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Topic 5: the Cold War Title and Author of Packet: Ch. 40 Defeat In Topic 5: The Cold War Title and Author of Packet: Ch. 40 Defeat in Afghanistan by Cozier Major Theme: Origins of the Cold War Ideological Differences Mutual Suspicion and Fear From Wartime Allies to Post-War Enemies Historiography Major Theme: Nature of the Cold War Ideological Opposition Superpowers and Spheres of Influence Alliances and Diplomacy in the Cold War Historiography Major Theme: Development and Impact of the Cold War Global Spread of the Cold War from its European Origins Afghanistan War: The war in Afghanistan ended in 1989. During the war, the population of Afghanistan had declined by “six times as many as those shot, mined, or bombed” to death. Though Afghanistan allotted a much more significant loss of population, the Soviet Union ultimately lost. This was a large turning point for the Soviet Union because it was the first loss under the regime since their loss in the Caribbean, which was relatively minor. Afghanistan acted as a buffer zone between the British empire. The defeat over the Soviet Union was impressive because it shattered the image of the Soviets’ invincibility and the fact that the Soviet Union had a superior military. Leadership: Soviets installed a dictator (Karmal) was admittedly weak and tried to make up for his weakness through increase the military intake of soldiers. Karmal went to measures of destroying many of the classically Islamic traditions to show rule, such as abolishing dowries. The key instrument in the aims of centralizing power was the KHAD, the Afghan version of the KGB. They were trained by the KGB and the East German, STASI and won over three main cities: Kabul, Jalalabad, and Mazar-e-Sharif. Despite winning over three major cities they were unable to control two other centers: Kandahar and Heart. After unsuccessfully completely centralizing Afghanistan, the Soviet leaders worried about the issues they needed to face if Afghanistan rose against them. A meeting in 1983 was held with the Politburo to discuss what they were going to do with the situation of the growing army in Afghanistan. Kabul political crisis in stages: Overall it fell apart rather quickly. First, Karmal attended the Twenty-Seventh Congress of the Communist Party in February of 1986. In March of the same year Gorbachev talks about Afghanistan in a memorandum and discusses how Karmal is ill both in health and psychological state. Later that month, Karmal goes to Moscow for medical reasons and stayed until May. In this stay he missed a big anniversary in Kabul. On May 4th of the same year Karmal asks to be relieved of his duties because of his health and other problems. He doesn’t actually attend the meeting for the PDPA plenum. At this point he still is a member of the Politburo, but none of the Soviet leaders like him or think he did a good job at anything. On May 15th Najib, the head of the KHAD had basically taken control of Afghanistan and all Karmal did was “concentrate on running the organs of the state”. Karmal’s leadership officially ended on November 20 when he was relieved of all of his other Party and state posts. After Karmal: After Karmal was removed from office the Soviet leaders complained about him, saying he was “like a walking pretzel”. They commented on how much they didn’t like Karmal, but also really didn’t support Najib either. After further speaking poorly on Karmal, Gorbachev made the decision to withdraw 50% of the troops from Afghanistan in 1987 and the rest the year after. Weaponry: The Soviets were extremely impressed at the weaponry the Afghan army was able to obtain. One weapon the guerrillas used was the Sam-7. Sam-7s were a Soviet weapon was one that was effective in shooting down slow helicopters. The usage of these weapons disturbed the Soviet Union because they did not know where they acquired them. The CIA got the Sam-7s and became the distributing point to Pakistan. The Soviets were angry at Pakistan because they believed that Pakistan was supplying Afghanistan with weapons. Because the Soviet Union was angry, Gorbachev sent out a massive offensive into Paktia and destroyed twenty major Mujaheddin bases. After the Major Offensive: In 1987 in Kabul, Najibullah was elected president and Afghanistan adopted a new constitution at a Loya Jirga (a nationwide traditional gathering of tribal leaders). Their new state was no longer under Soviet influence; they changed the name from the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan to the Republic of Afghanistan and were defined Islamic state. Peace with Pakistan: In 1982, Pakistan and Afghanistan began the process of making peace. In 1988 they signed the Geneva Accords. The U.S. and the Soviet Union agreed to act as guarantors and the Soviet forces were all officially removed from Afghanistan. The Geneva Accords were supposed to mark the end of the war in Afghanistan but they didn’t actually work. Fighting throughout many cities in Afghanistan and on the Afghan- Pakistani border broke out. Despite the Soviet Union leaving, Afghanistan was still in civil war. The Soviet Union basically abandoned Afghanistan and then the Taliban rose. Cold War Policies of Containment, Brinkmanship, Peaceful Coexistence, Détente Role of the United Nations and the Non-Aligned Movement Role and Significance of Leaders Arms Race, Proliferation and Limitation Social, Cultural, and Economic Impact Historiography Unlike the war Lenin started in order to reinforce the tsarist empire, the war in Afghanistan was one of aggression on foreign land. If the Soviet Union had won, advances into Iran, Pakistan, and India would have been probable. The loss in Afghanistan ruined the image projected to the people that the Soviet Union had of being undefeatable. The victory over the Soviet Union was similar to the victory Afghanistan had over Britain because they didn’t win because of military superiority but because of the guerrillas of the tribal resisters. Karmal caused many of the problems within Afghanistan because he was a puppet of the Soviet Union and couldn’t actually do anything that would benefit Afghanistan or the Soviet Union long term. Pakistan’s involvement and relationship with Afghanistan caused multiple disagreements with the Soviet Union, especially when it came to weaponry. Afghanistan for the Soviets was like what Vietnam was for America. The only major difference was there was no glasnost in the beginning of the war. There was also no pro- Soviet subversive force in the Afghan peasantry. Major Theme: End of the Cold War Break-Up of Soviet Union: Internal Problems and External Pressures Breakdown of Soviet Control Over Central and Eastern Europe Historiography .
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