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NSWModern HistoryQuick questions
Section IV (Change in the Modern World): The Cold War 1945-1991
Quick questions on Vietnam and Afghanistan: HSC Modern History Cold War proxy wars
6short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is the Vietnam War, 1955 to 1975?Show answer
The American commitment to Vietnam built up gradually. After the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu (7 May 1954) and the Geneva Accords (21 July 1954), Vietnam was partitioned at the 17th parallel pending reunification elections that were not held. The Eisenhower administration backed the Ngo Dinh Diem government in South Vietnam with military advisers. By 1960 the National Liberation Front (NLF, Viet Cong) had begun armed insurgency.
What are vietnam's strategic impact on the United States?Show answer
Domestic: the anti-war movement (Moratorium March, 15 October 1969, 2 million participants; the Kent State shootings, 4 May 1970), the Pentagon Papers (June 1971), Watergate and Nixon's resignation (9 August 1974). The War Powers Act (7 November 1973) constrained presidential war-making.
What is the Soviet war in Afghanistan, 1979 to 1989?Show answer
The April 1978 Saur Revolution brought the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) to power under Nur Mohammad Taraki. Rapid land and gender reforms provoked rural Islamic resistance from 1978. Hafizullah Amin overthrew and murdered Taraki in September 1979. The Soviet Politburo, alarmed at Amin's perceived independence and possible American ties, authorised intervention on 12 December 1979.
What is q1?Show answer
Source A is an extract from Westad on Soviet motivations in Afghanistan in 1979. Using Source A and your own knowledge, explain why both superpowers became entangled in Third World wars. [5 marks]
What is q2?Show answer
Evaluate the extent to which the Vietnam and Afghanistan wars produced symmetrical damage to the two superpowers. [25 marks]
What is q3?Show answer
Compare the views of Fredrik Logevall and Odd Arne Westad on Cold War interventions in the Third World. [10 marks]
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