Soviet Union Involvement in Afghanistan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Soviet Union Involvement in Afghanistan - Essay Example This was how the relationship between the two countries began which was to leave a long lasting impact on both the countries. This association saw periods of ups and downs. There were times when there were strong links between the two countries and there were also times when nothing significant happened for years (Freedman, 1991). Afghanistan was a newly born state and at this time it needed assistance and help from its neighbors and this backing was provided to it by the Soviet Union. In the time period from 1919 up to 1929 the relations between the two countries were very friendly and they moved at a swift pace. Technicians and trained personnel flew in from the Soviet Union to build the infrastructure in Afghanistan and also to improve the communication systems which included railways, roads, telegraph and telephone. Students were given chances to pursue their studies in the Soviet Union and training was provided for army personnel. Before independence the afghan market was mainly governed by all the goods from England but now there was inflow of commodities from the Soviet Union as well. Many such developments were not very much liked by the English and they wanted the government of King Amanullah to end. At the same time though the king had done all these developments for the betterment of the country an d with a good will but he had not considered the other factions of his country like the tribes and the religious segments. This led to the toppling of his government and Nader Shah took over the country in 1929.In 1929 and the years that were to follow there were no links between the two countries so this era might be termed as the black era. There were a few talks between the two countries but these were of the least importance. Afghanistan might have maintained this state of neutrality because of the Second World War and as both the Indian subcontinent and the Soviet Union were involved in it and they were both opponents in the war. After the world war the next issue that came up was the independence of India and Pakistan from the British colonial rule. After the independence of these countries there was strong impact on Afghanistan which led to the change in the governance in the country and marshal shah Mahmud became the prime minister of the country in 1933. Marshal Shah Mahmud's government was more willing to take assistance from the United States than the Soviet Union. They asked for backing from the United States and in return offering to them contracts and deals. The American government did not give any response to their offer. In 1951 marshal Shah Mahmud made a personal request to President Truman and he was again disappointed because he did not get any positive answer. Still marshal shah Mahmud was not willing to take assistance from the soviet and when he was asked by a group of reporters that would he ask the soviet union for help, he replied: "Muslims are forbidden to eat pork, except when a Muslim is dying of hunger!" Shah Mahmud was replaced by prince Daoud. Again the prince made one final attempt to ask for help from the United States but this attempt also proved to be unsuccessful because the United States put a condition on Afghanistan to part its way from the Baghdad Pact. After this last try a General Meeting was