“The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” We have heard this phrase countless times in our lives and, more often than not, believed it. During the latter half of the twentieth century, the United States knew no greater enemy than the Soviet Union and during this time, both nations took drastic actions in an effort to bring about the downfall of the other. One such event occurred in 1979, when the Soviet Union dispatched its military into Afghanistan to quell a nationalist uprising against the newly-instated communist government. Naturally the United States supported this uprising, an action that ensured a Soviet defeat and ultimately an end to the Cold War. These actions came with a price however, as some of the militants armed by the United States
…show more content…
As part of the “Truman Doctrine”, the United States pledged to aid any nation fighting Communist militants. In response, the Soviet Union instated the “Brezhnev Doctrine” which served as a sort of antithesis of the “Truman Doctrine” by aiding Communist forces resisting Capitalism. As part of this policy of philosophical expansion, the Soviet Union provided a great deal of aid to Afghanistan in exchange for the institution of a Communist government which became known as the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA). This government soon came under fire however, and Afghanistan soon became involved in a civil war. Naturally, the Soviet Union began to dispatch aid to the PDPA, a fact which the United States showed little concern for. This all changed in 1979 however, when the Soviet Union lead a full scale invasion of Afghanistan. The United States had recently lost Iran as an ally following the Shah’s abdication and was by no means willing to let the Soviet Union gain control of the Middle East. In response to the invasion of Afghanistan, President Carter wrote what the United States Office of the Historian refers to as “a sharply-worded letter to Brezhnev [Leader of the Soviet Union] denouncing Soviet aggression,” and imposed economic sanctions on the Soviet Union, hoping to ensure a quick defeat. The Soviets weren’t willing to give up so easily however, and the …show more content…
After two brief successors, Mikhail Gorbachev took office as General Secretary of the Soviet Union and hoped to transform the nation through his reforms of “Glasnost and Perestroika.” The Soviet economy had taken a massive blow as a result of the failing war effort, therefore Gorbachev announced the withdrawal of all Soviet troops in February of 1988 to a stunned global audience. The last of the Soviet troops withdrew roughly a year later, an event that the United States hailed as a victory. Gorbachev’s efforts were ultimately in vain however, as the damage done to the Soviet economy proved to be fatal, and coupled with the failure of his reform programs the Soviet Union soon
As part of the “Truman Doctrine”, the United States pledged to aid any nation fighting Communist militants. In response, the Soviet Union instated the “Brezhnev Doctrine” which served as a sort of antithesis of the “Truman Doctrine” by aiding Communist forces resisting Capitalism. As part of this policy of philosophical expansion, the Soviet Union provided a great deal of aid to Afghanistan in exchange for the institution of a Communist government which became known as the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA). This government soon came under fire however, and Afghanistan soon became involved in a civil war. Naturally, the Soviet Union began to dispatch aid to the PDPA, a fact which the United States showed little concern for. This all changed in 1979 however, when the Soviet Union lead a full scale invasion of Afghanistan. The United States had recently lost Iran as an ally following the Shah’s abdication and was by no means willing to let the Soviet Union gain control of the Middle East. In response to the invasion of Afghanistan, President Carter wrote what the United States Office of the Historian refers to as “a sharply-worded letter to Brezhnev [Leader of the Soviet Union] denouncing Soviet aggression,” and imposed economic sanctions on the Soviet Union, hoping to ensure a quick defeat. The Soviets weren’t willing to give up so easily however, and the …show more content…
After two brief successors, Mikhail Gorbachev took office as General Secretary of the Soviet Union and hoped to transform the nation through his reforms of “Glasnost and Perestroika.” The Soviet economy had taken a massive blow as a result of the failing war effort, therefore Gorbachev announced the withdrawal of all Soviet troops in February of 1988 to a stunned global audience. The last of the Soviet troops withdrew roughly a year later, an event that the United States hailed as a victory. Gorbachev’s efforts were ultimately in vain however, as the damage done to the Soviet economy proved to be fatal, and coupled with the failure of his reform programs the Soviet Union soon