What was the moratorium movement Australia?

What was the moratorium movement Australia?

At a national meeting in Melbourne in early 1970, anti-war groups from across Australia agreed to hold a moratorium. The word ‘moratorium’, in this sense, meant a halt to business as usual.

What did the moratorium movement do?

The Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam was a massive demonstration and teach-in across the United States against the United States involvement in the Vietnam War. It took place on October 15, 1969, followed a month later, on November 15, 1969, by a large Moratorium March in Washington, D.C.

Why was the Vietnam War unpopular in Australia?

[1] Opponents of the war were galvanized by the indiscriminate bombing and napalming of Vietnamese civilians, the view that the war was a civil one rather than part of a “downward thrust” of “communism” towards Australia, the perception on the part of many on the left that it represented a form of imperialism on the …

What was save our sons?

In an effort to bring back servicemen stationed in Vietnam, the Save Our Sons movement made public protests against the conduct of the war in Vietnam, aided those who had been jailed after refusing to be conscripted, spoke on behalf of conscientious objectors at rallies, passed out leaflets, attended vigils and …

What was the moratorium rally and why was it significant?

15 October marks 50 years since the first Moratorium Day to end the Vietnam War. Moratorium Day involved mass protests across the US. Religious services, rallies and meetings were held, aiming to bring the war to an end. By this point, US troops had been fighting the Communist Viet Cong in Vietnam since 1965.

Who were the SOS?

Two weeks after this announcement, on May 13, fifteen Sydney women, led by Joyce Golgerth and Pat Ashcroft, met and founded Save Our Sons (SOS), a non-political, non-sectarian community action group to oppose conscription.

Who is save our sons Vietnam War?

First established in Sydney, and later in Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Newcastle and Adelaide the movement protested against conscription of Australians to fight in the Vietnam war. The movement made conscription of men under 18 who were not eligible to vote at that time a focus of their campaign.

Did Australia lose the Vietnam War?

By the time the last Australian personnel were withdrawn in 1972, the Vietnam War had become Australia’s longest war, eventually being surpassed by Australia’s long-term commitment to the War in Afghanistan….Military history of Australia during the Vietnam War.

Australian involvement in the Vietnam War
Casualties 521 killed, ~3,000 wounded

What was the moratorium and why was it important?

The Moratorium was the first truly mass movement of the protest against the Vietnam War. Until 1969 the protest had been uncoordinated in a national sense and rallies had been reasonably small in size, whereas the Moratorium mobilised the support of hundreds of thousands.

What was the Vietnam Moratorium in Australia?

Vietnam moratoriums. The Vietnam moratorium protests, the first of which took place on 8 May 1970, were the largest public demonstrations in Australia’s history at the time. They represented growing discontent within a portion of the Australian population to the government’s commitment to the Vietnam War in general and conscription in particular.

What was the difference between the 1969 protests and the moratorium?

Until 1969 the protest had been uncoordinated in a national sense and rallies had been reasonably small in size, whereas the Moratorium mobilised the support of hundreds of thousands. It also succeeded in gaining more publicity in its first six months than had been achieved by the protest movement between 1965 and 1969.

What was the 1970s war Moratorium?

At a national meeting in Melbourne in early 1970, anti-war groups from across Australia agreed to hold a moratorium. The word ‘moratorium’, in this sense, meant a halt to business as usual. The moratorium took its cue from the US moratorium in October 1969, in which more than 500,000 Americans protested in 1200 cities and towns.