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Tensions in Europe and The Afghanistan War (1979-1991) |
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Tensions in Europe and The Afghanistan War (1979-1991) |
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The world of the late 1970's and early-80's was a very dangerous one. Tensions with the West increased as they feared the Soviet Union would continue with the nuclear arms race until they surpassed them. Military leaders under Brezhnev became more convinced that it was possible to win a total nuclear war. The Soviet biological weapons program was nearly revealed after an anthrax outbreak in Sverdlovsk in 1979, it remained secret and grew to produce dealdy germs on an industrial scale. SS-20's and other intermediate range nuclear missiles were deployed across Eastern Europe, contributing to the growing instability. The shoot down of the passenger airliner KAL-007 by a PVO interceptor did little to ease tensions. Fears of nuclear war in Europe were at an all time high by 1983 when the Soviet leadership narrowly avoided launching against the West when the intelligence program RYaN indicated that war was immanent. A rapid succession of leaders prevented any meaningful change or dialogue with the West until 1985. In this year the reformer Mikhail Gorbachev assumed. He held many summit meetings with the United States to reduce tensions, and by the end of this era nuclear fears had all but vanished. A series of Summit meetings with United States President Ronald Regan led to a relaxing of tensions, including the signing of the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty. In 1989 the Soviet Union pulled out its forces in Afghanistan. Eastern European nations also demanded that the Soviets do the same. In an effort to reduce the costs of sustaining so many troops abroad, the Soviets pulled their troops out of Eastern Europe. The Berlin Wall fell later that year and many wondered how long it would take for the Soviet Union to do so as well. The Warsaw Pact was dissolved as many of the Eastern European nations attempted to distance themselves from Russia.
The most significant conventional military event of this period occurred in 1979 when the Soviet government, at the request of the Afghanistan government, deployed troops into the country to help the Communist Afghani regime maintain its hold on power. This action was viewed with much hostility by Western governments who made it point where the West could strike at the Soviet army without risking a world war. Their assistance to the Mujahedeen (Islamic 'holy' warriors) resulted in high casualties for Soviet intervention forces. The Soviet Union attempted to justify their actions to the West as an effort to stabilize an allied government on their southern frontier, but the West saw it as more Soviet expansionism. The Western perception was bolstered by a Soviet leader who said that 'our tired troops will wash the dust from their boots in the Indian Ocean'. The statement was mere political posturing, but it did little to relieve Western fears.
The conflict was of great importance to the Soviet military. It saw the first widespread introduction of camouflage uniforms, and was the first time the new AK-74 was fired in anger. The conflict also gave many soldiers experience in mountain fighting and in anti-guerrilla tactics. Despite this, the conflict had serious long term consequences for the Russians. The Soviet strategy during the Afghanistan war proved difficult. Morale soon had little support on the home front. This was especially true in the later years as the casualties continued to rise.
By the mid-1980's the Soviet Union realized that it could no longer continue the massive military buildup that had followed the Cuban Missile Crisis. Shortages of consumer goods, the war in Afghanistan, and the constant pressures of the Cold War with the United States were rapidly draining the Soviet Economy. The domestic situation was beginning to deteriorate as shortages and long lines became common for even the simplest goods and services. While Gorbachev would attempt to solve these problems by Glasnost and Perestroika, it would take some time for these programs to take effect. In the midst of these changes disaster struck -- the nuclear reactor at Chernobyl melted down and created an international crisis. Despite these problems, the Soviets managed to keep their supremacy in space science with the launch of the MIR space station that enabled the Soviet space program to carry out long duration space flights.
By the late eighties, the economy began to improve as more foreign goods flowed into Russian markets. The majority of these were from China, but Western consumer goods began to arrive as well - blue jeans, records, magazines, even McDonalds and Playboy. In the end, this did little to prevent the internal strife in the border regions of the Soviet Union. In 1898 the republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan went to war, Ukraine had a growing independence movement, and Soviet Georgia wanted to break away. In some cases these breakups were peaceful, but others degenerated into violent armed confrontation. Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Chechnya erupted into wars that had to be stopped by the army. Gorbachev's attempts to quell the dissent were hampered by attacks from rivals, which had increased as censorship was lifted. Many Russians became concerned about the slide into disorder. These fears of collapse were realized on December 25, 1991 when the Soviet Union passed into history.
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Military Branches |
Specialized Interest |
Detailed History |
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Strategic Rocket Forces Army Air Defense Forces (PVO) Air Force (VVS) |
Infantry Weapons |
The Cold War |