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HIS CW-20 SOLDIERS OF GOD

Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
 
 
For centuries, nations had tried to conquer Afghanistan. None succeeded. But the Cold War -- and an Afghan civil war -- would bring a terrible toll of death and destruction to the people of this traditionally Islamic land

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 1. 

Look at the map. Which country does not border on Afghanistan?
a.
Russia
c.
Pakistan
b.
China
d.
Iraq
 

 2. 

Iran is the capital of Afghanistan
a.
true
b.
false
 
 
COUP
In the 1970s, Afghanistan became a focus of superpower rivalry. Geographically strategic -- near Persian Gulf oil and Indian Ocean ports, and bordering the Soviet Central Asian republics -- a friendly Afghanistan was vital to Moscow's interests.
The Soviet Union sent hundreds of advisers to Kabul following an April 1978 military coup that brought a left-wing regime to power. Led by Nur Mohammed Taraki, the new regime began reforming Afghanistan by decree -- taking land from the owners and giving it to the peasants who worked it. Women were encouraged to stop wearing veils, and were placed in literacy classes alongside men. In the countryside, these reforms were seen as threats to ancient customs and the authority of the mullahs -- the Islamic priests. Opponents of reform burned down schools. Thousands fled to neighboring Pakistan to avoid the turmoil.
In Washington, National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski was convinced that the new Afghan regime -- coupled with the overthrow of the shah in neighboring Iran -- constituted a major threat to the West. He advised President Carter that Moscow might use the Afghan crisis to move south and seize the Persian Gulf's oil. The U.S. soon began sending covert aid to Islamic groups fighting the communists. The rebels called themselves the Mujahedeen, or Soldiers of God. They were mostly peasants, organized by village mullahs and landowners, with weapons captured from the communists. Moscow propaganda portrayed the Soviet-trained Afghan government army as a motivated, mechanized force. But in reality, thousands of Afghan government soldiers were deserting each month. Kabul pleaded with Moscow to send Soviet troops. Soviet leaders discussed the crisis, but took no action -- until mobs massacred Soviet advisers and their families in the Afghan city of Herat. Soon after, Kabul's request for Soviet troops moved to the top of the Kremlin's agenda.
 

 3. 

Why was Afghanistan an important part of the Cold War?
a.
China wanted to claim part of Afghan territory
c.
It was important to the Soviet Union interests in the Middle East
b.
It was not important in the Cold War
d.
The U.S. needed Afghan oil
 

 4. 

Land reform is an idea that we see over and over each time communists take control of a country. What is land reform?
a.
modern farming methods are instituted
c.
farm land is taken from the owners and given to the peasants
b.
crop rotation is started to improve the quality of the soil
d.
land is taken out of farming and used for new housing developments
 

 5. 

When the Soviets moved into Afghanistan they tried to make reforms regarding women. These reforms were opposed by the strict Muslim religious leaders of Afghanistan. Which of the following were reforms tried by the Soviets
a.
allowing girls to go to school
c.
encouraging women to stop wearing veils
b.
allowing girls to participate in Afghan society
d.
all of these
 

 6. 

From the passage above we can infer that the Soviets had some influence in the _____ but not much in the _____ .
a.
countryside - cities
c.
churches - schools
b.
cities - countryside
d.
churches - government
 

 7. 

When the Soviets moved into Afghanistan with advisors, Jimmy Carter was president. His National Security Adviser was named
a.
Bob McNamara
c.
Henry Kissinger
b.
Nelson Rockefeller
d.
Zbigniew Brzezinski
 

 8. 

Afghanistan is just South of the Soviet Union and close to the oil fields in the middle east. The U.S. thought the Soviets were moving into Afghanistan so it could position itself to take control of the Middle East oil. How did the U.S. respond to the Soviets?
a.
The U.S. sent arms and advisors to the Afghan rebels who were fighting against the Soviet controlled Afghan government
c.
The U.S. sent troops into Afghanistan to fight alongside the Afghan rebels who were fighting against the Soviets
b.
The U.S. did nothing
d.
The U.S. invaded Iraq to be close to Afghanistan in case they were needed
 

 9. 

When the Afghan Muslims started murdering Soviet advisors, what did the Soviets do?
a.
Made Afghanistan a priority and started to move in troops
c.
Went after the religious Muslim leaders who were inciting the violence
b.
Got ready to pull out of Afghanistan
d.
The Soviets did nothing
 
 
INVASION
In Afghanistan, President Taraki's prime minister, Hafizullah Amin, launched a campaign of terror -- having opponents arrested and shot. Concerned, Taraki flew to Moscow to talk with Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev about how to curb Amin's excesses. They decided to oust him, hoping the Kabul government could gain popular support by slowing the reforms and ending the terror. But Moscow's secret plans leaked out, and when Taraki returned to Kabul, Amin had him seized and executed.
Amin, realizing the Soviets wanted him gone, began to seek better ties with the West. But this only fueled speculation in Moscow that Amin might be a CIA agent, and arguments mounted for an invasion to remove him. With the announced deployment of U.S. cruise missiles in Europe, Moscow felt it had little to lose internationally by intervening in Afghanistan with troops. In December 1979, the Politburo held an emergency meeting and made its fateful decision -- hoping the mission would end within weeks. By December 25, tens of thousands of men in tanks and trucks began to cross the Afghan border.
KGB special forces stormed the old royal palace on the edge of Kabul, which had become Amin's favorite residence. The prime minister tried to hide, but he was shot dead. Moscow replaced Amin with a more manageable leader, Babrak Karmal. Since the Cold War started, the Soviet Union had used military action to topple troublesome leaders in Hungary and Czechoslovakia -- but never had it invaded a country beyond the borders of the Warsaw Pact. Now Soviet forces had crossed the line.
 

 10. 

The Marxist Prime Minister of Afghanistan, Hafizullah Amin, was put in power by the Soviets. He tried to kill everyone who was opposed to him. The Soviets thought he was too extreme and caused the people to be against the Soviet backed government. What did the Soviets do about Amin?
a.
Left him in power because he was a Marxist
c.
Exiled him to Iran
b.
Plotted to have him removed and executed
d.
Removed him from the presidency
 

 11. 

In what year did the Soviets decide to invade Afghanistan with thousands of Soviet troops?
a.
1976
c.
1978
b.
1977
d.
1979
 

 12. 

After the Soviets invaded, what did they do about Prime Minister Amin?
a.
the CIA killed him and installed a new prime minister, Babrak Karmal
c.
the KGB killed him and installed a new prime minister, Babrak Karmal
b.
The Soviets left him in power because he was easy to work with
d.
the kGB exiled him and left the office of Prime Minister vacant
 
 
RESPONSE
At the United Nations, the Soviet invasion was widely condemned. In Washington, President Carter blocked grain deliveries to the Soviet Union, launched a boycott of the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow and stepped up U.S. arms spending. He sent his national security adviser to Pakistan to rally resistance. Brzezinski wanted to arm the Mujahedeen without revealing America's role, and sought the help of Pakistan's military ruler, Gen. Zia-ul-Haq -- despite his poor record on human rights, nuclear weapons and drug trades.
With the election of Republican Ronald Reagan as U.S. president in 1980, American covert military aid to the Afghan rebels only increased. Money and arms were channeled through Pakistan -- which controlled the way aid was distributed among the many Mujahedeen factions. Pakistan hoped to install a fundamentalist Islamic regime in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, as fighting escalated, the United Nations sought a diplomatic solution -- a deal for a Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, if military aid to the Mujahedeen was stopped. Hope for the plan blossomed in Moscow when, following the death of Brezhnev, the new Soviet leadership indicated it might accept the U.N. proposal. But the United States and Pakistan were not ready to cut a deal with Moscow.
 

 13. 

Jimmy Carter was elected president in 1976 and was in office when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. What did he do about the invasion.
a.
Boycott the Olympic games in Moscow
d.
supplied weapons to the Mujahedeen who were fighing the Soviets
b.
Cut off grain shipments to Russia
e.
Carter and his advisor, Brzezinski, did all of these things
c.
increased U.S. spending on military weapons
 

 14. 

When was Ronald Reagan elected president?
a.
1976
c.
1980
b.
1978
d.
1982
 

 15. 

What were the fundamentalist Islamic factions in Afghanistan called?
a.
Muslim moderates
c.
Alcada
b.
Muslim Marxists
d.
Mujahedeen
 

 16. 

What country was helping the U.S. to supply the Mujahedeen who were fighting the Soviets?
a.
Iraq
c.
Pakistan
b.
Russia
d.
Iran
 
 
CIVIL WAR
Inside Afghanistan, the ferocity of the fighting increased. At first, the Soviet army guarded cities, road and airports, leaving the Afghan army free for combat. But by 1980, almost 100,000 Soviet troops were deployed around the country; soon, they were sucked into battle. The Soviets started with textbook "sweep offenses" devised to defeat NATO in Europe or Chinese troops on the plains of Manchuria. But against guerrilla fighters in mountainous terrain, their approach was a disaster.  Their military columns were picked off as they traveled the roads.
After heavy casualties, the Soviets changed tactics -- abandoning their massive armored sweeps and taking to the air. Commandos were dropped in by helicopter to cut the Mujahedeen's escape routes. Soviet aircraft began bombing indiscriminately across Afghanistan, pummeling village after village into oblivion. Thousands of civilians were killed in Soviet atrocities throughout the country. The Mujahedeen committed their own war crimes, often executing Soviet and Afghan prisoners in cold blood
 

 17. 

By 1980 the Soviets had _____ troops deployed in Afghanistan and their tactics were _______
a.
100,000 - effective
c.
too many - good
b.
100,000 - ineffective
d.
good - good
 

 18. 

The Soviets changed their tactics and started bombing the _______ which killed _____
a.
Mujahedeen - soldiers
c.
villages - civilians
b.
roads - Mujahedeen
d.
cities - Mujahedeen
 
 
WITHDRAWAL
The war in Afghanistan was taking its toll on the Soviets. With increasing ruthlessness and daring, the Mujahedeen attacked Soviet convoys bringing oil and weapons to their army. As many as 2,000 Soviets were killed each year. For Moscow's troops, many of whom were raw recruits, the war seemed pointless. Sickness, drunkenness and drug abuse sapped the army's strength. The wounded got minimal care. Back home, Soviet propaganda portrayed the troops as brave defenders, bringing order to a war-torn country. But returning veterans began to reveal their true role. And in cemeteries across the Soviet Union, the cost of the invasion became impossible to hide. For the Soviets, Afghanistan had become their Vietnam.
In March 1985, an energetic new leader took power in the Kremlin. As Mikhail Gorbachev met crowds around the country, opposition to the war could finally be expressed. Gorbachev told the United Nations that the Soviets would consider withdrawing from Afghanistan under a U.N. agreement. Reagan urged the Mujahedeen to go for victory and sent them America's latest missile -- the state-of-the-art, shoulder-launched Stinger. The missiles made plain that America was directly involved in the Afghan war.
Meanwhile, U.N. officials pressed on with peace talks. By April 1988, an agreement was signed in Geneva allowing Moscow to withdraw its troops. The pact also barred further military aid to either side -- but both superpowers ignored the ban. The supply of weapons went on; the Geneva accords did not bring peace. Instead, Afghanistan was to endure more years of bloodshed. Although the Soviet troop withdrawal was completed by February 1989, fighting among rival groups of Islamic fundamentalists -- using U.S. and Soviet weapons -- has continued to destroy the country. Since 1979, five million Afghans have been wounded or forced to flee their homes. Almost 15,000 Soviet soldiers have been killed. And a million Afghans have died -- a cruel legacy of the Cold War.
 

 19. 

The Soviets war in Afghanistan was a disaster. The people of the Soviet Union were told by the television and print media that it was
a.
a success
c.
not going well
b.
moderately successful
d.
over
 

 20. 

The Soviet Union was to Afghanistan as the United States was to
a.
Korea
c.
Vietnam
b.
China
d.
Germany
 

 21. 

After the Soviet pull-out of Afghanistan, fighting continued among
a.
The communists and the capitalists
c.
Pakistan and Afghanistan
b.
Islamic fundamentalists
d.
Iran and Afghanistan
 

 22. 

What was the name of the leader who took control of the Soviet Union in 1985
a.
Nikita Khrushchev
c.
Mikhail Gorbachev
b.
Beria
d.
Brzezinski
 

 23. 

How did the U.S. confront the Soviet Union in Afghanistan?
a.
By supplying weapons to the Mujahedeen
c.
By joining the U.N. effort to stop the Soviets
b.
By sending in U.S. troops
d.
By hitting Soviet targets with U.S. fighter jets
 

 24. 

Afghanistan was a _____ for the Soviets and a _____ for the U.S. in the cold war.
a.
victory - victory
c.
defeat - defeat
b.
defeat - victory
d.
victory - defeat
 

 25. 

The U.S. supplied stinger missiles to the Mujahedeen that made it possible to shoot down Soviet helicopters
a.
true
b.
false
 

 26. 

The United Nations Geneva Accords brought peace to Afghanistan
a.
true
b.
false
 



 
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