Cold War - Renewal of cold war Flashcards
Motive for Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan
- Middle Eastern country which was a hot spot proxy for US and USSR.
- After Afghanistan moved toward communism by Soviet support witnessed Soviet’s intervention within Afghanistan and then later military intervention.
- Annex Afghanistan, rescue regime, suppress religious extremism and maintain access to Persian gulf and Indian ocean.
Response by America?
- Seen as Soviet Expansionism
- President Carter’s doctrine outlined that America would intervene if it’s interests economically were threatened in the Persian Gulf.
- America funding the ‘Mudjahideen’ to combat Soviet intervention.
Consequences of Soviet Intervention
- End of Soviet and US proxy war, Mujahideen saw victory with Soviet withdrawal
- Impact upon the Soviet Union economically
- Afghanistan became destabilised with religious fundamentalist groups taking over control, such as the Taliban who took rule since 1996.
Context to issues of the 1970s for the US
- Civil rights movement
- National guard student shooting
- Failed to invade Cambodia
- Failure to intervene in Vietnam
- Watergate scandal
- Indochina communist revolutions
Context to Reagan?
- Hated communism
- Extremely pro-capitalist
- American Nationalist.
Reagan Doctrine - Presidency in 1981
Aims - American nationalism, establishing a clear ideological line, containment and “rollback”, support for anti-communist movements and continuation of Monroe doctrine.
Nature of Reagan’s foreign policy
- Development of Reagan doctrine saw intense implementation of U.S imperialism as a means to “rollback” U.S opposition.
- Utilisation of CIA: targeting countries, groups and movements i.e. Libya, El Salvador and Afghanistan
Nature of Reagan’s Economic Policy?
- Neoliberalism - Tax cuts, cutting social services…
- Military expenditure increases
- US$2.5 Trillion in debt for America
Nature of Strategic Defence Initiative (Star Wars) program?
- Key feature of Reagan policy utilised to pull themselves up back to the Soviet Union’s military standing.
- SDI program in 83’ was a nuclear arms program. Program saught to send nuclear missiles into space and having weapons capable of neutralising enemy weapons whilst airborne.
Success and impact of Reagan program?
- Failure, mass debt, ridiculed by commentators and media and abandoned by scientists.
- Renewed tensions, threatened US nuke power
- Challenged soviets
Context of Soviet Union by 1970-80s
Economic conditions: declining living standards, failing domestic issues and economic stagnation.
Social conditions: declining living standards, poor quality consumer goods, failing agricultural harvest, alcoholism, poor political conditions.
Gorbachev, attitudes and policy promises
- Shift toward liberalism and privatisation essentially: increased freedom, political and intellectual debate, multi-candidate elections, open government, privatisation and opening to foreign investment.
Idea of a both ‘Perestroika’ and Glasnost, and the result?
- meaning restructuring, following form of market reforms to attempt to stimulate economy; decentralisation and liberalisation.
- Resulted in worsening of conditions and opening to foreign investment and privatisation.
Gorbachev key policy positions
Foreign policy - Introduction into reform policy, withdrawing from Afghanistan for example.
Diplomatic policy - Treaty and limits
Military policy - Unilateral cuts
Disarmament agreements between 1978-1991
- Summit meetings: Geneva, Iceland, Washington, Moscow - Resulting in arms limits, diplomatic relations and friendship between USSR and US (Gorbachev and Reagan).
