The discussion of veterans benefits and the rights and privileges of veterans from World War Two based upon the country that the veterans fought for can be diverse because of the nature of the conflict and the aftermath in which allies that had fought together against Germany and Japan ended up having a ideological standoff that lasted for 45 years after the end of the war. The comparison of the status of veterans in the Soviet Union and Australia is interesting because these are not two countries that would normally be compared. Both fought for the Allied Powers during World War Two, but post war the Australians sided with the Americans and are a capitalist country that is Anglo, just like the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. It would be natural to compare the treatment of Australian veterans to American veterans, or to compare Australian veterans to other Commonwealth veterans. A natural comparison and contrast would be between the treatment of veterans in the United States and the Soviet Union because they represent the pinnacle of the West and the East, the capitalists and the communist.
The first question that I had upon reading the document was “What kind of differences would I expect in the treatment of military veterans in the Soviet Union and the veterans in Australia?” I was under the impression that the Soviet Union, which seemed like a militaristic society which idealized its leaders as military leaders, would take extra care of its veterans. I was not aware that the World War Two veterans of the Soviet Union did not receive separate status until the 1970’s. I suppose this is based on the premise that every Soviet Citizen should be a soldier, so there would be no purpose in separating those who had served from those that had not, because being a soldier for the Soviets was expected out of all of the Soviet citizens. It is logical to not expect entitlement groups within the communist country, but in a way I was expecting there to be a clearly defined system for recognizing Soviet veterans of World War Two. Another question about the Soviet Union after the war is “Why do you think there was a disconnect between soviet veterans and the Soviet Government?”
One thing that surprised me about the way that Australian veterans of World War Two were treated is that they received different accolades than the veterans of the First World War. Australia and New Zealand celebrate ANZAC Day to commemorate the men who served in the British Commonwealth Army during the First World War. The majority of the Australians that fought in the First World War were volunteers, many of whom died in the Gallipoli Campaign in 1915 in Turkey. The Second World War, with more fighting conducted in the Pacific, led to an increase in conscriptions in Australia. Does the difference between men who volunteer for the military and those who are conscripted into the service mean that those men should be treated differently?
Would you expect Russian veterans to be treated differently after the conclusion of the Cold War?
How does the treatment of American veterans compare to the Soviets and Australians?
General Questions. Should veterans be an entitlement group, or in a society where volunteer for the military do soldiers give up the ability to be specifically picked out for entitlements?
Do you think veterans should be entitled to special benefits that other citizens are not?
What are some variables that affect veteran’s status’s within their own country? Is there a perceived moral debt that society feels that it owes to the men and women that sacrifice their lives and bodies for the nation? Does how a person becomes a soldier affect how veterans are accepted? Does a conscript versus a volunteer matter?
Does the fact that Australia itself was threatened by Japanese encroachment during the Second World War change how veterans were treated after the conclusion of the conflict? As previously stated the Second World War saw an increase in the number of conscriptions into the Australian military. Is this likely reflective of the increased risk of invasion and natural danger for Australia, or an indicator of less patriotic support for the country?
http://ww2db.com/country/australia
https://www.awm.gov.au/encyclopedia/enlistment/
