Soviet Intervention in Afghanistan
Ben Fielder
18 November 2010
Soviet Intervention on Afghanistan When someone intervenes in your life, it’s usually to project their beliefs onto you and force you to stop a destructive behavior. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union intervened in Afghanistan, not to stop a destructive behavior, but to project their own wants and needs (for the oil and other resources) onto Afghan culture. Forcing them to submit to foreign rule, the people of Afghanistan fought back to protect their land, as a result creating a war that lasted for ten years. This conflict came to be known as the Soviet-Afghan War. Ultimately, the Soviet Union lost the war and retreated from Afghanistan. However, the effects of this war are still being felt today, as demonstrated in their foreign policies and political interactions with outside countries.
Prior to the war, the Soviet Union was in control of the Afghan government. It was when Afghanistan made themselves a constitutional monarchy in 1953 (Origins of Soviet-Afghan War 1). It also began from a coup d’état by Afghan communists called the “Saur Revolution in 1978 (Afghanistan War 1). This created tensions between the Soviet Union’s puppet government and Afghan people, because they resented being ruled by a foreign power. Additionally the Soviet Union took advantage of the Afghan people by taking control of the oil fields, allowing the people to only keep a small percentage of the profits. The Soviet Union, to defend their interests continued to become more intimately involved in Afghanistan’s affairs throughout the 1950s and the 1960s pumping billions of dollars into country, to try and establish friendly relations. “Between 1956 to 1978, the Soviet Union gave $2.51 billion in aid to Afghanistan (Encyclopedia of Russian History 13).” The Soviet Union however, had a bigger picture for the future of Afghanistan. They wanted to take over the country, and did so by gaining power from within. The Soviet Union wanted to gain
18 November 2010
Soviet Intervention on Afghanistan When someone intervenes in your life, it’s usually to project their beliefs onto you and force you to stop a destructive behavior. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union intervened in Afghanistan, not to stop a destructive behavior, but to project their own wants and needs (for the oil and other resources) onto Afghan culture. Forcing them to submit to foreign rule, the people of Afghanistan fought back to protect their land, as a result creating a war that lasted for ten years. This conflict came to be known as the Soviet-Afghan War. Ultimately, the Soviet Union lost the war and retreated from Afghanistan. However, the effects of this war are still being felt today, as demonstrated in their foreign policies and political interactions with outside countries.
Prior to the war, the Soviet Union was in control of the Afghan government. It was when Afghanistan made themselves a constitutional monarchy in 1953 (Origins of Soviet-Afghan War 1). It also began from a coup d’état by Afghan communists called the “Saur Revolution in 1978 (Afghanistan War 1). This created tensions between the Soviet Union’s puppet government and Afghan people, because they resented being ruled by a foreign power. Additionally the Soviet Union took advantage of the Afghan people by taking control of the oil fields, allowing the people to only keep a small percentage of the profits. The Soviet Union, to defend their interests continued to become more intimately involved in Afghanistan’s affairs throughout the 1950s and the 1960s pumping billions of dollars into country, to try and establish friendly relations. “Between 1956 to 1978, the Soviet Union gave $2.51 billion in aid to Afghanistan (Encyclopedia of Russian History 13).” The Soviet Union however, had a bigger picture for the future of Afghanistan. They wanted to take over the country, and did so by gaining power from within. The Soviet Union wanted to gain
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