Significance of the event to nz
When assessing the significance of the of the Anti-Vietnam War Protest in NZ, one could deduce that despite its high visibility in NZ society, it was ultimately a failure. It did not achieve its' objective of ending New Zealand combat deployment in Vietnam nor did it end up affecting New Zealand's military involvement in Vietnam either way. Political failure could also be pointed out in the failing of the group in gaining sufficient support to remove the National government, but that being said it did not even achieve full support from the Labour Opposition. In Roberto Rabel's book entitled 'New Zealand and the Vietnam War' he states that 'amongst the thousands of pages of Official documents on which the research for this book rests, not one Confirmed that any significant New Zealand decision about military involvement in Vietnam was affected by protest activities'.
The movement was hindered by internal divisions even towards the end of the war when public support was at its peak and disappeared once NZ troops were withdrawn. One could even go so far as to suggest another cause of the groups failure was hypocrisy since no further interest was taken in Vietnam once NZ troops were withdrawn. Those once deeply concerned with the civil rights of Vietnamese showed no concern for the undemocratic regime in place in Vietnam since 1975 and that the heavily criticised 1971 South Vietnamese election was the most democratic since this time. What the protest movement, particularly the Committees on Vietnam can claim however, is that they had a key influence on how the government handled its public relations. The government saw a need to escalate its' defence of the war to counter the attack on it from the movement. This does not however entail creating a policy.
Taking a different perspective, one could deduce that the Anti-Vietnam War Protest in NZ played a significant role in society nonetheless. 'Inspirational dissent' that collectively and courageously critiqued our foreign policy became part of our public and political landscape, a task never undertaken in NZ before. From the small groups and Individuals on the fringes of society in the 1950's the movement flourished with the COVs in the 1960's bringing the issue of New Zealand's involvement in Vietnam to the mainstream. The flexible structure of the COVs was particularly effective in avoiding internal breaks as it allowed for ideological diversity in the mobilisation of the campaign. This model influenced the Success of other protest movements such as the anti-nuclear and anti-apartheid protests to follow as they too came into the mainstream. The movement continued for around a decade and this ability to sustain itself is an achievement. When it did disappear it left an environment primed for dissent with many supporters moving into other causes such as the women's liberation movement.
In another respect the significance of the movement on NZ society can be quantified by the new ideas and arguments that emerged in NZ society. Previously there had been no other foreign policy issue of the post-war era that would divide PUBLICopinion in such a profound way. Alongside the movements counterparts overseas (in the US and Australia), what was considered wrong about the war was brought into the light, particularly the unnecessary loss of innocent Vietnamese life. The NZ movement comparatively gained even more success domestically in highlighting the NZ debate publically than its counterparts. The shift in ideas generated by the movement created a public forum where the US could be criticised from a non-communist viewpoint for the first time. Despite the lack of immediate political success, the public opinion was shifted and the next generation with these views was coming into its political prime. The future Prime Minister Helen Clark was among those against NZ involvement in Vietnam.
Although the political struggles of the movement were lost, ultimately the local struggle was won for the 'hearts and minds' of New Zealand's people. The United States however, did not WIN those of the Vietnamese people.
The movement was hindered by internal divisions even towards the end of the war when public support was at its peak and disappeared once NZ troops were withdrawn. One could even go so far as to suggest another cause of the groups failure was hypocrisy since no further interest was taken in Vietnam once NZ troops were withdrawn. Those once deeply concerned with the civil rights of Vietnamese showed no concern for the undemocratic regime in place in Vietnam since 1975 and that the heavily criticised 1971 South Vietnamese election was the most democratic since this time. What the protest movement, particularly the Committees on Vietnam can claim however, is that they had a key influence on how the government handled its public relations. The government saw a need to escalate its' defence of the war to counter the attack on it from the movement. This does not however entail creating a policy.
Taking a different perspective, one could deduce that the Anti-Vietnam War Protest in NZ played a significant role in society nonetheless. 'Inspirational dissent' that collectively and courageously critiqued our foreign policy became part of our public and political landscape, a task never undertaken in NZ before. From the small groups and Individuals on the fringes of society in the 1950's the movement flourished with the COVs in the 1960's bringing the issue of New Zealand's involvement in Vietnam to the mainstream. The flexible structure of the COVs was particularly effective in avoiding internal breaks as it allowed for ideological diversity in the mobilisation of the campaign. This model influenced the Success of other protest movements such as the anti-nuclear and anti-apartheid protests to follow as they too came into the mainstream. The movement continued for around a decade and this ability to sustain itself is an achievement. When it did disappear it left an environment primed for dissent with many supporters moving into other causes such as the women's liberation movement.
In another respect the significance of the movement on NZ society can be quantified by the new ideas and arguments that emerged in NZ society. Previously there had been no other foreign policy issue of the post-war era that would divide PUBLICopinion in such a profound way. Alongside the movements counterparts overseas (in the US and Australia), what was considered wrong about the war was brought into the light, particularly the unnecessary loss of innocent Vietnamese life. The NZ movement comparatively gained even more success domestically in highlighting the NZ debate publically than its counterparts. The shift in ideas generated by the movement created a public forum where the US could be criticised from a non-communist viewpoint for the first time. Despite the lack of immediate political success, the public opinion was shifted and the next generation with these views was coming into its political prime. The future Prime Minister Helen Clark was among those against NZ involvement in Vietnam.
Although the political struggles of the movement were lost, ultimately the local struggle was won for the 'hearts and minds' of New Zealand's people. The United States however, did not WIN those of the Vietnamese people.