Flashpoints Flashcards
What was the background to the USSR’s invasion of Afghanistan?
The USSR backed and pro-Soviet government was under threat when Hafzullah Amin took control in 1979. The fear of an eventual Islamist takeover led to the USSR invading in December 1979.
Babrak Kamal was installed as leader of Afghanistan but the USSR then had to fight an unwinnable war in trying to defend him for the next ten years.
What was the importance of the invasion of Afghanistan?
It ended Detente and was a cause of what historians called “The Second Cold War”.
The USA’s attitude to Communism once again hardened and in the medium term this helped Ronald Reagan get elected as President in the 1980 election.
What were the consequences of the Carter Doctrine and Olympic Boycotts?
The Carter Doctrine was a reaffirmation of the Truman Doctrine and led to gradually more foreign policy spending under Reagan.
The Olympic Boycott led to a much smaller Olympics, with far fewer countries attending. It revealed the soft cultural power the USA had in directing the attitudes of its allies. The USSR responded by boycotting the Los Angeles Games of 1984.
What was the story of Reagan’s Second Cold War?
Reagan was elected on the principle of winning the Cold War. He used provocative language of “good” vs. “bad” is best illustrated by his description of the USSR as an Evil Empire in 1983.
Reagan funded anti-Communist groups in South America and increased defence spending: 13% in 1982 and a further 7% in 1983.
He put further economic pressure on the USSR with his far-fetched “Star Wars” plan in 1983.
What did the Second Cold War mean for the USSR?
Gross economic spending and a threat to the status quo at the very time it was facing an unwinnable war.
What were the consequences of the SDI?
The USSR felt compelled to spend money on its own missile defence systems. It also revealed the massive divide between the Superpowers as the USSR could not match the USA’s computer systems and ambition.
The SDI was a violation of the Outer Space Treaty, which had been in place since 1968.
