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  • Home
    • FICTION FOR THE MYP
    • FICTION FOR THE IB
    • FICTION FOR IGCSE
    • IB History >
      • Paper 1 >
        • 1. Rwanda Causes
        • 2. Rwanda Course
        • 3. Rwanda Impact
        • 1.1. Causes of Kosovo Conflict
        • 2.2. Course of Kosovo Conflict
        • 3.3 Consequences of the Kosovo Conflict
      • Paper 2 >
        • P2 COLD WAR >
          • 1. Rivalry, Mistrust Accord >
            • Korea
            • The Thaw
            • End of the Cold War
          • 2. Cold War Leaders and Nations
          • 3. Cold War Crises
      • Paper 3
      • Paper 3 >
        • China 1949 - 2005 >
          • Consolidation of the Communist State
          • Transition to socialism
          • Social Devleopments
          • Cultural Revolution
          • Foreign Policy
          • Post Mao
          • China under Deng
          • Developments in China 1989 - 2005
      • Cold War Conflicts in Asia >
        • Cambodia
        • Malaya >
          • VIdeo resource
          • Causes and course of the Conflict
          • Results and comparison with other CW Crises
        • Afghanistan
      • History Extended Essay
    • IGCSE HISTORY (new course) >
      • The First World War >
        • World War One in film and documentaries
        • World War One books and additional reading
        • 1. Causes: The Alliance system
        • 2. Growth Tension, IGCSE
        • 3. Struggle Balkans, IGCSE
        • 4. Schlieffen Plan and Deadlock
        • 5. The War at Sea and Gallipoli
        • 6. The Defeat of Germany
      • Stalin's Russia >
        • Stalin at the library
        • Stalin at the movies
        • Background to Stalin
        • Leadership struggle
        • Collectivisation and 5YP
        • Purges
        • Life in the SU
        • Second World War and after
      • China IGCSE unit >
        • China Videos
        • China in Literature section
        • 1. China 1900 - 34
        • 2. China 1934 - 49
        • 3. China Under Mao 1949 - 63
        • 4. China 1965 - 76 Cultural Revolution
        • 5. China, 1976 - 89
      • USA: Divided Union 1945-74 >
        • Red Scare
        • Civil Rights in the 1950s
        • The impact of civil rights protests 1960-74
        • Protest Movements
        • Nixon & Watergate
    • IGCSE Extension Pages
    • IGCSE Revision Home >
      • 2017 IGCSE PAPER 1 STALIN
      • 2017 IGCSE PAPER 2 REVISION: WW1
      • 2017 IGCSE PAPER 2 REVISION: CHINA
      • 2017 IGCSE PAPER 1 REVISION - USA
    • MYP History >
      • Year 7 - Native Americans >
        • 1. Introduction to discoveries
        • 2. Who were the first Americans?
        • 3. Discovery and wonder
        • 4. Sioux investigation
        • 5. Sources and assessment
        • 6. The loss of Native American land
        • 7. Why go west?
        • 8. The Oregon Trail simulation
        • 9. Encounters
        • 10. Assessment 2 - Board game
      • Year 8 Systems of government Inquiry >
        • Unpacking the statement
        • Introduction to China
        • The research phase
        • PEAL
        • How do systems compare
        • Assessment
        • Reflection
      • Year 9 MYP History >
        • Vietnam homepage >
          • 1. Vietnam immersion
          • 2. Vietnam 1945 - 54
          • 3. The US invasion of Vietnam
          • 4. What was fighting like in Vietnam?
          • 5. The US soldier's experience
          • 6. Protests and legacy
          • Assessment
        • Year 9 Genocide and dehumanisation >
          • 1. History Heroes
          • 2. The Modest Hero
          • 3. Genocide overview
          • 4. Causes of the Holocaust
          • 5. How could this happen? >
            • Assessment mini essay
          • 6. What happened at Auschwitz?
          • 7. Assessment
          • 8. Genocide in History
  • IB Global Politics
    • Politics movies and documentaries
    • Politics Reading and articles
    • Introduction to Global Politics
    • The News
    • Unit 1: Power, Sovereignty & IR >
      • POWER REVISION SECTION
      • 1.1 Defining Power
      • 1.2 Theories of Power
      • 1.3 Types of Power
      • 1.4 Defining legitimacy
      • 2.1 Emergence of Nation States
      • 2.2 Applying Sovereignty
      • 2.3 Social Contract
      • 2.4 Nation States and Political Systems
      • 2.4b Political Systems and states
      • 3.1 Inter-governmental Organisations
      • 3.2 Role and Existence of NGOs
      • 3.3 Violent Protest Movements
      • 3.4 Social Movements
      • 3.5 Political Parties
      • 3.6 Informal Forums
      • 4.1 Global Governance
      • 4.2 Treaties and Collective Security
      • 4.3 Economic Cooperation
      • 4.5 Interstate and Intrastate War
      • 4.6 Terrorism
      • Theory reading
    • Unit 2: Human Rights >
      • Human Rights websites
      • 1. Defining Human Rights
      • 2. UN Declaration on Human Rights >
        • Developments in Human Rights
      • 3. Human Rights as a Western Construction
      • 4. Multi-lateralism and bi-lateralism
      • 5. Non-governmental
      • 5a Other Rights Conventions
      • 6a) Codification of HR Law
      • 6. The ICC >
        • ICC Sudan Genocide case
      • 7. Claims on Human Rights
      • 8. Violations of Human Rights
      • 9. Violations of Human Rights
      • 9a) Write for Rights
      • 10. Cultural Relativism
      • 11. Politicisation of Human Rights
    • Unit 3: Development >
      • 1.1 Defining Development
      • 1.2 Measuring Development
      • 2. Factors Affecting Development
      • Political Factors Affecting Development
      • 3.1 Models of development
      • 3.2 The Capability approach
      • 3.3 Approaches for Developing Economy
      • 3.4 Approaches for Developing Society
      • 4.1 Globalisation and development
      • 4.2 Sustainable Development
      • 4.3 Inequality and Development
      • Interesting video resources
    • Unit 4: Peace & Conflict >
      • 1. Contested meanings conflict >
        • Defining Peace
        • Conflict and Violence
        • Types of conflict
        • Balance of Power Theory
        • Justifications of violence
      • 2. Causes / Parties to conflict >
        • Causes of conflict
        • 2. Greed and grievance
        • 3. Parties to conflict
      • 3. Evolution of conflict >
        • Conflict dynamics and manifestations
        • Third party intervention
      • 4. Conflict resolution >
        • Peacekeeping and peacebuilding
      • Territorial Disputes
    • IA: Engagement Activity
    • HL: Case Study Presentations >
      • GloPol HL Research
      • HL Writing Presentation
      • HL Presenting
    • Global Politics Revision
    • External Assessment >
      • Essay Planning and Writing GP
  • Pre IB History and Global Politics
    • History pre IB
    • Global Politics pre IB

Afghanistan (1979-1992)

Overview:

HL Unit 15: “Cold War conflicts in Asia” includes a study of Afghanistan. The emphasis is on the cause, nature, significance of foreign involvement, and impacts (up to 10 years after).

Go to the Cold War crises section of the SL course. Do the lesson there on Afghanistan before starting on this work.
​
“In December 1979 the period of détente ended when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan to maintain a failing socialist regime. The invasion was justified by the Brezhnev Doctrine, but there were also geopolitical reasons for the invasion. In late 1979 the Soviet Union perceived US foreign policy as weak and ineffective and expected little more than protest from the West. To its surprise, the consequences of the invasion were far-reaching and marked the beginning of what is [often] termed the Second Cold War” (Mamaux 163).

Guiding questions:

Why did the Soviet Union invade Afghanistan in December 1979?


How did the Soviet military intervention lead to war?


What was the impact of the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan?


What was the nature of the Soviet-Afghan conflict?


What was the impact of foreign involvement in the conflict?


How and why did the Soviet Union withdraw its forces from Afghanistan in 1989?


What are the similarities and differences in the nature of the conflicts in Vietnam and Afghanistan?


Why did a civil war develop in Afghanistan after the Soviet withdrawal and what was its outcome?

​Read these questions above now to focus your learning, and come back to them later to answer them.


An overview chapter to help with revision

afghanistan_book_scan_cold_war_conflicts.pdf
File Size: 5684 kb
File Type: pdf
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1. Causes and nature of the Soviet-Afghan war
     
You are going to watch a video, make a timeline, annotate it on display paper and then personalize your own copy of the timeline.
 
        
               a)Before watching the following video, divide class into pairs. Each pair takes notes on just 1 of the following points:
                            -significance of Afghanistan
                            -Personalities
                            -Different parties and politics
                            -international involvement
                            -timeline (this needs 2 pairs for dividing note-making into 1st and then second 5 minutes of clip)
                            

               b) Watch “It’s history- Jihad with US arms the Soviet Afghan war.” It is a 9 minute clip. The other video here is just for reference: it                         is the same one as in the SL section. You have watched it already. 
 
               c) After making the notes each pair leads the discussion to allow the understanding of situation as a class (you could share all                          your notes on a google doc) 


It's History: Jihad with US arms the Soviet Afghan war

CNN Cold War Series, the cause and course of the war. Episode 20/24

 ​d) Now, to expand your understanding, make a display paper chart in groups of 3 or 4 with the timeline as the focus.  
      Use the following BBC and PBS timelines to check the accuracy of your timeline before you start.

pbs_historical_timeline_of_afghanistan.docx
File Size: 176 kb
File Type: docx
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afghanistan_timeline_from_bbc_use_for_checking.docx
File Size: 101 kb
File Type: docx
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​e) Attach annotated labels to the timeline to show main Afghan personalities, foreign personalities, Cold War Superpower attitudes, and           internal Afghan issues and events.
 
     To do this use the articles provided. They offer concise, accessible information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. 

afghan_haqqani_network.docx
File Size: 16 kb
File Type: docx
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babrak_karmal_afghan_leader.docx
File Size: 14 kb
File Type: docx
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afghanistan_civil_war_1989_92_notes.docx
File Size: 329 kb
File Type: docx
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najibullah_afghan_leader.docx
File Size: 13 kb
File Type: docx
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soviets_in_afghanistan.docx
File Size: 17 kb
File Type: docx
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osama_bin_laden_and_afghanistan.docx
File Size: 39 kb
File Type: docx
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afghanistan_up_to_1979_to_2002.docx
File Size: 204 kb
File Type: docx
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soviet_invasion_of_afghanistan_1979_89.docx
File Size: 15 kb
File Type: docx
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afghanistan_whos_who.pdf
File Size: 567 kb
File Type: pdf
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​Each student finalizes their own annotated copy of a timeline. Annotation means, adding personal, analytical remarks about events and causes and effects.
​
EXTENSION: 
Turn into a short skit (teacher decides on group size) with focus on causes, nature, effects of Afghan war, as a Cold War conflict
Now do this next exercise to test your ATL Thinking skills:

In pairs read through the chart in Task 2 from the document below and discuss which of the factors may have been the most important in the Soviet decision to invade Afghanistan in December 1979.  Discuss with your partner which reasons the USSR would have made public as the official rationale for intervention. There are lots of other good resources in this document. Return to them for extension activities.
inthinking_resources_afghanistan.docx
File Size: 3538 kb
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2.  Impacts of the war
     
We will use the film “Charlie Wilson’s War” as the basis for this activity
        a)  Use the 3 questions below to guide your notemaking. Look at the 3 video clips below to answer the questions 

  1. What do we understand affected/ motivated/ hindered foreign involvement in Afghanistan?
  2. What did foreign countries provide/ what was their involvement in Afghanistan?
  3. What was the effect of the war and foreign involvement on Afghanistan?
Watch the “Charlie Wilson’s War” Trailer
Watch the ”Who is Charlie Wilson?” clip
Watch the Refugee Camp clip from Charlie Wilson film
Discuss answers to questions 

​Now go to the other resources below and use them to build on the answers above.

​ “Charlie Wilson’s War” Trailer

"Who is Charlie Wilson?" clip

Refugee Camp clip from Charlie Wilson film

b) Go back to the inthinking resources document above and do sections 3 and 5 to improve your understanding of the impact of the war, particularly concerning the role and attitude of the USA.


Should the USA have funded the Mujahideen? The long term impact of Cold War intervention

Summary of effect

​
More detailed on the

​effects of the war
Guardian - US's frankenstein,

​ the Mujahadeen

Additional reading on the Afghanistan conflict

book_scan_cold_war_conflicts.pdf
File Size: 5684 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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