Summary
Alternative name(s): button
This badge was made in support of the P.R.G, or the Provisional Revolutionary Government. Formed in 1969, it was an underground goverment ran by the communists, opposed to the official one in South Vietnam. This structure was recognized by most communist states and organisations.The North Vietnam flag is printed on the left side of the badge (red backroung with a yellow star). This flag was first designed by a communist revolutionary in an uprising against French colonialism in 1940. In 1945 when Ho Chi Minh declared independence from France he used the same colours for the North Vietnamese flag. The right side of the badge bears the P.R.G flag, which borrowed its colours from the National Liberation Front, or Viet Cong (red and blue background with yellow star). Therefore both flags on this badge represent communist bodies that were opposed to South Vietnam and were eventually victorious. The Paris Peace Accords of 1973 stated that the South Vietnamese government had to recognize the P.R.G. The unification of the two happened three years later, in 1976. After the unification of the republic in the south with the communist north, the flag of Vietnam remained the yellow star on a red background.
It is unclear exactly when this badge was used, but student activism and anti-war protestors were heavily involved with leftist politics. The slogan supporting the P.R.G would have been in line with their support of the communist side in Vietnam and their general sentiment opposing American violence.
Physical Description
Small circular badge. Front is laminated; back is made of gold colored metal. Back has wire pin and loop. Red and blue V with two yellow stars, representing the flag of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam. White background. Black printed text.
More Information
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Collecting Areas
Public Life & Institutions, Politics & Society, Clothing & Textiles
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Acquisition Information
Donation from Nic Maclellan, 23 Feb 1987
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Collector
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Inscriptions
Printed tex, black ink: RECOGNISE/THE P.R.G.
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Classification
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Category
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Discipline
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Type of item
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overall dimensions
3.6 cm (Length)
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References
Grey, Jeffrey and Doyle, Jeff (1991) "Australia and the Vietnam War: A Select Bibliography," Vietnam Generation: Vol. 3 : No. 2 , Article 11. Available at: [Link 1] Edwards, Peter (2014) Australia and the Vietnam War. Sydney, NewSouth Publishing.
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Keywords
Peace Issues, Political Ideologies, Political Protests, Vietnam War, 1959-1975, Communism, Wars & Conflicts