Banning communist party FINALRev

The commie companionship of Australia has a narration that dates back to the early 1920. It was established in the scene of travel Russian Communism renewal. An analysis of its events in its lifetime charges that it was a great challenge to the Australian political order as it was growing from position to forte in terms of its attendant. Liberal sylvan companionship coalition was threatened by this emerge dominant ideology as fronted by the socialism party. Robert Gordon Menzies was against this and went ahead to enforce a toss out of the commieic party, but was this right?( strugg lead, Russel, 1983 pg 131) Arguments have raged over the nicety of Menzies for cryding on the communistic party. This paper maintains that this ban on the communist party was meant to suppress land and was against the basic lowlying democratic fundamentals under which Australia was formed and overly which the Liberal Country society sought to further. It was also against individual righ ts as it was pursuit to infringe on the freedom of association. The banning of communist party was driven by ill ground awe especially as a revolution driven by Russia was rife in the air.At the sop up of the world war two, the party had been banned in the trick or in an unfounded dogma that it was a dissident organization (Manne, Robert, 1994, pg 34,44). The federal official presidential term did this by invoking the National Security Regulations, however this ban was to be later lifted in celestial latitude 1942. This was afterward the leadership established that the communist Russians had inflexible rally their support against constricting the Hitlers trinity Reich terming the new force as the Patriotic Forces.Towards the loot of the war, the Comintern was against the involvement of Russia in the Second World war terming it as purely an imperialists affair. Australian communists had too earlier on spoken against the rising Nazism and Fascism, warning that these it wa s likely to spread to the remnant of Europe. The lifting of the ban is an indicator that it was non on whatever justified cause but was as a result of the rising opposition to the government performanceivitys policies at home (Ann C. and John M. , 1984). The communist party was riding on a wave of boil discontent and disillusionment of the Australian workers under the dig out unions.The lifting of the ban in 1942 did it greater service as its popularity soared to a record height. The number of heap unions ally to communist party increased greatly. The communist feat was able to penetrate and infiltrate the major traffic unions mostly in the show of rising fabianism in Eastern Europe. The communist party in Australia was enjoying some enormous support especially amongst the workers. This is seen in the way it was able to influence and instigate workers strike. The Chiley government in turn was using the military and controlling jailing of officials to crack the party.1 949, in Australia, was a bad course of study for the advertize government. The miner led a commonwealth wide strike, a strike that lasted for seven weeks. This was a period that would put the governments strength and will power into test. It was to retaliate through hazardous emergency legislations, and establishing an Anti Communist Month. This scuffle would leave both the communist party and the labor party suffering debilitating effects in the face of a rising unpopularity that was being fuelled by Menzies Liberal companionship. This was so especially as the 1949 federal elections drew closer.Right from the start, Menzies was set against communism in Australia. He considered the party as alien and destructive lad. In his campaign for elections, he vowed to prohibit it. thus that was the first deed upon his swearing in, having won the elections with a landslide ( diaphysis L. & Paul S. , 2001, pg 66). M some(prenominal) argue that it was non the suppression of the communi st party activity that did not endear him to many but it is the approach that he took. He embraced undemocratic strategies and invoked some fundamental law victuals that would infringe upon the rights of the nation.It has to be understood that Menzies policies against communism were a greater extent fuelled and influenced by the United States and Britain in the face of cold war. The three countries had been sharing assort information on the communism and on nu undetermined technology including the remote sites. Allegations that the communist party in Australia was spying for the USSR led to Menzies taking a unassailable stance and vowing to stamp out the party, referring to the act as a high treason (McKnight, David, 1994, pg112).The events that would ensue after this were highly undemocratic. Menzies took excess measures to curb any association, support or ingredientship of the Communist Party. It is these measures that received a lot of criticism. Majority wanted prohibition to be specifically limited to membership and not ground on some other ununderstandable criterion. His worst annoyance however was how to ban a party that enjoyed considerable support from the disdain unions. Impediments move on his agency as he tried to ban the party mostly as the common wealth constitution did not have such provisions.He had to plan carefully, cagy not to step on the toes of the powerful trade unions (Gollan, Robin, 1975, pg 145). Menzies was not enjoying much support from the industrial workers who apothegm him as impediment to their rights. His policies were likely to ignite an industrial instableness. In banning the communist party, he use selective and isolationist policies. The communist officials were to be denied any job opportunities in the government offices but the trade union officials were not to be affected by this, even those publicly opposed to the federal government.Sifting the communist from the rest required the reversing of the fundamenta l principle of cleared until proven guilty. The legal burden of proof lay upon the individual accused of being a member of the communist party. This did not endear him to many and was seen as meant to lead to unequivocal detention in the pretext that a crime against the commonwealth was committed (Macintyre, Stuart, 1998 pg 20-23). A hate campaign was instituted against the communist in the bid by the federal government to instill a sense of fear into the masses and wane the communist party popularity.The bill introduced by the government referred to as the Australian Communist Party Dissolution criterion 1950, was meant to outlaw completely the communist party. The provisions in the bill were unreasonably harsh and a clear infringement of the citizens rights. Supporters were to be jailed and those suspected to be communists sacked from their jobs. This was in the midst of concerted and hot opposition from the Australian Labor Party led by Ben Chifley. According to him, freedom and individual arbitrator were at stake if the bill was to be passed.Others were also emphasizing similar views. The high court rule to the disfavor of the Menzies administration and his mechanizations did not make headway. The 1951 referendum held on 22nd September landed Menzies a dainty defeat, however, still in the face of this defeat, the government did not give up the fight against communism. (Rupert Lockwood, 1992 pg 149) It is important to indicate that opposition is not on the decision to fight the Communist Party perse but it is against the strategy that he used.It is agreeable that the ideal of communism in the face of cold war were a threat to the stability of Australia. However the methods used to fight it are not condonable. The public voted against the government as there was fear that individual right and freedoms were to be trampled on had the act been enacted. The strategies used by Menzies were undemocratic and were seeking to arbitrary oppress a section of the Australian population especially those believed to have some communist connections.Some peck were citing the arbitrary arrests on the mere basis of perplexity as the reason behind their voting against the proposed act. germ Ward, Russel, 1983. A nation for a continent the autobiography of Australia, 1901-1975, Richmond, and Vic. Heinemann Educational Australia. Ann Curthoys and John Merritt, 1984. Australias first unwarmed War Society, communism and culture. 1945-1953 / Volume 1 Sydney Allen & Unwin. Peter Love & Paul Strangio, 2001. Arguing the Cold War. Carlton North, Vic. florid Rag Publications. Gollan, Robin, 1975.Revolutionaries and Reformists Communism and the Australian Labour Movement, 1920-1955, capital of Australia Australian National U. P. Manne, Robert, 1994. The shadow of 1917 Cold War conflict in Australia, Melbourne Text Publishing. Rupert Lockwood, 1992. Seeing red And Darker Colours, in seeing red the Communist Party Dissolution Act and referendum 1951 less ons for constitutional reform, Sydney Evatt Foundation. Macintyre, Stuart, 1998. The reds, St. Leonards Allen & Unwin. McKnight, David, 1994. Australias spies and their secrets, St Leonards, N. S. W. Allen & Unwin.