Afghanistan 1979 Flashcards
Why was the soviet union interested in invading afghanistan
It formed an important buffer between the USSR and the muslim fundementalist goverment in Iran.They didn’t want this fundementalism to spread so it was important that there was a pro soviet goverment in afghanistan
What happened on april 1978 in afghanistan and then what happened in september 1979
A pro communist goverment took control however was then toppled by Amin after he staged a coup
What was the final straw so that the Soviets invade afghanistan
After supporting Amin at first he started to decrease in popularity and there were rumors that he was talking to the USA about possible american support so decided to act
When did the soviets invade Afghanistan
24th December 1979
When was Amin assasinated
He was assasinated on the 27th december 1979 and was replaced by a pro soviet leader.
What was the reactions of the USA to the invasion of Afghanistan
The american saw it as the soviets trying to spread communism.This was against the policy of containment the USA had tried to employ.He withdrew the SALT 2 proposal and upped spending on arms. Carter even said he would repel any threats to american interests in persia by force
Who were the muslim Guerilla fighters against the Soviets
They were the Mujahideen,They were supplied lots of weapons and help by the US
What was the impact of the Afghanistan Invasion on Superpower relations
Detenté was already close to breaking up however the invasion fully ended it.It could be argued that the Americans overreacted to get out of detente.It brang about the election of Reagan who believed in being hard on the soviets and called them an ‘evil empire’ this led to the second cold war
What were the consequences of the soviet invasion of afghanistan
End of Detente,Olympic boycotts,SALT 2 abandoned,Second cold war begins,reagan eventually elected
