How far was the Soviet Union's actions in Afghanistan responsible for the start of the Second Cold War?

Détente

Thawing of the ongoing cold war (1969-1979)

• Fear of another nuclear war (Cuban missile crisis 1962)

• USA wanted soviets help to end Vietnam war

• USSR was in a stringer position to negotiate

• USSR wanted cheap grain and technology from the west

• Soviets wanted to cut military spending

• USA wanted trade with the USSR to help stimulate a stagnating USA economy

Limitations of Détente

Seen as a facade

• Differing goals

• Lack of cooperation

• Still obtains Missiles (only restricted)

Clearly still mistrust! - breakdown led to the Second Cold War

Which factors are responsible for the start of the Second Cold War?

• Soviet Union’s actions in Afghanistan

• New personalities

• The crushing Solidarity in Poland

Afghanistan (1978)

• Pro-Soviet movement overthrew the Afghan Republic - introduced land reforms & campaign against Islamic practices (hated by nationalists and the Islamic Mujahidin)

• PDPA regime was an ally of the Soviet Union - began to fragment

• Afghanistan would become a threat directly situated on the soviet border

Soviet Union’s actions in Afghanistan

Dec 1979 - USSR decided to invade: back gov against rebels

• feared Islamic fundamentalists would influence Islamic population - threaten stability

• considered Afghanistan apart of the sphere of influence - shared border

• USSR believe it was abiding to the Basic Principles agreement - Moscow Summit 1972

US RESPONSE: Soviet Union’s actions in Afghanistan

International outcry!

• boycotted 1980 Olympics in Moscow

• Embargo on exports of technology and grain to the USSR

• Carter asked the senate to postpone Salt II (apart of Détente)

• Gave military and economic guidance to Pakistan: security

1980: Carter Doctrine - United States would use military force, if necessary, to defend its national interests in the Persian Gulf region (build up US military)

Carter Doctrine: Soviet Union’s actions in Afghanistan

1980

• USSR saw this as America disengaging with Détente - especially with improved US relations with China

• Carter advocated the suspension of Détente

New Personalities - Ronald Regan

caused tension and suspicion - people feared a nuclear war

• 1983: described USSR as an ‘Evil Empire’

• Determined to pursue aggressive policies designed to change Soviet behaviour

• blamed previous administrations for allowing the USA to be taken advantage of - allowing America’s global power to be eroded

• believe USA needed to return to unilateralism (individual state) & revitalise America’s pride

• feared communism was still an expansionist which would spread without containment

New Personalities - Margaret Thatcher

Honeymoon period of Anglo-American relations

• uncompromising & anti-communist - supported Reagan’s FP and allowed him to station nuclear missiles in Britain, refused to criticise him for speculating about a ‘limited nuclear war in Europe’

• helped Reagan adopt an assertive FP by supporting him and presenting as a united front (e.g. backed Reagan’s Strategic Defence Initiative - SDI - protective umbrella of US nuclear force

Polish Crisis (1980-81)

1970s economy was in decline, early 1980s gov responded by dramatically raising prices of consumer goods

• July & August - 300,000 workers went on strike in response - imposed in food prices of up to 100%!

To ease unrest - gov agreed to officially accept the first independent Polish trade union among workers in the Lenin Shipyard in Gdansk

Solidarity (1980)

First independent Polish trade union & ran by Lech Walesk

• not a political movement - no aims to overthrow the state - rather to reform its relationship with the people

• rapidly increased to 10 million members! - leading to significant pay raises

USSR: Solidarity in Poland

USSR concerned about concessions - began military manoeuvres along the Polish frontier

• June 1981: Soviet Politburo secretly decided not to undertake military intervention in Poland - feared significant armed resistance, not prepared to face the increase in Western economic sanctions that would follow

The crushing Solidarity in Poland

6th September 1981: General Wojciech Jaruzelski became communist leader in Poland

• threatened to impose Marial law (military and police to arrest leaders, ban strikes, censor media, and enforce curfews, aiming to restore Communist Party control)

• Refused to take threats seriously and was convinced that the Polish army would not support the regime which would therefore ultimately collapse - leaders arrested and union itself banned

Marital law brought the crisis under control but it only resulted in a deepening economic crisis

• USA imposed economic sanctions and trade suffered

EFFECTS: The crushing Solidarity in Poland

Challenged Soviet control - supported by the pope

• threatened to break the Warsaw Pact’s (1955) ideological unity - centred on Marxist-Leninist orthodoxy and total subservience to the Soviet Union

Forced Reagan’s administration to abandon détente - heightened arms race

Pope John Paul II - Poland

Polish National & Head of the Roman Catholic Church

• Supported resistance to Communism in Poland - enormous moral authority

• “Come down and renew the face of the land” - widely interpreted as a call to end Communism in Poland (seen as an implicit challenge)