The Collapse of détente Flashcards
What was the main reason why détente collapsed?
The Kabul Revolution
When was the Kabul revolution?
April 1978
What party overthrew the government as part of the Kabul revolution?
People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (communist)
Who was the originally the leader of the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan?
Taraki
What happened after the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan seized control of the government?
1000’s of elite Muslims were imprisoned, tortured and murdered
What did 1000’s of Muslim’s join in retaliation to the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan’s actions?
The Mujahideen
Who were the Mujahideen?
A group of fundamentalist Muslims who declared a jihad against Amin
Who was Hafizullah Amin?
The deputy head of the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan government who seized power
When did Amin take over the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan?
September 1979
What were the Mujahideen?
A guerrilla fundamentalist movement
Why did Brezhnev order Soviet troops to invade Afghanistan?
- SU supported Amin but Amin wanted to improve links with the USA
- SU saw fundamentalism as a great threat to the Soviet system (30 million Muslims in the Soviet system) - could lead to uprising
How many Muslims were in the Soviet system?
30 million
