1989: Soviet troops withdraw from Afghanistan

DATE: January 1989

DESCRIPTION: The Afghanistan war went on for 10 years with no end in sight. Even though they had a large war effort in place, they were never able to control much of the country due to the efforts of the rebels, also known as the Mujaheddin. Eventually, in 1988, the Geneva Accords were signed which approved a withdrawal plan for the Soviets. This was partially due to the fact that the Soviets were forced to spend more than they could on military technology; it, alongside other things, was driving the USSR into bankruptcy.

BLAME: There were many different factors that contributed to the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan. First and most obviously, the signing of the Geneva Accord played a role in this, as it detailed the Soviet withdrawal plans. The state of the Soviet economy could also be considered a major contributor to the withdraw, as at this point the Soviets did not have enough money to continue the war due to their financial situation back at home. Alongside that, the Soviet forces in Afghanistan began to resent their role there, similar to the US with the Vietnam War. In this way, it could be said that alongside the signing of the Geneva Accord, the Soviets themselves were to blame.

TENSION INCREASE: The withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan definitely decreased Cold War tensions because it showed that the USSR wanted to stop the fighting and enter a period of détente. In fact, this was one of the main goals of Gorbachev once he came to power in the USSR. -1.5

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