A Small War with Great Impact
The Soviet-Afghan War, 1979–1989
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
In the beginning, there was the hubris of the Soviet leadership. It hastily made the decision to intervene militarily in Afghanistan. Intelligence about the situation on the ground was inadequate, the political goal was vague. Moscow overestimated its allies’ capabilities and underestimated the Afghan resistance and the population’s unfavourable attitude. The war led to the international isolation of the USSR. Censorship and propaganda kept the local population in the dark about the reality of the war for a long time. The term “war” was taboo. But dead soldiers returning in zinc coffins changed the mood. Veterans were abandoned by state and society. The war became a catalyst that exposed and exacerbated the shortcomings of the Soviet economic and social system and thus accelerated the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
(Osteuropa, 3-4/2023, pp. 103–120)