Rising Tensions 1979-84 Flashcards
When was Martial Law decleared in Poland?
1981
When was the death of Brezhnev
1982
Why were the soviets interested in Afghanistan?
They were seen as an important neighbour
Afghanistan formed an important buffer zone between the USSR and Iran
What did a revolution in Iran do?
Replaced the Shah with a Muslim fundelmentolist group
When was the revolution in Iran?
1979
Why was it important that there was a buffer between the USSR and Iran?
So that Iran’s muslim idiology wouldn’t spread into the Soviet Unions boarders as they had a large Muslim population
What is the Shah?
The king or emporor in Iran. There had always been a Shah untill the 1979 revolution
When did a pro Soviet government take controll in afghanistan?
What did it recieve?
April 1978
It recived economic aid from Moscow
What happened to the pro-soviet government?
It was toppled in September 1979 by a popular coup
Who staged the coup that brought down the pro-soviet government?
Hafizullah Amin
Did Moscow support Amin?
At first they did but as he became more unpopular more pro-Muslim factors tryed to overthrow him and the Soviet Union got worried by this.
What was the last straw that made Brezhnev invade Afghanistan?
He hurd rumers that Amin was talking to the USA about possible American support
When did the USSR invade Afghanistan?
24th December 1979
What did the invading army claim?
They had been invited by Amin to support him against terrerists
What happened to Amin?
On 27th December he was assasonated (almost certianly by USSR commandos)
Who replaced Amin?
A pro-Soviet. Babrak Kamal
When did the Afghanistan war end?
How long did it last?
1989
10 years
Why did the Soviet Union stay in Afghanistan?
To fight the mujahideen who opposed Babrak Kamal
What did the USA see the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan as?
An attempt to spread communsim abroad
How did Carter react to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan?
Carter called it the bigget threat to world peace since WW2.
He increased soending on arms
He withdrew the SALT 2 agreement from the senate
Anounced the Carter Doctrine
He started sending suplies to the mujahideen
He imposed economic sanctions on the USSR
What did the Carter doctrine say?
The US would use force if necesary to protect US interest in the persian gulf
When was the Carter doctrine announced?
At the state of the union adress in 1980
What did the USA do to oppose Kamal?
They supplied weapons and billion of dollers to the mujahideen
How many USSR troops were killed?
15,000
How much did the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan cost them?
$8 billion a year
How many civilian casualties were there?
Very high. Some estimate 1.5 million deaths
What was Reagan’s election campain based on?
He riducled Carter as a weak president and wanted to lead america to get it’s place as a world superpower again
When did Reagan become president?
January 1981
When did Jimmy carter become president?
January 20th 1977
What were the consequences of the invasion of Afghanistan?
It worsened US-Sino relations End of détente Start of the second cold war 10 year war in Afghanistan SALT 2 abandoned Carter Doctrine Olympic boycotts
What was the dirst olympics to be boycotted?
1980 Moscow
What was the second olympics to be boycotted?
1984 LA olympics
How many nations supported the US boycott
60 nations
Why was the US boycott significant?
Olympics are global events which the USSR wanted to show of communism
It made the Moscow games look second rate
The Boycott reflected the influence that the USA had
What was British action on the US boycott?
They didn’t prevent athletes from going but they encouraged them not to take part
What was USA action on the US boycott?
American athlets were told that their passports would be taken away if they tried to go
What were the effects of the olympic boycotts?
Worsened superpower relations
What happened 4 years after the US boycott of the Moscow olympics?
The USSR boycotted the LA olympics
How many countrys joined the USSR’s boycott of the LA olympics?
15 other communist countries
What approach did Reagan use?
A tougher approach
How did we see Reagan’s approach?
Evil empire speach
Reagan doctrine
Increase in military spending
He gave support to insurgent grouos in central america
Give examples of how Reagan helped insurgence groups in central america?
El Salvador
Nicaragua
Grenada
What was the Reagan Doctrine?
The US support anti communist governments or anti communist GROUPS to overthrow an communist government
Facts about increase spending in the 1980’s?
In 1982 13% more was spent
In 1983 8% more was spent
What happened as a result of increased military spending under Reagan?
New weapons such as the Trident Submarines and Stealth bombers were developed
What did Reagan kniw about the Soviet Union in the 1980’s?
Why?
It was struggling
Developing new weapons
The war in Afghanistan costed a fortune
How did Reagan captalis on the USSR’s weak economy?
Announcing SDI
When was SDI announced?
What was it also known as?
1983
Star Wars
What did SDI stand for?
Strategic Defense Initiative
What was SDI?
A series of satalites which would be placed in orbit which could carry lasers that could shoot down missiles that threatened the USA
What was the downsides of SDI?
It was completely against the 1967 Outer Space Treaty
It was years away from being ready
What were the advantages of SDI?
It took the Soviet Union by shock. There new missiles (which they had devoted a lot of money to) would be made redundant
The USSR would have to spend a lot of money to catch up to the USA’s technology
It was a significant turning point in the arms race
