Secondly, conquer afghanistan and preserve the communist government that had been established in the 1970s, that was collapsing because of its lack of support in the military and population. This study is the first to adopt a broad perspective to identify the impact and. Soviet invasion of afghanistan, military action carried out in late december 1979 by soviet troops. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. In 1988, the soviet army left afghanistan after a concerted campaign by the westernbacked mujahideen. The soviets also increased their efforts to pacify afghanistan in order to avoid losing face to the rest of the world. The soviet union began trying to build its influence in afghanistan. In afghanistans twoparty communism, anthony arnold brings these dramatic developments to life, examining parcham and khalq in the context of the cultural, ethnic, and class factors that distinguish their leaders and separate constituencies. Prior to 1973, afghanistan had been a monarchy originally established in the mideighteenth century by ahmad shah durrani, resting atop a much older and notably stubborn tribal power structure. The soviet war in afghanistan, 1979 1989 the atlantic. This book, the sovietafghan war 197989, by gregory fermontbarnes, is an entry in osprey publishings essential history series. While the bulk of the documentation was produced between 1979 and 1988the period of the soviet military occupation of afghanistanthe collection also encompasses events leading up to the 1979 soviet invasion and includes the soviet withdrawal during 19881989. It was fought over nine years, from december 1979 to february 1989, mostly in the afghan countryside. Throughout the cold war, the united states and the soviet union competed for power and influence in different areas of the world.
The russians in afghanistan 19791989 profile, 2011 by the former british ambassador to moscow, rodric braithwaite. Without proper equipment and training, the afghanistan government was unable to resist the opposition,called the mujahedeen, eventually seeking the aid of the soviet union. Maceachin was an officer in residence at harvard universitys john f. Oct, 2012 washington, dc, october, 2012 contrary to u. The first official deployment of the soviet army into the kingdom of afghanistan began dec. Gregory feifers book about the soviet experience in afghanistan is the best i have. Jan 01, 2009 this book in its own right and its own subject matter is an incredibly informative and easy to read book on the soviet involvement, invasion, and occupation of afghanistan. The soviet union feared the loss of its communist proxy in afghanistan. During the last years of the cold war, the soviet union sent some of its most elite troops to unfamiliar lands in central asia to fight a vaguely defined. And turning back to the wild heads of war, in the book you will find a lot of military action in afghanistan, led by nato soldiers. In response to the american attitude, soviet attitudes to the west hardened as well. In short order, nearly 100,000 soviet soldiers took control of major.
In afghanistan s twoparty communism, anthony arnold brings these dramatic developments to life, examining parcham and khalq in the context of the cultural, ethnic, and class factors that distinguish their leaders and separate constituencies. Its public aims were to dismantle alqaeda and deny it a safe base of operations in afghanistan by removing the taliban from power. Soviet invasion to afghanistan december 1979 february 1989 american invasion to afghanistan october 2001 december 2014 out of a population of 15 million, 5 million left the country during the war as refugees to pakistan and iran. The situation had been building since april 1978, when a coup led by the prosoviet armed forces military council installed a marxist government under the leadership of noor mohammed taraki. The book flows excellently from each subject and transitions easily from political, world, and individual accounts.
The war in afghanistan 19791989 has been called the soviet unions vietnam war, a conflict that pitted soviet regulars against a relentless, elusive, and ultimately unbeatable afghan guerrilla force the mujahideen. Mark galeotti the last war of the soviet superpower was played out against the backdrop of dramatic change within the ussr. Soviet invasion of afghanistan essay 2974 words bartleby. Soviet troops ultimately withdrew from the area between may 15, 1988 and february 2, 1989. In gripping detail, he vividly depicts the invasion of a volatile country that no power has ever successfully conquered. In the great gamble, gregory feifer examines the conflict from the perspective of the soldiers on the ground. Files are available under licenses specified on their description page. In the great gamble, a groundbreaking account of the soviet invasion of afghanistan, former npr moscow correspondent. The soviet war in afghanistan was a war initially fought between the forces of the afghanistan government and foreign mercenaries. Kakars book is the best available history of the beginnings of the catastrophe. Soviet invasion of afghanistan a case of mission creep, according to new book and original soviet documents the dead end published in english for the first time national security archive electronic briefing book no.
The shooting war is generally held to have started december 24, 1979. How did the soviet invasion of afghanistan impact the cold. Jun 28, 2008 predicting the soviet invasion of afghanistan. In gripping detail, he vividly depicts the invasion of a volatile country that no. This caused the united states to renew their efforts to halt the communist expansion by supporting the afghan rebels in their efforts to expel the russians. The conflict had its origins in the 1978 coup that overthrew afghan president sardar muhammad daud khan, who had come to power by ousting the king in 1973. In december 1979, in the midst of the cold war, the soviet 40th army invaded afghanistan in order to prop up the communist government of the peoples democratic party of afghanistan against a growing insurgency.
The inside sto r y of the sovi et wi t h d r awa l ox f ord. On of afghanistan introduction on december 27, 1979, under cover cf an ongoing soviet military buildup, heavilyarmed elements of a soviet. As the cold war heated back up after the invasion of afghanistan, both sides engaged in a series of titfortat escalations of tensions. The soviet union intervened in support of the afghan communist government in its conflict with anticommunist muslim guerrillas during the afghan war 197892 and remained in afghanistan until midfebruary 1989.
At the end of december 1979, the soviet union sent thousands of troops into afghanistan and immediately assumed complete military and political control of kabul and large portions of the country. The soviet war in afghanistan was a war initially fought between the forces of the afghanistan government and afghan assistance fighters, supporter from abroad. The soviet invasion of afghanistan and political ties to the third world the soviet invasion of afghanistan had dire effects on the international relations between russia and the majority of western countries as well as relations between developing countries in both the middle east and africa. On the eve, soviet policy toward the middle east from world war ii until the invasion of afghanistan soviet policy from the invasion of afghanistan until the death of brezhnev the interregnum, moscow and the middle east under andropov and chernenko moscow and the. Sep 10, 2011 the invasion of afghanistan and the imposition of a communist regime seemed to signal that the communists had not abandoned their dream of global conquest. On december 24, 1979, the soviet union invades afghanistan, under the pretext of upholding the sovietafghan friendship treaty of 1978. Few people are more respected or better positioned to speak on the soviet invasion of afghanistan than m.
The september 11th sourcebooks national security archive. Arabic holy warriors fighters in afghanistan that resisted the soviets. Popular afghanistan war books meet your next favorite book. At the time, the united states had been making headway in the middle east at moscows expense, successfully courting egy. This event began a brutal, decadelong attempt by moscow to subdue the afghan civil war and maintain a. On december 27, soviet spetznaz troops attacked amins home and killed him, installing babrak kamal as the new puppetleader of afghanistan. Thus, over the course of the 1980s, the soviet union spent billions of dollars into the war in afghanistan, and at its peak, more than 100,000 soviet soldiers were fighting in afghanistan. The soviet union officially announced that all of its troops had left afghanistan on.
Without proper equipment and training, the afghanistan government was unable to resist the foreign mercenaries, eventually seeking the aid of the soviet union. The united states supported the afghanistan rebels in order to try and overthrow the communist government and to prevent the spread of communism. One of them was my friend, who in 2009 was killed by ied improvised explosive device. The soviet union sent troops into afghanistan for several reasons. Dec 23, 2004 the soviet union invaded afghanistan 25 years ago this month the first time since world war ii that organized soviet troops had been sent outside the bloc or cuba. Afghanistan war, 197892, conflict between anticommunist muslim afghan guerrillas mujahidin and afghan government and soviet forces. The west has to take a critical look at itself and examine the apparent double standards at work that allow it to attack iraq for possessing weapons of mass destruction but not north korea, whose leader shared saddam husseins megalomaniacal qualities. Jul 21, 2015 31 dec 1979 afghanistan the soviet invasion titles map of the region market and street scenes minaret pulls back to interior of mosque with people praying mcs muslim praying river pans to. The soviet invasion of afghanistan 2938 words 12 pages. At the end of december 1979, soviet troops moved into afghanistan, setting off an international crisis. Jan 12, 2017 in 1979, soviet troops entered afghanistan and for the next decade the ussr was mired in a conflict that eventually caused the country to unravel. All structured data from the file and property namespaces is available under the creative commons cc0 license. The following day, the soviet motorized divisions from turkestan and the fergana valley rolled into afghanistan, launching the invasion.
The soviet invasion of neighbouring afghanistan in december 1979 sparked a bloody nineyear conflict with the mujahideen until soviet forces withdrew in 198889, dooming the communist afghanistan government to defeat by afghan popular resistance backed by the usa and other powers. Dec 20, 2019 on december 24, 1979, the soviet union invades afghanistan, under the pretext of upholding the soviet afghan friendship treaty of 1978. Afghan regime in 1980 and 1981 and is the author of the book the truth about the afghan war. All doubt vanished over the next two days, however. Afghanistan, the soviet unions last war book, 1995. Best books about the soviet invasion of afghanistan. The united states invasion of afghanistan occurred after the september 11 attacks in late 2001 and was supported by close us allies. Mountainous regions of afghanistan such as hazarajat and nuristan, however, were completely free of soviet influence. But since then, many enduring myths have grown up about the wartorn country. The politburo sessions of january 17 and 28, 1980 carried extensive discussions of the situation in afghanistan. The sovietafghan war was a conflict wherein insurgent groups known collectively as the mujahideen, as well as smaller maoist groups, fought a guerrilla war against the soviet army and the democratic republic of afghanistan government.
The us provided the resistance with guns and antiaircraft missiles which now they face, even if it seemed like a good idea at that time. Instead, their invasion only consolidated popular determination to eject an alien ideology. The soviet army launched a total of nine offensives against one key, guerrillaheld pass called the panjshir valley in the first five years of the war alone. Soviet war in afghanistan simple english wikipedia, the. Soviet invasion of afghanistan by sofia colmenares on prezi. Aug 04, 2014 the ussr entered neighboring afghanistan in 1979, attempting to shore up the newlyestablished pro soviet regime in kabul. The entry of the soviet union into the country caused an immediate increase in the. Lyakhovsky and other authors report that at the same time, the top soviet military and political leadership held secret deliberations on the possibility of early withdrawal of soviet forces from afghanistan. The soviet tenyear debacle 197989 in afghanistan has generated a growing literature represented recently by diego cordovez and selig harrisons out of afghanistan lj 51595 and now by kakars. The most useful recent reconstruction of the soviet invasion decisions appears in the remarkable book afgantsy. To quote from ospreys web page, each essential histories book studies the origins, politics, fighting and repercussions of one major war or theatre of war, from both military and civilian perspectives.
In this important student text, first published in 1991, professor freedman provides an exhaustive account of soviet policy in the middle east from the invasion of afghanistan in december 1979 to an invaluable student textbook and essential reference. Kennedy school of government, from 1995 to 1997, subsequently. Invaded by the soviet union in 1979 for fear of the islamist movement spreading into central asia. Archived document, may contain errors the soviet invas. The soviet war in afghanistan was a grueling debacle that has striking lessons for the twentyfirst century. The entry of the soviet union into the country caused an immediate increase in the presence of foreign. The soviet afghanistan war was fought between afghanistan rebels called the mujahideen and the soviet supported afghanistan government. Drawing on the postamin trials of the killers of taraki as well as the extensive russianlanguage literature. The entry of the soviet union into the country caused an. Soviet forces have been in afghanistan fighting the mujahideen warlords for many years, and there is no sign of the war ending as more fighters join the holy. Gibbs university of arizona, tucson, arizona, usa d i e go cordovez and selig s. Short summary of the soviet war in afghanistan synonym. The conflict is also known as the us war in afghanistan.
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