The Invasion in Afghanistan and Vietnam

1
The Invasion in Afghanistan and Vietnam

• By Catharina Vaagen and Ryan Sedlacek

2
Thesis

• The Invasion in Vietnam and Afghanistan both
  negatively effected the U.S. and the Soviet Union
  stability

3
Vietnam War 1945-1975
4
Vietnam War

• Conflict between the Democratic Republic of
  Vietnam (North) against the Republic of
  Vietnam(South)
• North Vietnam allied with the Communists
• Soviet Union and China
• South Vietnam and its allies
• The United States

5
Communist Threat

• Vietnam would elect a Communist government
• Under Ho Chi Minh
• either freely or with force
• U.S. allied with South Vietnam
• to stop communism

Ho Chi Minh
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U.S. involvement

• U.S. involved 1965-1973

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Political effects

• American publics doubt in President Johnson
• Lack of public support and belief in the
  governments institution
• Vietnam syndrome

8
The Vietnam War could have been handled
differently

• U.S. could have withdrawn from the war
• Political stability did not exist
• No military advisors to South Vietnam
• No U.S. support and military aid to South
  Vietnamese
• U.S. withdrawal would have
• Improved credibility
• Saved the strength for more defensible stands

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Cost of the War

• The United States did not save South Vietnam from
  communism
• US dead 58,226
• Civilian (total Vietnamese) 24 million
• 347 billion dollars

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Afghanistan (1979)
Map of Afghanistan and its surrounding countries
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The Invasion

• In 1979- the USSR took control of the Afghan
  capital, Kabul
• Landed airborne troops
• Motorized rifle companies linked up with the
  airborne troops
• The amount of troops in Afghanistan increased

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Soviets in Afghanistan

• Guerilla Fighting
• Hafizulla Amin was the leader in Afghanistan
• He was thought to have been a CIA officer by
  Soviets
• Mujahideen Forces resisted Soviet takeover

A Soviet soldier on guard in Afghanistan
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Economic Effects

• Could not support country
• Could not support troops
• Impossible to stay with U.S.A. in Arms Race
• Could not keep up in Space Race

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Political Effects

• Provinces losing political stability. (Chechnya)
• People in Chechnya believed Soviets hated Islam
• Mainland has new, reformed dictator, Mikhail
  Gorbachev
• Glasnost and Perestroika new terms for the way
  the government will act

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What could have been Avoided?

• Economic Depression among the people
• Political Uprisings in several of the surrounding
  countries
• United States gaining power with Arms Race and
  Space Race
• Fall of the Soviet Union

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Ideals

• Economy
• Domestic Tranquility
• Freedom (Poland, Czechoslovakia, Belarus,
  Yugoslavia, Ukraine)

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Work Cited

• "Soviet Influence in the Middle East." History in
  Dispute, Vol. 6 The Cold War, Second Series.
  Edited by Dennis E. Showalter and Paul DuQuenoy.
  St. James Press, 2000. Reproduced in History
  Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI Gale
  Group. http//galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/HistRC
  /
• "Afghanistan Invaded by Soviets, December 24,
  1979December 27, 1979." DISCovering World
  History. Gale Research, 1997. Reproduced in
  History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI
  Gale Group. http//galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/H
  istRC/
• "U.S. Military Intervention in Vietnam." History
  in Dispute, Vol. 1 The Cold War First Series.
  Benjamin Frankel, ed. St. James Press, 2000.
  Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington
  Hills, MI Gale Group. http//galenet.galegroup.co
  m/servlet/HistRC/