This lesson explores how conflicts in Afghanistan and Iran shaped the final decades of the Cold War. These events show how local struggles, religious movements, and superpower competition became interconnected.
Afghanistan became the site of the Cold War’s final major proxy war. In 1973, Mohammad Sardar Daoud Khan seized power. Although the communist People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) had supported him, Daoud later sought closer ties with the United States and expelled Soviet advisers.
All flashcards
Perestroika
Gorbachev’s policy of restructuring the Soviet state and economy, including limited encouragement of private enterprise.
Glasnost
Gorbachev’s policy of openness, which allowed greater public criticism of the Soviet government.
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini
A Shiite religious leader who became a prominent critic of Iran’s Shah and a central figure in the Islamic Republic.
Taliban
A movement that emerged among young Pashtun students educated in religious schools in Pakistan and later gained control of Afghanistan.
Yugoslavia’s breakup
The fragmentation of a multiethnic state after Tito’s death and the weakening of Cold War pressures that had helped hold it together.
Quiz questions
Why did the Soviet Union invade Afghanistan in December 1979?Answer: To protect a pro-Soviet government and prevent a rival from gaining power.
Under Iran’s post-revolutionary constitution, what principle applied to the country’s laws?Answer: Laws were required to conform to Islamic law.
What effect did glasnost have in the Soviet Union?Answer: It enabled more open criticism and brought public dissatisfaction into political life.
What political change took place in Germany in 1990?Answer: East and West Germany reunified as one state.
What happened during the Chinese government’s response to the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests?Answer: Troops and tanks cleared the square, killing hundreds to several thousand people.
Based on World History Volume 2, from 1400 by Ann Kordas, Ryan J. Lynch, Brooke Nelson, Julie Tatlock (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.