party used this war as an opportunity to bolster American relations by supporting them in the war, as if relations between the countries improved, then there would be a much higher chance of America supporting the Australian economy by investing in it. On the contrary, the ALP was very against the sending of troops to Vietnam but, however, it was hard to form a coherent policy for a party that very divided over many issues to do with the war. The leader at the time, Arthur Calwell had the undesirable job of responding to the government in parliament, although having to keep the thought of being ‘anti-American’ or unpatriotic. Instead he supported the ideas of the British and Canadian governments who were wanting America to negotiated with North Vietnam. The ALP saw the Vietnam War as a war where Australia shouldn’t get involved. Even given this however, Calwell said they would support the Australian troops instead of denying them support which was indefinitely needed. As the war continued, the ALP stayed strong and became even more adamant with their anti-war campaign, almost being forced into this position by the Liberal Party, as the Liberal Party knew that this would lose the ALP the vote in the election. The ALP’s views became very unpopular, with it reaching a climax in 1966 where Calwell was shot at an anti-Vietnam rally in Sydney.