The Soviet Invasion
After World War One, Afghanistan was left without a stable government. It was hard for Afghanistan to regain its footing. This is mostly because the terrain in Afghanistan is rough and covered with mountains. Also, “People’s loyalties tilted more to regional and ethnic leaders than to any national government” (Paul). There was no loyal nation or unified government. Meanwhile, the Soviet Union was looking at this country to gain more land. A pro-soviet government was set up in the 1970s. In 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan because they were worried about the government turning communist.
America Helps
After the Soviet Union invaded, the US came into Afghanistan to help. America was fighting with the mujahideen, also known as Islamic guerrillas, against the Soviet Union. This was the Cold War, started in 1986. Ten long years of fighting went on before the Soviet Union retreated due to many casualties among their men. Both sides of the Cold War suffered terribly, nearly a million Afghan people died. Fifteen thousand soviet soldiers died, eleven thousand returned home with severe injuries. The Cold War caused the end of the Soviet Union for good.
The Taliban
Disorder regained its rightful place in Afghanistan. The many different groups of the mujahideen fought against each other for power. All of this fighting left the capital, Kabul, in horrible conditions. In 1996, the group that rose to the top were the Taliban. At first, the Taliban were welcomed, solely because they were a sign of a conflict-free life. The new government leaders would stop at nothing to enforce their extreme ideas of Islam and return the order back into Afghanistan. The more the Taliban gained control of Afghanistan, the more they forced the Afghans to follow their idea of sharia, or Islamic law. Daily life changed drastically and civilians became weary of the new laws.
After World War One, Afghanistan was left without a stable government. It was hard for Afghanistan to regain its footing. This is mostly because the terrain in Afghanistan is rough and covered with mountains. Also, “People’s loyalties tilted more to regional and ethnic leaders than to any national government” (Paul). There was no loyal nation or unified government. Meanwhile, the Soviet Union was looking at this country to gain more land. A pro-soviet government was set up in the 1970s. In 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan because they were worried about the government turning communist.
America Helps
After the Soviet Union invaded, the US came into Afghanistan to help. America was fighting with the mujahideen, also known as Islamic guerrillas, against the Soviet Union. This was the Cold War, started in 1986. Ten long years of fighting went on before the Soviet Union retreated due to many casualties among their men. Both sides of the Cold War suffered terribly, nearly a million Afghan people died. Fifteen thousand soviet soldiers died, eleven thousand returned home with severe injuries. The Cold War caused the end of the Soviet Union for good.
The Taliban
Disorder regained its rightful place in Afghanistan. The many different groups of the mujahideen fought against each other for power. All of this fighting left the capital, Kabul, in horrible conditions. In 1996, the group that rose to the top were the Taliban. At first, the Taliban were welcomed, solely because they were a sign of a conflict-free life. The new government leaders would stop at nothing to enforce their extreme ideas of Islam and return the order back into Afghanistan. The more the Taliban gained control of Afghanistan, the more they forced the Afghans to follow their idea of sharia, or Islamic law. Daily life changed drastically and civilians became weary of the new laws.