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STARTER. Last lesson, you learnt about the key features of détente in the 1970s. Can you recall a feature of détente which begins with the one of the letters below, and give a fact about that feature? . S. H. M. Today... The Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan, 1979
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STARTER Last lesson, you learnt about the key features of détente in the 1970s. Can you recall a feature of détente which begins with the one of the letters below, and give a fact about that feature? S H M
Today... • The Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan, 1979 • Why Afghanistan? How was Afghanistan important to the Soviet Union? • Why did they invade? • What were the key features of the invasion? • How did the USA react, and why? IMPORTANT POINT! The Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan, in 1979, caused the collapse of detente, and started what has been called a Second Cold War.
Why was Afghanistan important to both the Soviet Union and the USA?
We hate Communist government 1 We want to turn Afghanistan into a Muslim state 1979 2 THE MUJAHIDEEN – Muslim rebels who fought against Amin’s Communist government AMIN BECOMES PRESIDENT OF AFGHANISTAN The Mujahideen hate Amin. We don’t like him either! Let’s invade and replace Amin with a different Communist leader. Then, we can deal with our other enemy - the Mujahideen… 3 BREZHNEV
The Mujahideen had declared jihad (holy war) on Amin’s government/ communism. They wanted to set up an Islamic state in Afghanistan. An Islamic state wouldn’t be friendly towards the USSR. Why did the USSR think it was so important to have a friendly government in Afghanistan? Afghanistan bordered the USSR. If Afghanistan got too friendly with the USA, this could threaten the USSR’s security. The USSR contained 30 million Muslims around the border with Afghanistan. What if they sided with the Mujahideen, and tried to break away from the USSR? President Amin was a communist, but he wanted to develop better relations with the USA. This worried Brezhnev.
4 THE USSR INVADES AND KILLS PRESIDENT AMIN… USSR POURS MONEY AND SOLDIERS INTO AFGHANISTAN PRESIDENT KARMAL We still hate Communist government 5 6 We still want to turn Afghanistan into a Muslim state In 1989, the USSR gave up their fight against the Mujahideen. They couldn’t defeat them. THE MUJAHIDEEN – Muslim rebels continued their fight against communism in Afghanistan, with US help
QUESTIONS Title: The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan 1979 and the collapse of détente Why did the Soviet Union want to increase their influence in Afghanistan? Try to explain 2 reasons. Summarise the situation with Amin’s government at the end of the 1970s. (Try doing just a few bullet points!) Why was Brezhnev worried about the Mujahideen? Why did Brezhnev see Amin as a problem? Why did Brezhnev choose Karmal to replace Amin? How did Brezhnev justify the invasion to the rest of the world? Do you think this was the real reason for the invasion, or an excuse? Explain 4 ways in which the USA reacted to the invasion – one political, one military, one economic and one cultural/sporting!
Practice exam question Briefly explain the key features of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. (6 marks) You need 3 developed points. Which are you going to choose?
REVIEW This cartoon shows President Carter (USA) watching the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. What is the message of the cartoon?